Holidays in Italy in 2018 and 2019... where to start?! Let's start with the Feast of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary or Ferragosto. The Feast of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, locally known as Ferragosto or Ascension, is celebrated annually on August 15th. Ferragosto is one of the most revered holidays in Italy.

Feast of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary or Ferragosto in 2018 and 2019

August 15, 2018

1. Wednesday 15 August – Ferragosto.

August 15 is the most revered holiday in Italy in August, which is also a public holiday in Italy.

August 15, 2019

This holiday is very important not only in Italy, but also in all countries where Catholicism is the basis of the Christian religion. However, it was in Italy that this holiday acquired special significance, thanks to the many unique qualities unique to this country.

History, customs and meaning of the Ferragosto holiday

Story

The holiday itself, like many others, comes from the religious traditions of pagan beliefs. Initially, this day was celebrated as the birthday of the goddess of the sea, Isis. However, over time, this holiday became part of Christian traditions, and since then it has been one of the most sacred holidays of the Catholic Church.

Meaning

The meaning of the Feast of the Ascension is to honor the day when the Most Holy Mary, the Mother of God, left her body in the earth to ascend to Heaven. According to legend, Mary was different from all other mortal women, and for this reason she was not supposed to die in the literal sense, but was supposed to go to heaven calmly and painlessly. This is what the Roman Catholic Church has been saying since the time of the Roman Empire.

Customs

As explained above, the holiday is very popular in all countries where the Catholic faith is a central element of the culture. However, there are many customs that can be seen on this day that are unique to Italy. For example, many cities in Italy organize special holidays in which there are many regional dishes available at discounted prices.

In conclusion - holiday in Italy today!

Italians are very fond of holidays, and the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary is, of course, an excellent reason to celebrate. On this day, many fireworks are launched, and the general atmosphere of the holiday is filled with joy. This is one of the largest and most fun holidays included in the Italian social calendar.

Today Ferragosto is an Italian holiday!

To learn more about the Ferragosto festival or what holidays in Italy in 2018 there is more, contact us and study the articles on our site. If you are planning your trip to Italy in August, then the following articles will be useful to you: “ , “

Tonkosti.ru

As noted by Ferragosto

August 15 Feast of Ferragosto and Assumption of the Virgin Mary in Italy

Ferragosto is a traditional Italian holiday celebrated annually on August 15th. In the summer days preceding it, cities across the country seem to be dying out - people are lured away by beaches and secluded villas.

It is on Ferragosto that Italians prefer to take vacations. Rome, Milan, Turin are at the mercy of tourists confused by the silence and closed cafes and shops.

Tonkosti.ru writes that the holiday takes its name from the phrase Feriae Augusti, which is translated from Latin into Russian as “August’s holiday.” The fact is that the Roman emperor Octavian Augustus, to whom Ferragosto is, in fact, dedicated, moved the September celebration of the consulars to the month named after him.

In ancient Roman times, the main companions of Ferragosto were magnificent banquets with collective feasts and tables literally bursting with food and wine. Horse races and races were organized throughout the country. The festivities culminated on August 15, on which day slaves and servants were awarded a bonus and several days of rest. Draft animals were also exempt from work: bulls, oxen, donkeys and mules.

The tradition of venerating Octavian Augustus was so rooted among ordinary people that even with the advent of Christianity, the church decided not to cut to the quick and adapted the pagan holiday to the new faith. So in the 6th century Feriae Augusti was transformed into the day of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary.

As noted by Ferragosto

The Italians, who by this time had not decided to take a weekend, leave their city apartments on Ferragosto and go on excursions and picnics, go to the mountains, and go to the sea. They often have a barbecue in the backyard and invite family and friends.

To get to know Ferragosto and not go broke, it is better to either take care of booking accommodation in advance, or wait until the last minute: a few days before the holiday, travel agencies and hotels offer lucrative hot offers.

