Yesterday was the 25th of April, Festa della Liberazione (Liberation Day), which is a national holiday here in Italy. It represents the liberation of Italy from Nazi occupation and Fascist dictatorship, and the end of the Second World War in Italy. 68 years ago, on the 25th of April 1945, Torino and Milano were freed from German troops by the Partisans, just before the arrival of the Allies.

The 25th of April also happens to be my friend’s Giusy birthday, and yesterday evening when I went onto her Facebook page to write Auguri di Buon Compleanno, I found she had posted the following message: Ho fatto anch’io la mia parte per quanto riguarda il 25 aprile "festa della liberazione", ho insegnato "O bella ciao" a Flavia. Per tutto il tragitto scuola-casa a squarciagola o bella ciao! I too did my bit for the 25th of April “Liberation Day”, I taught Flavia (her daughter) “O bella ciao”. For the whole journey school-home at the top of our voices o bella ciao!

O Bella Ciao is a Partisan song from the Emilia Romagna region, which takes its origins from a 19th century folk song traditionally sung by le mondine (the women who cultivated the rice fields). Today it’s probably the most popular Partisan song of all time, and the 25th of April wouldn’t be complete without a rousing chorus of O Bella Ciao. The song became internationally famous in the Fifties and Sixties when it was sung by the Italian delegates to the International Festival of Communist Youth, and it has been translated into many languages.

Here are the lyrics. Listen to O Bella Ciao by clicking on the image below. This is a “combat-folk” version sung by the band Modena City Ramblers:

O Bella Ciao

Una mattina mi son svegliato,
o bella, ciao! bella, ciao! bella, ciao, ciao, ciao!
Una mattina mi son svegliato
e ho trovato l’invasor.

O partigiano, portami via,
o bella, ciao! bella, ciao! bella, ciao, ciao, ciao!
O partigiano, portami via,
ché mi sento di morir.

E se io muoio da partigiano,
o bella, ciao! bella, ciao! bella, ciao, ciao, ciao!
E se io muoio da partigiano,
tu mi devi seppellir.

E seppellire lassù in montagna,
o bella, ciao! bella, ciao! bella, ciao, ciao, ciao!
E seppellire lassù in montagna
sotto l’ombra di un bel fior.

E le genti che passeranno
o bella, ciao! bella, ciao! bella, ciao, ciao, ciao!
E le genti che passeranno
Mi diranno «Che bel fior!»

«È questo il fiore del partigiano»,
o bella, ciao! bella, ciao! bella, ciao, ciao, ciao!
«È questo il fiore del partigiano
morto per la libertà!»

Here is Geoff’s translation:

One morning I woke up

O bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao, ciao, ciao!

One morning I woke up

and I found the invader

 

Oh Partisan, carry me away,

O bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao, ciao, ciao!

Oh Partisan, carry me away,

because I feel like dying

 

And if I die as a partisan,

O bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao, ciao, ciao!

And if I die as a partisan,

you must bury me

 

Bury me up on the mountain,

O bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao, ciao, ciao!

Bury me up on the mountain

under the shade of a beautiful flower

 

And the folk that pass,

O bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao, ciao, ciao!

And the folk that pass

will say “What a beautiful flower!”

 

“This is the flower of the partisan”

O bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao, ciao, ciao!

“This is the flower of the partisan

who died for freedom!”