All New Year celebration in Italy

Celebrating the New Year in Italy is much like his meeting in Russia, but still has its own national specifics. Perhaps the most original for the Russian people are the traditions of Italians regarding the formation of the holiday menu, as well as the desire of citizens to throw out old things on New Year's Eve right from the windows.

New Year in Italy, as in most of the world, is celebrated on the night of December 31 to January 1. In fact, everything happens according to the usual pattern: the celebration begins with feasts, which last from 21:00 until midnight, then the Italians exchange gifts and go to the main squares of the cities to watch numerous fireworks. Young people celebrate this holiday not always in an “acceptable” style, and therefore it’s quite common for them to pour champagne from bottles on city streets, which interferes with those around them, and blow up firecrackers.

I must say that the Italian New Year is often called the "head of the year" or the dinner of St. Sylvester. Unlike Christmas, the holiday is not family, and therefore it is often met with friends in restaurants, cafes and other public places. In Rome, the People’s Square becomes the urban symbol of the New Year’s holiday, where crowds of people always gather. It is here that creative groups perform all evening, entertaining people with songs and dances, and after midnight fireworks explode in the sky. The main Christmas tree of the country is located on St. Peter's Square.

The "edible" part of the celebration in Italy starts about 3 hours before the New Year and lasts until midnight. On this day, only those dishes are prepared that symbolize well-being and prosperity, including financial. Italians eat lentils, whose round grains resemble coins, as well as pork. Quite often, the old year's farewells take place in the company of dishes made of pork legs, and they already celebrate the new year with a pork head feast. On the table there are always dzampone - pork leg skin stuffed with meat and spices, as well as kotekino - home-made pork sausage.

At the festive table on New Year's Eve, you can also find traditional Italian pasta with seafood, a sweet cake with candied fruits and dried fruits, somewhat reminiscent of Easter cake, as well as an abundance of fresh fruit. Homemade kappelleti are popular - miniature triangle-shaped dumplings stuffed with cheese or meat. Italians put turkey, smoked salmon, and almond cakes on the table - in general, the choice is quite extensive. For a couple, a pomegranate eaten at midnight is considered a good sign - a symbol of fidelity, and everyone else is recommended to eat 12 ripe grapes under the chimes, accompanied by a wish.

Italians spend New Year's Eve noisy and on a grand scale. Many wait until midnight on the squares of the city, where champagne is uncorked with a chiming clock and congratulates those around them. Some well-thought-out townspeople attend such events only with an umbrella that can protect against heavy splashes of an alcoholic drink. Quite often, Italians wear traditional clothes of a red hue for the celebration. In principle, it’s enough that at least one element of the image, even underwear, should have such a color, so that next year its owner will be lucky.

The most famous tradition of the inhabitants of Italy is that on New Year's Eve they prefer to throw away "outdated" things. Old clothes, dishes, appliances and even furniture fly right out of the windows, so pedestrians at this time need to be especially careful. The Italians believe that if on New Year's Eve it will be possible to get rid of all the excess junk, then the next year will be filled with happiness and luck. In the Italian province, on the first day of the new year, before sunrise, it is necessary to deliver “new water”, obtained directly from the source, to the house. By the way, it is this liquid that is customary to give to your friends in the company with an olive branch.

It is also extremely important for the inhabitants of Italy who they will meet first in the coming year. If this turns out to be a hunchbacked grandfather, then the year will be successful, but the monk or priest will most likely bring failure.

Since the end of November, Italian cities are filled with traditional holiday decorations. Decorated Christmas trees are installed in homes, squares and public spaces, lights are lit everywhere, and balconies and windows are decorated with satin ribbons and real spruce branches. Window sills of apartments to attract good luck are often covered with coins and candles. On New Year's Eve, Italians give each other small pleasant souvenirs.Also at this time, it is customary to present water with olive branches, and to especially close people - red lingerie, symbolizing success.

Among traditional gifts for the New Year there are sweets, honey, gold and silver jewelry, money, lamps and coins. Received as a gift a pot with a sweet substance will bring sweetness to the coming 12 months, and a nice lamp will “light” the year with good. Gold and other precious materials give home prosperity. If the Italian decides to make a gift for himself on a holiday, then he will most likely buy new red clothes.

Children Babbo Natale - a relative of Santa Claus and Santa Claus - brings gifts, but not January 1 and December 25, but only January 6. His fairy Befana accompanies him - an analogue of the Russian Snow Maiden, resembling, rather, Babu Yaga, who is precisely responsible for the gift. If the child behaved well the whole previous year, then he will receive what he wanted, and if it is bad, he will find only a coal in the holiday stocking.

See more about the New Year in Italy in the next video.