Page 6 - Italian-American Herald - January 2024

6 ITALIANAMERICANHERALD.COM | JANUARY2024 ITALIAN-AMERICANHERALD CALENDAR
light up the night skies across Italy to ring
in the New Year. The country is known for its beautiful and artistic displays. Zambelli Fireworks is one of the biggest fireworks companies in the world with a history dating back to 1893 and the Grucci family has been in business since 1850.
In recent years fireworks displays in Italy are undergoing transformations with changes made to avoid the risk of fires and also to reduce the stress they cause pets and wild animals. The town of Collecchio outside of Parma passed a law to mandate silent fireworks and many other places have followed suit. In keeping with the times many towns and cities now use drones to create silent but just as beautiful displays.
Of course, Italians will toast the new year with spumante and other bubbly beverages and may also celebrate with un bacio sotto il vischio, a kiss under the mistletoe.
It is also common to light a candle just before midnight and to let it burn completely, which signifies the passage from the old to the new. The candle’s color is also symbolic, a green candle is lit if one wishes to become rich while a white or red candle is used when one is hoping to find love.
Another traditional habit is to open a window in a dark room just before midnight.
This allows one to get rid of any evil spirits or negative energy in the house.
Red is traditionally the color of the day when the New Year arrives. This dates as far back as 31 B.C. when people would clothe themselves in red as a symbol of prosperity.
Another way to ring in the New Year
is with a large falò or bonfire. Fire is the essence of purification and renewal, and large bonfires are prevalent in the northeastern areas of Italy but also practiced elsewhere in the country. A longtime tradition in Bologna is the Falò del Vecchione where the effigy of an ancient man is burned on New Year’s Eve in Piazza Maggiore. The old man symbolizes the old year, and the flames cancel the bad things of the past in hopes of a better year.
In Rome it has become a custom to greet the New Year with a dive into the Tiber River. This first took place back in 1945 when Rick de Sonay, an adventurous Italian-Belgian, dove into the frigid and turbulent waters of the river from a height of around 59 feet from the marble balustrade of the Ponte Cavour. When he emerged from the river, he gave a signal to indicate he was OK and that became his nickname. He took his last dive in the 1980s but the custom and his nickname
was passed on to a faithful disciple Maurizio Palmulli. The former lifeguard, now in his
70s, took his 35th plunge in January 2023 along with several friends. This annual event is watched by many lined along the bridge and others watching below from the river.
Finally, it is customary for Italians to throw out old items as a symbolic gesture of letting go of the past. This is more common in Naples but does happen in other regions as well. Out the window goes old clothes,
furniture, dishes, pots, and pans! Those walking below are in the know and will look out for these flying objects.
As Italians celebrate the New Year they will wish each other Buon Anno, Buon Principio, Buon Capodanno or Felice Anno Nuovo. However, and wherever you celebrate, we wish all our readers, friends, and family the same! IAH
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