Buon Ferragosto
Buon Ferragosto! Today, August 15th, was an Italian holiday. Yup, it’s a Tuesday 😂 I had a few curiosities: 1. my iCal shows Italian holidays but lists two for today. Was this a typo? 2. No? So what’s “Ferragosto” and what’s “Assunzione di Maria? 3. Do either of these have a connection with “it’s August they might be on holiday” There ARE two holidays celebrated on the same day! Once I started digging I went down some rabbit holes where history, religion, and culture all got pretty cosy. Aug 15 is Ferragosto which has roots in Ancient Rome and Assumption which is Catholic and they’ve morphed into a cultural tradition that ranges from a day to a month of holiday. In 18 BC emperor Augustus created a public celebration called the Feriae Augusti which literally translates to August Celebrations. He was the adopted son of Julius Caesar and the founder of the Roman Empire as we know it. The celebration was generally on the first of the month, which was not yet known as ...