La Festa del Ringraziamento – Thanksgiving Posted by Bridgette on Nov 24, 2021 in Holidays, Italian Language
Ciao a tutti!
Photo from Pixabay, CCO.
Tomorrow is La Festa del Ringraziamento! Of course, this is only celebrated in the USA, but many cultures have been celebrating harvests for centuries.
Did you know that the Romans also celebrated a large annual harvest? This festival was called Cerelia, which honored Ceres, the goddess of agriculture, grain, and fertility. (And yes, the origins of the word ‘cereal’ come from this goddess and festival!)
The festival was held each year and last 7 days where the first fruits of the harvest were offered to Ceres. The celebrations included music, parades, games and sports, and a feast. A nighttime ritual described by Ovid also included tying blazed torches to the tails of live foxes, which were then released into the Circus Maximus. The reason for this is unknown, but it’s thought that the Romans believed the ritual would cleanse the growing crops and protect them from disease and vermin, or it would be able to add warmth and vitality to their growth.
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I found this really fun video teaching Italians how to prepare a Thanksgiving turkey (with bacon!?) check it out:
Some vocabulary for the holiday:
L’autunno – fall
L’Amerindio – Native American
Il corteo – parade
Il granturco – corn
Il Nuovo Mondo – New World
I Padri Pellegrini – Founding Fathers (Pilgrim fathers)
Il raccolto – harvest
Il tacchino – turkey
La tradizione – a tradition
La zucca – pumpkin
Riunirsi – To get together
Un pasto – A meal
Il tacchino – Turkey
La salsa di mirtilli – Cranberry sauce
Le patate (al forno) – Potatoes (baked)
Le patate dolce – Sweet potatoes
Le verdure – Vegetables
La torta di zucca – Pumpkin pie
Festeggiare – To celebrate
Il raccolto di mais – The corn crop
Coltivare – To cultivate, grow
La gratitudine – Gratitude
Il purè di patate – Mashed potatoes
Il ripieno – Stuffing
Il sugo (di tacchino, di carne) – Gravy (turkey, meat)
Buon Giorno del Ringraziamento – Happy Thanksgiving
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Buon Giorno del Ringraziamento a tutti, e buon appetito!
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About the Author: Bridgette
Just your average Irish-American Italo-Francophone. Client Engagement for Transparent Language.
Comments:
Colette Paquin-Danyliuk:
Ciao!
Thanksgiving is also celebrated in another country: Canada. We give thanks for the harvest on the second Monday in October (given that our climate is cooler than that in the US). Ours has nothing to do with pilgrims!
Bridgette:
@Colette Paquin-Danyliuk That’s right, I didn’t even think about that! Thanks for sharing. 🙂
Laurel Barton:
When we lived in Rome, the people at Campo de’ Fiori called sweet potatoes “Patate Americane.” Cracked me up!
Bridgette:
@Laurel Barton haha I love that!!
Rosanna McFarlin:
Come sempre ho trovato tutto molto interessante ed esatto. Grazie.
Bridgette:
@Rosanna McFarlin Grazie Rosanna!