Performances are given in the central squares of Italian cities and villages. At sea, they are held right on the beach: the most popular entertainment for local youth is pouring cold water on friends and strangers.

Ferragosto is a traditional Italian holiday celebrated annually on August 15th. In the summer days preceding it, cities across the country seem to be dying out - people are lured away by beaches and secluded villas. It is on Ferragosto that Italians prefer to take vacations. Rome, Milan, Turin are at the mercy of tourists confused by the silence and closed cafes and shops. yandex_stat_id = 1; ya... CULTURE 2018-08-14 Rating: 5/ 0

All calendars, of course, were invented by people, but August is a special time. Harvesting, an abundance of vegetables and fruits, summing up and a premonition of the end. In the midst of summer, you suddenly realize: autumn has come. As in B. Pasternak’s poem about another August holiday:

The sixth of August as usual,
Transfiguration.
Usually light without flame
Coming from Tabor on this day,
And autumn, clear as a sign,
Eyes are drawn to yourself.

Italians take their siesta of the year in August: it is a time of general vacation. The peak of holidays falls on August 15, the Ferragosto holiday. This day, probably the hottest of the year, is a public holiday in Italy. For a week, big cities turn into desert, shops and pizzerias close, residents take vacations and move in noisy groups to the mountains or to the sea. Only tourists, Afro-Italians and migrant workers wander around the empty streets, looking at each other in disbelief. Eternal Rome seems like a dried-out museum exhibit, mounted on a skeleton of attractions: a square, a church, a fountain, an obelisk.

Ferragosto! Ferragosto!
The city is extinct. The fat is in the fire!
Where are the cars? Where are the people?
Rome is deserted, like an island,
The Romans are sitting in the water.

This is from a poem by Gianni Rodari.

Italians wait for Ferragosto all year and love it, probably more than New Year or Christmas. On the one hand, this holiday embodies the Italian national myth about dolce farniente, blissful “doing nothing,” and the human longing for eternal summer, for a heavenly rest from work, is universal and invariably in demand in European culture. On the other hand, the image of an empty city abandoned by its inhabitants is very attractive and romantic. Maybe that's why Ferragosto has become a favorite subject for Italian writers and directors. The last film about Ferragosto was released in 2008 (Lunch on the Day of the Assumption, Pranzo di Ferragosto) and received several film awards, including the best culinary film of 2009 (Berlin Film Festival). This film tells exactly about the people who remained in empty Rome. About the relationship between son and mother. A middle-aged bachelor, Gianni, goes grocery shopping in the morning, reads The Three Musketeers to his old mother, and makes sure she doesn’t eat Parmesan, which the caring doctor has forbidden. At the end, all the heroes will have a sumptuous lunch on the day of the Assumption. Cuisine connoisseurs like the Italians, of course, celebrate their favorite holiday with a sumptuous feast.

Madonna Assunta

In the Orthodox Church we also celebrate the Dormition on August 15th. According to the old style, of course. But if in Russia they talk about the Dormition “Theotokos Easter”, then the Italians call it “The Ascension of theotokos”, Madonna Assunta, i.e. Madonna Ascended. In Western iconography, it is customary to depict not the Assumption, but rather the Ascension of Mary. In Titian's famous painting Assunta ("Ascended"), which is in the altar of the Franciscan church in Venice, there is not even a hint of death. Only triumph and light of heavenly glory prepared for the Mother of God.

The doctrine of the Ascension of the Virgin Mary was officially dogmatized in the Catholic Church in 1950. Some Catholics believe that the Virgin Mary did not actually die, but only fell into deep sleep and was then bodily ascended to heaven. Be that as it may, both events: the Dormition and the Ascension of the Virgin Mary are celebrated on August 15.

