Nome (Name):

The month of settembre (September) takes its name from the Latin word septem (seven) because it was the seventh month in the Roman calendar.

Festività (Festivals):

In September we don’t have any national festivals. This is not surprising given that the long summer holidays have just finished. Settembre è il mese del rientro in città (September is the month of the return to town): adults are back at work and children are back at school.

Filastrocche (Nursery rhymes):

Io sono Settembre,

il mese cortese,

ai poverelli rifaccio le spese:

bagno le botti, porto le mele,

i fichi, l’uva ed ogni piacere.

Io porto chiacchiere alle lunghe veglie,

di starne e lodole empio le teglie;

onoro l’Angelo Michele e Maria,

e parto il giorno di Santa Sofia.

I am September,

the courteous month,

I do the new shopping for the poor people:

I wet the barrels, bring the apples,

the figs, the grapes and every pleasure.

I bring chitchats to the long vigils,

fill the baking tins with partridges and larks;

honour the Angel Michael and Mary,

and depart the day of Saint Sophia.

This little filastrocca, like the sayings below, comes from the contadino (peasant farmer) culture: in September even the poor can easily find food because the trees are full of ripe fruit, in particular apples, figs and grapes. The days are now short and there is less work to be done out in the fields, therefore the tradition of getting together for vigils in the evening is back. The 12th of September is dedicated to il santo nome di Maria (the saint name of Mary), whilst the 29th is Santi Arcangeli (Saint Archangels): Michele (Michael), Gabriele (Gabriel), and Raffaele (Raphael).

Detti (Sayings):

Settembre, caldo e asciutto, maturare fa ogni frutto – September, warm and dry, makes every fruit ripen

Settembre, la notte al dì contende – September, the night competes with the day

A settembre pioggia e Luna son dei funghi la fortuna – In September, rain and Moon are the fortune of the wild mushrooms

Brache, tela e meloni a settembre non son più buoni – Britches, cloth and melons in September are no longer any good

A settembre chi è esperto non viaggia scoperto – In September those with experience don’t travel uncovered

Salvia e rosmarino si trapiantano con il sole settembrino – Sage and rosemary are transplanted with the September’s sun

Per la Santa Croce, la pertica sul noce – For the Santa Croce (14th of September), the pole on the walnut tree (the walnuts are ready for harvest by knocking them down with a pole)

Per San Matteo piangi le ultime pesche che mangi – For Saint Matthew (21st of September), mourn the last peaches you are eating (summer fruits, such as peaches, are coming to an end)

Se l’angelo si bagna l’ale, piove fino a Natale – If the angel gets its wings wet, it will rain until Christmas (the 29th of September is Saint Archangels’ day, therefore if it rains on that day it will continue until Christmas!)