Page 18 - Italian American Herald - March 2022

18 ITALIANAMERICANHERALD.COM | MARCH2022 ITALIAN-AMERICANHERALD ITALIAN MADE FUN & SIMPLE
English: Better to be alone than in bad company
This month’s falso amico
It is confetti. During Carnevale, confetti is thrown around all over the place to celebrate. You’d assume that in Italian confetti was confetti. It’s actually called coriandoli. Coriandolo is the herb/spice coriander. So it is plural coriandole that festival participants throw around. Confetto (singular of confetti) is actually a type of sweet, a sugared almond.
This month’s theme is in honor of Martedì Grasso (Fat Tuesday) on March 1 of this year, which is better known as Carnevale. Let’s learn some vocabulary for the celebration known the world over.
Carnevale‘s celebrations are hugely popular in Italy and some cities and town are known all over the world for the creativity and beauty of their parades.
Those of Venice, Viareggio and Sciacca are probably the most famous in the country and are known worldwide, too. If you decide to visit Italy during Carnevale or simply attend a local Carnevale party, this lesson will prepare you to know some important phrases that will enhance your celebration.
Carro di Carnevale: Carnevale floats, or carri di Carnevale, as we call them in Italy, are one of the major attractions during Carnevale time. Creative and often irreverent, the carri have political and social satire as their main topic, their parades a common sight in villages, towns and cities. The most beautiful are probably those of Cento and Viareggio.
Stelle filanti e coriandoli: Adored by children, but widely used by adults, coriandoli are the equivalent of confetti, a word that, in Italian, actually means sugared almonds. Stelle filanti are the equivalent of English streamers.
Volo dell’angelo: The “flight of the angel” is an amazing event taking place in Venice, host city to what is possibly the best known Italian Carnival in the world. Thanks to mechanical assistance, a disguised person jumps off the Campanile of San Marco and “flies” in the air. This tradition was born as a manner to celebrate and honor the Doge, an old political figure associated with Venice, and symbolizes the relevance of the Carnevale in this city.
Maschera: mask. In Italy people usually wear masks for Carnevale, adults and children alike. This happens because Carnevale parties revolve around the idea of the masquerade: all people must wear a maschera.
Costume di Carnevale: Dressing up for Carnevale does not only mean wearing a mask, but fully changing your identity for an entire day or night; a costume di Carnevale, literally a Carnival costume, is often that of a traditional Italian mask, whose looks and personality have been passed on to us from older local traditions.
Lasagna: This dish is popular everywhere in the world and requires very little explanation. It is conventionally associated with Carnevale because it is customary, in many parts of the country, to make at this time of the year.
Martedì Grasso: This is the term Italians use to refer to Shrove Tuesday or Mardi Gras. This day represents the end of seven ‘fat’, grassi, days. This week of heavy, rich eating is closely tied to its religious origins: during this week people would eat the most exquisite food they had in the house before the beginning of the Quaresima, or Lent.
Trombetta: This word represents what is certainly considered a “must” at Carnevale parties. Trombette, party horns, used at Carnevale, can be pretty powerful affairs. One of the most used is the lingua di Menelik, Menelik’s tongue, which not only honks, but uncurls its long, papery arm when played.
Berlingaccio: If you are around Florence, you should definitely visit the city the Thursday before Carnevale. People celebrate this day with a party exalting the traditional Florentine dishes for this period: the schiacciata alla fiorentina and the berlingozzo, a typical cake whose shape is similar to that of a donut.
“A Carnevale ogni scherzo vale.” This is the true ruling principle of Carnevale in Italy: people will have to accept every joke and prank, as “On Carnival day, anything goes.”
You have been warned! No one will have to get angry if victim of a trick!
You can research your surname on these two websites:
• surnames.behindthename.com/names/usage/italian/ • cognomix.it/mappe-dei-cognomi-italiani.
Next month’s lesson will be on Easter phrases
This month’s proverb
It comes from Sardinia.
Sardu: Menzus a sa sola qui non male accump
PENDENZA – This surname derives from the Italian word "pendenza," meaning slope, to indicate the place where a family used to live. Therefore, the modern day families with this surname had ancestors who probably lived on the slopes of a mountain. Considering how mountainous Italy is,
one would think that there would be many families with that surname. Not so, only eight regions show families with that surname and in very sparse numbers.
PENNA – This surname derives from the nickname given to someone who works as a writer. It also can come from the Italian word "penna," meaning pick, rock: there are many names of places that include this word. The surname appears in the vital records in all 20 regions. It is most prevalent in Piemonte and least in Val d’Aosta.
PENTA – This surname derives from the name of the pre-roman population of Pentri that lived in the Matese area in the region of Molise. It currently exists in 16 of Italy’s 20 regions, albeit in sparse numbers. Variations: Pentri, Pentone, Pende.
PERILLO – This surname derives from the first name Pietro. It is a popular surname that is found in the vital records of 19 regions. It is most prevalent in Campania and least in Umbria. No record of it exists in Val d’Aosta. Variations: Perelli, Perello, Perella, Perillio Peracchia, Perilli.
PERLA – This surname derives from the Italian word "perla," meaning pearl. In sparse numbers, this surname is present in 18 regions. The two regions where there are no records of this surname are Val d’Aosta and Trentino-Alto Adige. Variations: Perna
PETRUZZELLI – This surname also derives from the first name Pietro. It is also a surname that is in the vital records in 18 regions. The two exceptions are Calabria and Molise. Variations: Pedretti, Pedrocchi, Perazzolo, Perrone Perrella, Perelli, Perello,
PERSIA – This surname derives from the name of the country of Persia, now known as Iran. Is it possible that the present-day Italian families are descendants of ancient Persians? Since Italy has been invaded so many times, anything is possible. However, the other reason for the existence of this surname is
it also might have derived from the dialect word "persia, persa," la maggiorana, meaning sweet marjoram. The surname is present in 18 regions. The two missing regions are Val d’Aosta and Veneto.
PETACCI – This surname derives from the dialect word "petacce," meaning piece, rag. Also from the name of the town of Petacciato in the Molise region. It is rather strange though that this surname presently doesn’t show in the Molisana vital records. In fact, this surname appears in only
four regions: Abruzzo, Lazio, Veneto and Lombardia. Variations: Petaccia, Petaccio.
PETROSELLI – This surname derives also from the first name Pietro. It is a surname prominent in nine central and northern Italian regions. In the south, is hardly exists and only appears in the vital records in Puglia and Sicilia. Variations: Petrarca, Petrarchi, Petracca, Petacca, Petracchi, Petrachi, Petrocelli, Petrucci,
In the April issue we’ll feature more surnames beginning with the letter “P.”
s in Itali
ian
n.
p
pa
anza
a
d
d
du
ad
.
u
u
u.
Italiano: Meglio essere solo che male accompag
g
gn
n
n
n
na
a
a
ant
to
o