In Rome, until the 16th century, the celebration of the Assumption took place in a special way. Early in the morning of August 15, a procession with an icon of Christ walked through the city from the Lateran Basilica to the Forum, and then to the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore, where the procession was greeted with an icon of the Virgin Mary. Thus, the entire procession illustrated how Christ comes to the Mother and takes Her with Him. The Pope walked at the head of the procession, and at sunrise he celebrated a mass in honor of the Dormition of the Mother of God.

Nowadays, not every Italian will remember that Ferragosto is actually the feast of the Assumption of the Virgin. Priests are forced to remind their flock of this. History has come full circle: once pagan festivals in honor of the harvest and the completion of summer agricultural work were assimilated by Christianity and associated with the feast of the Dormition of the Virgin Mary. Now the Catholic feast of the Assumption has in turn become the secular Ferragosto, the holiday of the August holidays.

Ferragosto in the village

Ferragosto in Tofia

I caught Ferragosto celebrating in the town of Toffia. Despite its proximity to Rome (only 40 km to the northeast), Toffia gives the impression of a remote province: all around are green fields, Sabine hills, olive plantations. Residents communicate with each other not in the state Italian language, but in the local Roman dialect, Romano. Buses and trains do not go here; in the town itself there is only one street (not counting many alleys and back streets) and three churches, one of them from the 8th century. This place has a rich and interesting history, but tourists never come here. The residents themselves call Toffia a village (il villagio), but, to be honest, I don’t understand how you can call a stone fortress on a rock that way, in which all the houses are four-story palaces of the 14th-15th centuries.

On August 15, Ferragosto Day, the narrow streets of Toffia are full of people. It’s as if you find yourself in another world, where ordinary modern people, car owners, Internet and mobile phone users, turn into a medieval urban community. There are long tables set up right on the streets, next to the tables there are barbecues with fried sausages, and tents with food and wine. This is all free, at the expense of the municipal community or commune, as they say in Italy.

There is a folk crafts fair on the main square. Several music venues that are hidden in the most unexpected places. They play different things: jazz, rap, even “Moscow Nights”. Despite the non-children's time, children rush through the streets and periodically encounter carnival characters on stilts. But at a table under a lantern, representatives of the local administration, indistinguishable from the rest of the townspeople, are chatting animatedly with some smart old ladies. Fireworks have been set off and we need to get ready to go home. It’s a pity, because all the residents of Toffya will probably stay to celebrate until the morning. I look into the black sky of August and think: it’s worth learning from these people the ability to rejoice in the simplicity of their hearts.

This site is dedicated to self-learning Italian from scratch. We will try to make it the most interesting and useful for everyone who is interested in this beautiful language and, of course, Italy itself.

Interesting about the Italian language.
History, facts, modernity.
Let's start with a few words about the modern status of the language; it is obvious that Italian is the official language in Italy, the Vatican (simultaneously with Latin), in San Marino, but also in Switzerland (in its Italian part, the canton of Ticino) and in Several districts in Croatia and Slovenia, where a large Italian-speaking population lives, Italian is also spoken by some of the residents on the island of Malta.

Italian dialects - will we understand each other?

In Italy itself, even today you can hear many dialects, sometimes it is enough to travel only a few tens of kilometers to encounter another of them.
Moreover, dialects are often so different from each other that they can seem like completely different languages. If people from, for example, the northern and central Italian “outback” meet, they may not even be able to understand each other.
What is especially interesting is that some dialects, in addition to the oral form, also have a written form, such as the Neopolitan, Venetian, Milanese and Sicilian dialects.
The latter exists, accordingly, on the island of Sicily and is so different from other dialects that some researchers distinguish it as a separate Sardinian language.
However, in everyday communication and, especially, in large cities, you are unlikely to experience any inconvenience, because... Today, dialects are spoken mainly by older people in rural areas, while young people use the correct literary language, which unites all Italians, the language of radio and, of course, television.
It may be mentioned here that until the end of the Second World War, modern Italian was only a written language, used by the ruling class, scientists and in administrative institutions, and it was television that played a big role in the spread of the common Italian language among all inhabitants.

