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Traditions: Winter
Carnevale - 2 week period before Lent
The Carnival Season is the two week period before Lent, and in Italy it is celebrated with parades, parties and outdoor street events.
The Carnevale in Venice is one of the most famous in the world. It originated in the 12th Century, when the Serenissima Republic defeated Ulrico, the Patriarch of Aquileia. The people of Venice congregated in San Marco’s Square to celebrate the victory. The Republic made the Carnevale an official celebration in 1296. When the Carnevale first began, the celebrations started on December 26th and continued until Ash Wednesday. It was banned under Mussolini and wasn’t fully revived until 1979.
Today Venice’s Carnevale is one long celebration lasting 10 days. The festivities include parades, costume balls, singing, dancing, magicians, jugglers, acrobats, and eating frittelle. People roam the streets in elaborate costumes and traditional masks. These masks were originally worn so that someone’s social class could not be identified.
Although the Venice Carnevale is the largest and most famous in Italy, many other Italian cities and villages also hold their own carnival celebrations. Some of the more famous ones are the Carnevale in Viareggio, the Carnevale di Foiano in Tuscany, the Carnevale in Citta’di Castello in Umbria, and the Carnevale di Putignano in Puglia.
Valentine’s Day – February 14th
St. Valentine is the patron saint of Terni in Umbria. There is some uncertainty about the life of St. Valentine and why his feast is celebrated on February 14th. Legend has it that there were actually 3 martyred saints of ancient Rome named Valentino: one was a priest in Rome, another was the bishop of Interamna (known as Terni today), and the third was a martyr in a Roman province of Africa. It is believed that both the priest and bishop are buried along via Flaminia on the outskirts of Rome and that the Porta Flaminia was also known as the Gate of St. Valentine.
Why is Valentine’s Day celebrated on February 14th?
In the Middle Ages people believed that February 14th was the day that birds chose their mates. Another theory is that it is associated with the Roman Lepurcalia Festival, or fertility festival, which was held on February 15th to celebrate the coming of spring and the fertility of the flocks, fields and people. On the day of the festival, all eligible girls would place their names in an urn. Every boy would draw a name and devote himself to the girl chosen for an entire year. Most times this ritual ended in marriage.
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A third theory is based on the following anecdote. One day St. Valentine, overhearing a young engaged couple arguing bitterly, went over to them, smiling and offering them a rose. He went on to explain how important love is and how a married couple has one single heart. The couple made peace, asked the bishop to celebrate their wedding, and lived happily ever after. As this story spread among the people many couples wanted the bishop’s blessing for their marriage. As more and more couples came to him, St. Valentine established that he would give regular blessings on the 14th day of every month. The 14th of February is believed to be the day he died.
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Terni holds special events and celebrations honoring St. Valentine. The events are spread over a 5 week period beginning in late January, with love as the theme for all the events. They include special masses and prayers, concerts, dances and art and jewelry exhibitions.
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