learn the Italian language with Italian culture

The last of the twelve days of Christmas, Epifania (Epiphany) is important to Christians as it celebrates the arrival of i Re Magi (three kings or wise men) to see the baby Jesus. In Italy, an important messa (mass) is celebrated on this day (January 6th), with plenty of canzoni (songs) and wise men costumes for the children.

Outside the church, the 6th January is also an important day for children as it’s when the befana arrives. The befana is a figure from folklore with pre-Christian roots and is usually depicted as a friendly witch (strega) or old woman (la vecchia) carrying around la scopa (a broom). She is a bringer of gifts for children - filling their calze (stockings) with  caramelle (sweets) and cioccolatini (chocolates) if they have been bravi (good), or carbone (coal) if they have been cattivi (bad). You will often see black and white sweets in the shops for this reason.

The 6th January is a public holiday in Italy and is usually spent going out to watch the rogo (bonfire) created to burn the befana, symbolizing the end of the old year and the greeting of the new one. Many villages will have firework displays and even Miss Befana competitions!

Otherwise, for the more commercially-minded, the 6th January is usually the time when the saldi invernali (winter sales) start in Italy.

From the news, 30/12/2008 - only in Italy!

Here are some common mobili (furniture) that you can see in Italian houses:

The Italian New Year period is called Capodanno, literally ‘head of the year’. It is celebrated in much the same way as the rest of the world, although there are a number of quaint traditions to follow.
The night of the 31st usually kicks off with the cenone (big feast) where you can load up on a wide variety of dishes. One of the courses is usually zampone (a very greasy yet surprisingly tasty pig’s trotter)and lenticchie (lentils), eaten for their resemblance to coins, and supposedly bringing you good fortune in the year to come. For the same reason you may also see melagrane (pomegranite) and uva (grapes).
At midnight there will be the usual baci (kisses) and auguri (good luck greetings), plus many displays of fuochi artificiali (fireworks) and the accompanying botti (firecrackers) in the streets, historically used to ward off evil spirits.
Another more recent tradition is to vestire biancheria intima di colore rosso (wear red underwear), presumably to bring fertility. A more antique custom was to gettare dalla finestra oggetti vecchi (throw old objects out the window) symbolizing the idea of out with the old and in with the new. Linked to this are the creation of buoni propositi (New Year’s resolutions).

The streets are lit up, the shops are teaming, ‘jingle bells’ is everywhere… we can only conclude that arriva natale (Christmas is coming)!

The Christmas period starts properly with the decoration of the albero di natale (Christmas tree), not forgetting the all important stella (star) or angioletto (little angel) on the top. Under the tree in many houses you will also find a detailed presepe (nativity scene) with figurines of Gesù Bambino and i Re Magi (the wise men).

The first important date is the 24th December, la vigilia (Christmas Eve), when most people gather with their family for a large dinner based around fish or boiled meat dishes, depending on the region. Then comes the wait for babbo natale (Father Christmas) as children sit expectantly in front of the camino (chimney/fire place), listening out for the sound of la slitta (sleigh) and le renne (reindeer). Many children will get a head start on the rest of us, as regali (presents) are often opened at midnight.
Obviously, la vigilia is not complete without a visit to la messa di natale (a christmas church service)

Christmas day is much like the rest of the Christian world - a day of food and family and the traditional game of briscola (a popular card game). At some point the panettone (big bread shaped cake) will be cracked open along with a bottle of spumante. And then to bed to sleep off the excess!

Santo Stefano (26th December) is often spent outdoors, visiting  mercatini di natale (Christmas markets) or generally wandering the town trying to digest the previous days’ food.

Auguri di buon natale!

Italian consonants are relatively easy to pronounce as they follow simple rules and there are no irregularities in spelling as there are in English.

The following consonants are pronounced as you would expect them to be:

b, d, f, l, m, n, p, s, q, t, v, x

However, these consonants are a little different:

c - is pronounced ‘k‘ if followed by a, he, hi, o, u. eg camera (room), colazione (breakfast), chiesa (church)
c - Is pronounced ‘ch‘ if followed by e, i.  eg cinzano, cena (dinner)
g - is pronounced as a hard ‘g’ if followed by a, he, hi, o, u. eg gara (race), gheppardo (leopard)
g - is pronounced j if followed by e, i eg giapponese (japanese) or gentile (kind)
h - is always silent
j - is pronounced ‘y‘
r - is always pronounced and doesn’t disappear when in between vowels as in English
z - is pronounced  ‘tz‘
k - doesn’t exist in Italian except in foreign imported words
w - doesn’t exist in Italian except in foreign imported words
y - doesn’t exist in Italian except in foreign imported words

Combinations of certain consonants:
gl - becomes ‘lly‘ as in famiglia
gn - becomes ‘ny‘ as in gnocchi
sc - becomes ‘sh‘ when followed by e or i eg sciarpa (scarf)

There’s no denying it - when it comes to i vestiti (clothes) the Italians know what they are doing! La moda (fashion) is one of Italy’s biggest exports and the average person on the street usually looks like they have just stepped out of Vogue.

Here are some things the average Italian has in their armadio (wardrobe):

Italians have a different approach to la salute (health) than in many other countries. To say they are knowledgeable would be an understatement. Not only do most people know what the correct temperatura del corpo (body temperature) should be, they even know what their own temperature is on any given day. A slight variation to the norm is always a good reason to stay at home! And when an Italian decides to visit their medico di base (family doctor/GP), it’s often more for a confirmation than a diagnosi (diagnosis) - they probably already know what’s wrong with them.

This knowledge of all things medical is probably passed down through the family via the famous rimedi di nonna (granny’s remedies), with tips for the cura of anything from il mal di gola (sore throat) to una caviglia slogata (a sprained ankle) and everything in between. A word of warning, however - never ask for un consiglio (advice) at large family gatherings. The arguments over conflicting tips will fa girare la testa (make your head spin)!

So Italians take their health very seriously, which probably explains why they have one of the highest life expectancies in the world. The slightest raffredore (cold) sends them running to the farmacia (chemist’s) to stock up on pillole (tablets) and other types of medicina (medicine). More serious problems may need a visit to a specialista (specialist) and possibly a trip to ospedale (hospital). And for accidents un ambulanza (an ambulance) is always ready to whisk you off to pronto soccorso (casualty/emergency room).

So don’t panic if you find yourself needing un medico (a doctor) while visiting Italy - you will definitely be in mani sicure (safe hands)!