by Michele Alonzo
Every year, the month of March brings a traditional family
event in Italian homes: Father's Day,
which falls on March 19th, the day celebrating one of the most popular saints on
the Christian-Catholic calendar: St. Joseph.
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| St. Joseph |
Italy, along with three other major European countries
(Spain, Portugal and Switzerland) celebrates this holiday in March. In fact, in
many other parts of the world, including the United States, the day for all fathers
falls on the third Sunday of June.
The name "papà" is the French derivation of the
name "father" and is used more in the south, while in some regions of
the north, and especially in Tuscany, the name "babbo" is used
instead. That explain also why Santa Claus is Babbo Natale in Italian (Father
Christmas).
It is no coincidence that in some Catholic countries this
celebration coincides with the name-day of Joseph, the putative father of Jesus.
Furthermore, in the popular Christian tradition, this saint protects the
poor, the orphans, the unmarried girls and, by virtue of his profession, he is
considered the patron of carpenters.
In many Italian regions, especially in the South, on St.
Joseph's Day special banquets are set up to host and serve food to the poor and
the derelicts.
In Italian families it is tradition for children to give a
small personal gift to their father. Sometimes the little ones write a letter
that they leave on the table, under the father's plate or napkin, or they sing
some nice nursery rhymes.
In some rural areas of the south, Father's Day features
large bonfires, a sign of purification and good wishes for the harvest in the
countryside. On this day, in many Sicilian towns there are exhibits of
artifacts and objects produced by local artisans. In Orvieto, for example,
whose patron saint is Giuseppe, a “frittellata” is organized with the
distribution of traditional fritters and local wine to all participants.
And we cannot forget mentioning the delicious traditional
"zeppole di San Giuseppe", which date back to the ancient Roman
period. The windows of pastry shops are full of these desserts during the period
of Father’s Day. They are similar to cream puffs, with a crushed shape, of varying size, but typically about four inches. There
are two types of zeppole, deep-fried or baked, and they are usually decorated with sweet
cream and cherry jam. How tasty! Best wishes to all dads!
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| Zeppole |
