Page 14 - Italian American Herald - November 2020

14 ITALIANAMERICANHERALD.COM | NOVEMBER 2020 ITALIAN-AMERICANHERALD ITALIAN MADE FUN & SIMPLE
This year Thanksgiving might be different from past years. Many families may choose to keep the family gatherings small with immediate family members only. No matter how your family plans to celebrate the day, this lesson will teach how to add an Italian flair to the day.
Though the lesson is not Italian in theme, it begins by reflecting on Italian’s curiosity about this American holiday and its related traditions. Thanksgiving, unlike Halloween has no historical or cultural significance at all in Italy. It is unlikely that it will ever be assimilated into Italian culture unlike Halloween. America’s big celebration of Halloween can somewhat be related to the Italian holiday “La Vigilia di Ognisanto” or The Eve of All Saint’s Day.
However, if one visits family or friends in Italy at this time of year, they are often bombarded with questions about this very American holiday, which in Italian is known as Il Giorno del Ringraziamento or La Festa del Ringraziamento. Of course, many of our readers here in America add a touch of Italy to the Thanksgiving celebration by including some of these terms around the table as they feast on lasagna, Italian escarole soup, and if there is room left, turkey.
We now get back to the main theme of the lesson. In order to satisfy a native Italian’s curiosity and for those wishing to enrich their Italian language skills; we’ve prepared
a list of words and expressions that will help you explain a little about the history
of the holiday. In this lesson we will cover the foods associated with this fall feast. Then, if you might happen be in Italy during this holiday period you can explain the traditional foods of Thanksgiving to Italians. Finally, if you have never incorporated your Thanksgiving with seasonal Italian greetings, then try using some of this lesson to start a new “Giorno del Ringraziamento” tradition at your table this year.
Let’s begin with some Holiday Greetings:
Happy Holiday .................................................. Buona Festa
Happy Thanksgiving .......................................... Felice Giorno del Ringraziamento Happy Turkey Day.............................................. Felice Giorno del Tacchino
General Words and Terms:
England.............................................................. Inghilterra
Pilgrim ............................................................... Pellegrino Ship.................................................................... Nave
Indiginous American .......................................... Indiano o Pellerossa Turkey ................................................................ Tacchino
Ham ................................................................... Prosciutto cotto*
Sweet Potato....................................................... Patata americana**
Mashed Potatoes................................................. Purè di patate Peas.................................................................... Piselli Corn................................................................... Mais Stuffing............................................................... Farcito
Cranberry (sauce)............................................... (Gelatina di) Mirtilli rossi*** Pumpkin Pie....................................................... Crostata di zucca
Cider .................................................................. Sidro
Though not a holiday in Italy, we found a poem dedicated to the day.
La Festa del Tacchino (Turkey Day)
Dall’Inghilterra son andati, (From England they had gone,)
I pelligrini perseguitati (Pilgrims persecuted far too long,)
A “Plymouth Rock” son arrivati, (They arrived at Plymouth Rock,)
Amici Indiani han trovati. (New Indiginous friends they did find.)
Il benvenuto era con tutto il cuore, (They were welcomed with open hearts,) Gli indiani li han aiutati con fervore, (They toiled together to raise a crop,) Dopo d’una raccolta strepitosa, (Their harvest was a big success,)
Han fatto una festa meravigliosa. (They feasted on food that was the best.) In questo giorno come Americani, (On this day as Americans,)
Ricordiamo i pellegrini e gl’indiani, (We remember these two best friends,) E` “La Festa del Tacchino,” (It is our “Turkey Day,”)
Brindiamola col buon vino. (Let’s toast it with fine wine.)
Buona Festa a tutti.
This month’s proverb
Napolitano: A meglio parola è chela ca nun se dice.
Italiano: La parola meglio è quella che non si dice.
English Literal: The best word is the
one you do not say. (Silence is golden)
This month’s falso amico
It is “comodità” which in Italian does not mean commodity. It means convenient. The Italian word for commodity is merce.
Surnames and Their Origins
You can research your surname on these two websites:
• surnames.behindthename.com/names/usage/italian/ • cognomix.it/mappe-dei-cognomi-italiani.
NANNI – This surname derives
from the first name Nanni, which is an abbreviation of the first name Giovanni. This surname is found in the vital statistic records in all 20 regions of Italy, most prevalent in Emilia-Romagna and has its least presence in Val d’Aosta.
NAPOLEONE –This surname derives from the German first name “Nibelung,” from “nebel,” German for fog. This surname is found in the vital statistic records in 18 regions, with the exceptions being Umbria and Val d’Aosta. Variations: NAPOLIONI, NAPOLEONI.
NARCISI – This surname derives from the first name Narciso of Greek origin. According the legend it is the name of the mythical hansom youth. Also the name of a flower. Probably started out
as a nickname to indicate a vain person and then evolved into a surname. This surname is found in the vital statistic records in 18 regions. Variations: NARCISO, NARCISA.
NARDI – This surname derives from the first name Leonardo or Bernardo. This surname is found in the vital statistic records in 19 regions, with
the exception being Molise. It is most prevalent in Toscana and has its least presence in Val d’Aosta. Variations: Nardo, Nardelli, Nardello, Nardiello, Nardella, Nardilli, Nardulli, Nardini, Nardin, Narducci, Narduzzi, Nardoni, Nardone, Nardon, Nardari.
NASUTI – This surname derives from the Italian word “naso,” meaning nose, used as a nickname to someone who had a big or strange nose and then evolved into a surname. This surname is found in the vital statistic records in 13 regions. Variations: Nasuto, Nasuta.
NATALE – This surname derives from the Italian first name Natale, meaning Christmas, derived from the Latin “dies natalis,” meaning day of birth, name usually given to the children born on
Christmas Day. As a surname it is found in all 20 regions. It is most prevalent
in Campania and least registered with vital statistics in Val d’Aosta. Variations: NATALI, NADALI, NATALETTI, NATALINI, NADALINI, NATALUCCI, NATALIZI, NADALUTTI, NALETTO, NADINI, NALATO, NALESSO.
NEPA – This surname derived from the dialect word “nappa,” meaning
big nose or derived from the dialect word “nepitella,” meaning wild mint plant. This surname is not very well represented in any region, but still shows on several Italian etymology sites.
NERI – This surname derived from the first name Rinieri, a popular form of the Tuscany surname Ranieri, which is said to be derived from word “nero,” meaning black. This surname is found in the vital statistic records in all 20 regions, most prevalent in Emilia-Romagna and has its least presence in Basilicata. Variations: Nerini, Nerucci, Neroni, Niro.
NOBILI – This surname derived from the word “nobile,” meaning noble. This surname is found in the vital statistic records in 19 regions. It is most prevalent in Lazio and least found in Calabria. The only region not showing a presence is Basilicata. Variations: Nobilo, Nobilini.
NORI – This surname derives from the Latin word “nurus,” meaning son-in-law. It has a presence in 16 regions. The exceptions are Sicily, Calabria, Basilicata and Molise.
NOTTI – This surname derives from the word “note,” meaning night. It is not very prevalent. It only has a presence in eight regions. Variations: Notte.
NUCCI – This surname derived from
the first name Nuccio or Nuzzo, an abbreviation of Antoniuccio, Rinuccio, etc. It is found in 18 regions. It is most prevalent in Puglia and least in Marche. It is not present in Val d’Aosta. Variations: NUCCIO, NUZZI, NUZZO, NUZZOLI, NUCCIO.