Holidays and Festivals in Italy

With a rich cultural and artistic heritage as well as strong Catholic foundations, Italian society is more than not in the middle of some festive celebration of other. Along with national holidays, there are local ones where everyone has a day off, usually to celebrate the festival of the patron saint of the area. Here is a list of the various holidays and festivals in Italy and a brief account of what each is about.

New Year’s Day

Italians welcome the New Year with full fervor and gaiety – celebrations kick off with the New Years’ Eve on the night of December 31. In all cities there is the usual round of merry-making, drinking toasts, music concerts and fireworks display on this night. At the same time regional highlights make the occasion much more special. For instance in Rome on New Year's Day children are entertained at the Piazza del Popolo by performers and acrobats. Bologna traditionally celebrates New Year's Eve with the Fiera del Bue Grasso or the fat ox fair. St Mark's Square in Venice has a huge celebration with music, a giant fireworks display, bellini brindisi (toast), and a huge group kiss at midnight. the next day, many bathers take a chilling dip in the waters of the Lido Beach. Naples is known as having one of the best New Year's Eve fireworks displays. A New Year’s tradition called Lo Sciuscio originated in Naples and still continues in smaller towns nearby. Groups of amateur musicians (now mainly children) go from house to house playing and singing on New Year's Eve. A small gift of money or sweets is given to them to bring good luck in the new year and turning them away may bring bad luck.

Epiphany

Like in most Christian cultures, Epiphany is an important religious festival in Italy too. on January 6, the arrival of the three Magi at the crib of infant Jesus is celebrated and is also known as the Twelfth Night. according to one of the quaint Italian customs associated with this festival a little old day, La Beffana, stuffs children’s stocks with gifts of sweets. Live nativities are performed around Epiphany, too.

Carnevale

Before the arrival of Lent – traditionally a time of fasting and austerities – people in Italy get ready for one last outburst of gaiety, festivities and indulgences. this takes place over ten days and is known as Carnevale. most towns organize processions, parades and some have medieval fairs. in Italy, the most spectacular Carnevale celebrations are seen in Venice which is especially famous for its masked balls and gondola processions. on Martedo Grasso which refers to Mardi Gras or Shrove Tuesday, revelers put on cloaks, tricornered hats and masks before they go out to street parties incognito. There is also a Carnival for Children in the Cannaregio district as well as a Grand fireworks show on the final day to end the carnival celebration.

Viareggio, on the Tuscany coast, has one of the biggest Carnevale celebrations in Italy and is unique for its giant, allegorical paper maché floats used in parades. among other rather unusual Carnevale celebrations in Italy are the orange-throwing battle in Ivrea, the Equestrian Carnival and jousting tournament in Sardinia, Albanian celebrations in Calabria, the Brazilian carnevale in Cento, the throwing of sweets in Verona, a Roman carnival in the Aosta Valley as well as a Snow Carnival in the Italian Alps.

Festa della Primavera

This is primarily a spring festival that is held many places in Italy on March 21. Often the festival is centered on a regional food. Spring festivals are sometimes held to coincide with Saint Joseph's Day on March 19, too.

The Holy Week

many people in Italy take off the whole of the week leading up to Easter which may fall in late March or early April. this is the time when plays about Christ’s passion are performed. on Palm Sunday – which marks the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, church congregations lead processions with palm crosses or leaves. on Good Friday, there are processions with a statue of the suffering Christ. also on this day services are held in churches focusing on the stations of Christ. in many places, paintings and votive statues are covered with black cloth.

Easter Day

Here as in many other deeply Christian cultures, Easter is the most important religious festivals, even more than Christmas. Easter known as Pasqua in Italy celebrates the resurrection of Christ – as part of the celebrations, black cloths are taken off statues, churches are decorated with flowers and the church bells summon the faithful to mass. the biggest and most popular mass is held by the Pope at St. Peter's Basilica. one of the liveliest Easter Day celebrations take place in Florence with the Scoppio del Carro, explosion of the cart. A huge, decorated wagon is dragged through Florence by white oxen until it reaches Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence's historic center. After mass is over, the Archbishop sends a dove-shaped rocket into the cart, igniting the fireworks held in the cart. This spectacular display is followed by a parade in medieval costumes.

Since Easter is the end of the Lent season, the day is celebrated with feasting and a good deal of indulgence at the table. Traditional Easter foods in Italy include lamb or goat, artichokes, and special Easter breads that vary from region to region. Pannetone and Colomba breads are often given as gifts as are hollow chocolate eggs that usually come with a surprise inside.

The Monday following Easter, la Pasquetta is also a holiday throughout Italy. On this day, some cities hold dances, free concerts, or unusual games often involving eggs and cheese, like the Umbrian hill town of Panicale.

Liberation Day

April 25th is celebrated as Liberation Day in Italy since it marks the end of the German occupation in 1945 with processions through the streets and the laying of wreaths on war memorials.

Labor Day

Like in many parts of the world, the first of May is commemorated as International Labor Day in Italy too. in some town, trade unions and political parties organize processions to mark the importance of workers’ rights.

Republic Day

Another national holiday of Italy is June 2nd which marks the founding of the Italian Republic in 1946. this day is usually celebrated with speeches and the National Anthem across the country.

Assumption Day

Assumption Day is a national holiday in Italy so many businesses and shops will be closed on August 15. Traditionally, Ferragosto or Assumption Day marks the start of Italy's vacation period. There are usually celebrations in many places in Italy on this day and the days before and after, often including music, food, and In some big cities like Rome and Milan, though, the city will empty out as Italians leave the city for the beaches and mountains

All Saints Day

All Saints Day is celebrated on November 1 and is a national holiday in Italy. this is another religious festival that venerates Christian saints and martyrs. On the following day, All Souls Day, Italians bring flowers – usually chrysanthemums – to cemeteries to honor deceased relatives. people often eat cookies called ossi dei morti or the bones of the dead.
for the rest of November, one can find many music and cultural festivals being hosted across the country. this is start of the performing arts seasons in Italy as well as the flowering of white truffles, wild mushrooms and chestnuts which are often the center of many food and wine festivals in Italy around this time.

Festival of the Immaculate Conception

In Italy like in deeply Catholic cultures, The Virgin Mary is highly revered. Thus Feast Day of the Immaculate Conception, on December 8, is a national holiday. There are celebrations throughout Italy and churches hold special masses. other than this, there are parades, feasts, and music in many places. In the Abruzzo region of Italy, this day is often celebrated with bonfires and traditional singing. Rome celebrates with floral wreaths and a ceremony at the Spanish Steps presided over by the Pope.

Christmas

Traditionally, the Christmas season in Italy would be celebrated from December 24 to January 6, or Christmas Eve through Epiphany. This followed the pagan season of celebrations that started with Saturnalia, a winter solstice festival, and ended with the Roman New Year, the Calends. now though, it is increasingly becoming common to focus the celebrations mainly on the Christmas Eve. Christmas decorations and lights are put up by the family even though the main focus of decorations continues to be the presepe, Nativity scene or crèche. Almost every church has a presepe and they are often found outdoors in a piazza or public area, too. at homes, children expect to be visited during the night by Babbo Natale or Santa Claus and given Christmas presents. the faithful attend midnight mass at the church and the next day is spent with the family – feasting, merry-making and exchanging gifts. The day after Christmas, that is 26th December, is celebrated as St Stephen’s day in Italy.