Principali Festività (Main Festivals)

According to the Roman historian Varro, Rome was founded on the 21st of April 753 B.C. (see my blog https://blogs.transparent.com/italian/buon-compleanno-roma/). Every year Rome celebrates her birthday with l’infiorata di Piazza di Spagna i.e. by covering the Spanish steps with blossoms.

The 25th of April, Festa della Liberazione (Liberation Day), is a national holiday commemorating the end of the Second World War and the liberation of Italy from the Fascist and Nazis troops. Unfortunately this years Festa della Liberazione coincides with Lunedì dell’Angelo (Easter Monday, lit. ‘Angel’s Monday’), and so we’ll loose one day of holiday!

This year Pasqua (Easter), the only Christian holiday linked to the lunar calendar rather than a fixed date, falls on the 24th of April. Here in Italy, Easter is a very important religious festival, and has not yet been as commercialized as it has for example in England and America. Schools close down for only five days from Venerdì Santo (Good Friday) to the following Tuesday, and shops and offices are only closed on Domenica di Pasqua (Easter Sunday) and Lunedì dell’Angelo (Easter Monday). You can read more about Easter in my blog: https://blogs.transparent.com/italian/pasqua-e-pasquetta/

Tradizioni (Traditions)

On the first of April facciamo il Pesce d’Aprile (we play ‘April fools’, in Italian known as ‘April fish’). The most common trick, especially if you are a child, is sticking a piece of paper with a fish drawn onto it onto somebody’s back without them noticing it. If you can manage to stick a paper fish on a teacher’s back, that’s the ultimate achievement! So if you happen to be near a school on the first of April at closing time you’ll see un mucchio di bambini inconsapevoli (lots of unknowing children) coming out of school with paper fishes stuck on their backs!

Detti (Sayings)

• Aprile, dolce dormire (April, sweet sleep). The first warm days make you feel sleepy
• Sono Aprile e porto il sonno al nipote, al babbo e al nonno (I’m April and I bring sleepiness to the grandson, the dad and the granddad)
• D’aprile non ti svestire (In April don’t get undressed). It might get cold again!
• Se aprile mette il muso, fuoco acceso e uscio chiuso (If April gets grumpy, light the fire and close the door)
• Terzo aprilante, quaranta dì durante (Third of April, forty days lasting). Whatever the weather is like on the third of April it will last for forty days
• Gemma d’aprile non riempe il barile (April’s bud doesn’t fill up the barrel). If the buds appear on the vine in April, you won’t produce much wine
• Aprile, ogni goccia un barile (April, every drop is a barrel). April’s rain is good for the wine
• Se si bagnano le palme, si bagnano anche le uova (If the palms get wet, the eggs also get wet). If it rains on Palm Sunday, it will also rain on Easter Sunday
• Non dimenticate, per Pasqua uova benedette e colorate (Don’t forget, for Easter blessed colored eggs)
• Per San Marco, il grano fa il nodo e la vigna fa l’arco (For Saint Mark, the corn makes the knot and the vine makes the arch). By the 25th of April the grains are formed on the corn and the new branches are on the vine
• Aprile piovoso, maggio ventoso (Rainy April, windy May)