The holidays are almost done
for a while after New Year’s Eve. Every heritage and cultural background has
their own set of traditions for every holiday and learning about the history
behind them is always interesting. This article highlights a few fun and brazen
old Italian traditions for New Year’s Eve.
New Years is a monumental
occasion for just about every culture across the globe, and for Italians, it is
no exception. This traditionally superstitious country is not wanting for
traditions, promised to bring luck upon all that practice them. Read on for our
top five curious traditions in Italy:
The Meal: Cotechino
e Lenticchie
A traditional Italian New
Year’s meal.
Image Credit: http://saporiericette.blogosfere.it
Image Credit: http://saporiericette.blogosfere.it
The evening begins with a
traditional dish, “cotechino e lenticchie” Cotechino is a
delicious, savory, fresh pork sausage, typically sold either partially
pre-cooked or raw. The meat itself consists of “lo zampone,”
the actual hoof of the pig, and is a symbol of abundance and bountifulness as
represented by the meat’s high fat content, richness, and flavor. Lenticchie (lentils)
are believed to bring good luck and prosperity in the coming year to those who
eat them on New Year’s Eve. These tiny oval-shaped legumes, reminiscent
of gold coins, represent the money that one will earn in the coming year.
Needless to say, the more you eat, the better off you’ll be financially!
The Dessert: L’Uve
The dinner concludes with dried fruit and grapes. According
to tradition, having grapes present on the table during New
Year’s ensures that those sitting at the table will be wise and frugal spenders
of money. This is based on the idea that one must exercise significant
willpower in order to conserve grapes taken from the grape harvest without
eating them until New Year’s Eve. A person with such willpower will
surely be a wise and frugal spender in the coming year!
Post-Dinner Rituals
Immediately following dinner is
a series of wild rituals that, by today’s standards, have become somewhat outdated,
but are still fun and practiced by many.
Red undergarments and lingerie are worn by men and women, respectively; in addition
to espousing love and good fortune, the color red also represents fertility –
both for men and for women – so wearers beware! Additionally, the
tradition dictates that these red intimates be thrown out the following day in
order for the ritual to take full effect.
Tradition has it that you toss
out the old to make room for the new.
Another antiquated tradition involves tossing old personal
items directly out of the window. Although this tradition is
rarely practiced nowadays, it certainly doesn’t hurt to be wary of open windows
on New Year’s Eve as you stroll down the sidewalk – lookout!
Another brazen ritual involves smashing plates,
glasses, vases and other pottery against the ground to drive away any bad omens
tainting the coming year and to eradicate any negative auras that have
accumulated, thereby beginning the new year fresh and optimistic.
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