1. Comenius Project Italian meeting 30 th May – 3 rd June 2012 Italy

2. Italian Festivities Calendar 2013

3. January 1 st New Years day 6 th Epiphany 27 th Memorial Day

4. New Years Day It is the first day of the year. The Italian tradition includes a series of superstitious rituals to be followed during the New Years Eve, such as to wear red underwear and throw old unused objects from the window. Lentils are eaten at dinner as a sign of wealth for the New Year.

5. Epiphany It commemorates the 12 th day of Christmas when the three wide men arrived at the manger bearing gifts for Baby Jesus.

6. Memorial Day Memorial Day is a celebration declared on January 27 to commemorate the victims of National Socialism and Fascism. It remembers, in fact, 27 th January 1945 when the Soviet Red Army troops discovered the concentration camps and rescued the few survivors.

7. February 13 th Ash Wednesday 12 th Last Day of Carnival Shrove Tuesday 10 th Remembrance Day

8. Remembrance Day The Remembrance Day is a national civil Italian feast celebrated on February 10 of each year. It commemorates the victims of the massacres of sinkholes.

9. The Carnival In this period we organise big parades in every cities. We dress up with fancy dresses and prepares Carnival floats. The most beautiful float with its team will receive a prize on the last day.

10. Ash Wednesday Forty days before Easter On this day lent starts.

11. March 8 th Womens Day 19 th Fathers Day 31 st Easter

12. Womens Day To remember and reflect on womens achievements in every sectors of society. It remembers the fire that took place in a factory where a lot of women died.

13. Fathers Day Fathers day is celebrated on March 19 th every year. In catholic countries it falls on St Josephs Day.

14. Easter First Sunday after the first full moon of spring This is the most important Catholic feast. It commemorates the day when Jesus rise again after three days. Eggs are the symbol of birth, so it is the symbol of Easter.

15. April 1 st Easter Monday 21 st Romes Birthday 25 th Liberation Day

16. Easter Monday This is the day after Easter. Its an official national holiday in Italy. Banks and shops are closed. Some cities hold dances, free concerts, or unusual games often involving eggs.

17. Romes Birthday On this day we celebrate the foundation of Rome which according to the legend took place in 753B.C. with the twins Romolus and Remus.

18. Liberation Day On 25 th April Italy celebrates the Liberation Day, it remembers the anniversary of liberation from fascism.

20. May 1 st Labour Day 9 th EuropesDay 13 th Mothers Day

21. Labour Day Labour Day is a holiday celebrated worldwide on 1 st May each year for the achievements in working conditions of men and women. A conquest for all: the daily working time set at eight hours.

22. Europes Day It represents an important date for Europe and celebrates the speech held by Robert Schuman in 1950 which opend the path towards the present European Union.

23. Mothers Day Mothers day is celebrated on the second Sunday of May and it is a widespread festivity all the world. This festivity is an occasion for sons and daughters to give flowers, chocolates or every other things to ones own mom!

24. June 2 nd Republic Day 2 nd Corpus Domini 29 th Saints Peter and Paul

25. Italian Republic Day The Italian Republic Day is celebrated on June 2 to commemorate the birth of the Republic. In June 1948, for the first time, Via dei Fori Imperiali in Rome hosted a military parade in honour of the Republic.

26. 2 nd June nowadays Today we celebrate this civil feast with a big parade. The Frecce tricolori do their show in this day at the presence of military forces, the President of the Republic and other authorities.

27. 2 nd June 1946 It commemorates the institutional referendum of 1946 when the Italian population was called to decide what form of government (monarchy or republic) to give the country after the Second World War and the fall of Fascism. This is the first time that women used the right of vote.

28. The Constitution This Document is the basis of the Italian Republic. It ensures human rights, establishes rights and duties of all Italian people.

29. Infiorata di Genzano

30. «lInfiorata» is a religious festivity which is held to celebrate the Corpus Domini in June each year. One of the most famous example in Italy is the one taken in Genzano, a small town near Rome, not far from Aprilia. Its origin goes back to the XII century and is characterized by the preparation of a floral (flowered) carpet along the way followed by the religious procession. The floral carpet occupies almost 200 square metres of ground and is composed different representations. About 350.000,00 flowers are necessary to create these pictures; it is said that the «infioratori», the artists, use each petal as painters use their colours. The festivity is divided into 3 phases: on Saturday, painters start drawing the different images on the ground. on Sunday, they proceed with the laying of the petals to carpet the ground. on Monday, children «destroy» the drawings running from the steps of Saint Marys Church.

31. August 15 th Assumption of Mary - Ferragosto

32. August Bank Holiday August 15 is the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin. That day the Church celebrates Mary the mother of Jesus received in Heaven. It is a typical Italian Festivity not celebrated in other European countries. Deeply rooted in pagan tradition, the feast of the Assumption was then recycled by the Church, which, like other pagan festivals, first tried to suppress them and then wrap them of Christendom. The imprint of religious holiday is felt in the many religious processions that take place everywhere. Usually, the statue of Madonna is carried in procession through the streets of old towns. This summer date for most of us is the apotheosis of the holidays! August is a word of Latin origin, derives from Feriae Augusti, which means Rest of August. In the month of August where harvested cereals and ancient Rome celebrated the end of the main agricultural work. Today, August Bank Holiday is by definition the day of the holiday, excursions, long week-ends, in one word the occasion for outings and picnics out of town.

33. September 29 th Saint Michel (local festivity)

34. S. Michael We commemorate the Archangel S. Michael, who is our patron. We organise a week of celebrations, which finish on Sunday with the procession of S. Michael. There is a show of fireworks at midnight.

35. November 1 st All Saints Day 2 nd Commemoration of Deads 4 th National Day and of the Armed Forces

36. November 1: All Saints Day It is celebrated in honour of all Catholic saints and martyrs, known and unknown.

37. November 2: Day of the Deads It is celebrated in honour of the Deads.

38. Day of National Unity The Day of National Unity and of the Armed Forces falls on November 4, in commemoration for the anniversary of the end of World War I for Italy, the feast of Italian Armed Forces and the Party of National Unity.

39. December 8 th Immaculate Conception Day 24 th Christmas Eve 25 th Christmas Day 26 th Saint Stephens Day 31 th New Years Eve

40. Immaculate Conception It commemorates the Immaculate Conception of Mary.

41. Christmas Day It commemorates the day when Baby Jesus was born. We celebrate this with a big dinner with all parts of family on December 24. When the clock strikes midnight, Christmas Day starts and we put a symbolic Baby Jesus into the cradle in the nativity scene.

42. St. Stephens Day St. Stephen was the Christian Churchs first martyr and his feast day is celebrated on December 26, the day after Christmas.

43. Students: Maximiliano Ezequiel Barrabino Eleonora Ciervo Ambrogio Gallo Alison Orlandi Sara Totaro Teachers: Maddalena Caracciolo Cristina Miglionico Ada Seguino Alessia Serpa Thanks to our Religion and History Teachers, Mrs. Mariangela Cangemi and Maria Luisa Iorio, for their collaboration.