How it all began, origins

The history of the formation of modern Italian, as we all know it, is closely connected with the history of Italy and, of course, no less fascinating.
Origins - in Ancient Rome, everything was in the Roman language, commonly known as Latin, which at that time was the official state language of the Roman Empire. Later, from Latin, in fact, the Italian language and many other European languages ​​arose.
Therefore, knowing Latin, you can understand what a Spaniard is saying, plus or minus a Portuguese, and you can even understand part of the speech of an Englishman or a Frenchman.
In 476, the last Roman emperor, Romulus Augustulus, abdicated the throne after the capture of Rome by the German leader Odocar, this date is considered the end of the Great Roman Empire.
Some also call it the end of the “Roman language”, however, even today disputes still rage as to why exactly the Latin language lost its relevance, because of the capture of the Roman Empire by barbarians or was it a natural process and in what language? spoken towards the end of the Roman Empire.
According to one version, in ancient Rome by this time, along with Latin, the spoken language was already widespread, and it is from this popular language of Rome that the Italian that we know as Italian of the 16th century comes from, according to the second version, in connection with the invasion of the barbarians Latin mixed with various barbarian languages ​​and dialects, and it is from this synthesis that the Italian language originates.

Birthday - first mention

The year 960 is considered the birthday of the Italian language. This date is associated with the first document where this “proto-vernacular language” is present - vulgare, these are court papers related to the land litigation of the Benedictine Abbey, witnesses used this particular version of the language so that the testimony would be understandable to as many people as possible, up to this point in all official papers we can only see Latin.
And then there was a gradual spread in the ubiquitous life of the language vulgare, which translates as the people's language, which became the prototype of the modern Italian language.
However, the story does not end there, but only becomes more interesting and the next stage is associated with the Renaissance and with such well-known names as Dante Alighiere, F. Petrarch, G. Boccaccio and others.
to be continued...

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August 16th, 2012

Many tourists, arriving in Italy in mid-August, are puzzled by the deserted streets of big cities, shutters on the windows and bars on the doors of shops. Some, scratching the top of their heads in bewilderment, leave in ignorance; others, after talking with local residents, discover one of the most long-awaited holidays of Italians - Ferragosto.

The origins of Ferragosto go back to Ancient Rome. Since ancient times, at the end of the main agricultural work, the Romans celebrated consualia - festivals in honor of the god of the earth and crops, Konsu. In order to extend the days of rest (and increase his rating, not without this), Emperor Augustus, after coming to power, also established Augustalia. Ferragosto is thus literally translated as the rest of Augustus (feriae Augusti). The peak of the holidays occurs in the very middle of the month, August 15, when Catholics celebrate the Dormition of the Mother of God. Cities are dying out as if during a plague, and those who remain are looked at as lepers (which I, in fact, was able to experience very well this year). But outside the city, madness reigns - there are traffic jams on the roads all day long, there are almost gladiatorial fights at sea for sunbeds and umbrellas, in the mountains goats and chamois begin to bleat pitifully, as everywhere you look, trekkers, stunned by the heat, are jumping from bump to bump.

However, the festivities are not limited to Ferragosto alone. Just like in ancient Rome, horse races are still organized throughout Italy. On August 16, Siena hosts the most famous Palio, in which 10 of the 17 existing contradas (districts of the city) present their best riders in the main square of Piazza del Campo. The name of the race comes from the word “pallium”, a piece of expensive fabric given to the winner back in Ancient Rome.

Ferragosto and culinary traditions

As the Italian proverb says, “In Ferragosto they eat roast pigeon” (“Al Ferragosto si mangiano i piccioni arrosto”). The tradition, which originated in Tuscany, then spread throughout Italy. These days, however, not all families see a toasted dove in the center of the table. In Rome, for example, it was replaced by regular chicken with peppers. And in Sicily they prefer the typical gelu di muluna - a watermelon dessert.