New Year. New Year's traditions in Italy What is the name of the new year in Italy

New Year called in Italy capodanno(Capodanno), which can be translated as "head of the year." They celebrate it at the same time with us, on the night of December 31st to January 1st.

Italy is a Catholic country. The New Year is celebrated in the middle of the festive period, which begins on December 24 at Christmas and ends on January 6, on the feast of St. Epiphany (the day of the Epiphany).

Christmas in Italy is a family holiday. The New Year is spent more democratically, among friends.

Symbols of the Italian New Year include Babbo Natale, panettone and red linen.

What is prepared for the new year in Italy

There should be 13 dishes on the table, but this custom is observed extremely rarely. Following the traditions extends to the choice of dishes and drinks.

New Year's dinner is called the dinner of St. Sylvester - a priest who, according to legend, passed away on December 31st.

It is customary to start dinner with stuffed pork legs. "zampone"(zampon). Toward the end of the festive feast, it is customary to serve pork head dishes and very fatty, spicy pork sausages. cotechino(kotekino).

To the New Year's table is served:

lentils;
white beans;
beans with honey;
nuts;
fish caviar.

chicken in new year's eve Italians do not use it - it is considered a bad omen.

Grapes must be present on the table. It has a rather funny tradition associated with it. During the farewell to the old year, everyone who wishes to attract good luck prepares 12 grapes. At the time of the New Year, it is necessary to have time to swallow these berries under the chiming clock. If everything goes well, the year will be successful.

Desserts and pastries for the New Year's table are served Christmas:

Panettone(panettone) - a rich cake with raisins, nuts and candied fruit.
Torrone(torrone) - a dessert reminiscent of halva made from sugar, honey, raisins and almonds, which was enjoyed in ancient Rome.
pandoro- “golden bread”, in which a lot of butter is added. This gives the cake a golden color.
Ricciarelli(ricciarelli) is a very tasty almond biscuit.

With drinks on New Year's Eve in Italy - complete anarchy. Adherents of traditions prefer to drink wine at the festive table. In some regions, immediately after the New Year, it is customary to drink beer. Champagne is used in a very peculiar way. This drink is drunk on New Year's Eve by those who celebrate in the central squares. In Italy, it is customary to pour champagne on each other, bottles and glasses are shattered. Everything is fun and noisy.

Celebration traditions and signs associated with the New Year

The most famous legend that Italians throw old things out of windows on New Year's Eve has not been true for a long time. There are severe penalties for such actions. common sense does not allow.

It is customary to celebrate the New Year in red underwear, many women and men adhere to this tradition. On the eve of the holidays, most companies give employees small gifts, usually cheese, sweets, champagne.

In order to bring good luck to the house, during a festive dinner, it is customary to put coins on the windowsill and put lighted candles on them. Christmas trees are in houses, yards and city squares. Everything is decorated with red ribbons, garlands, New Year's wreaths. Flowers are planted under the trees. It's a fun tradition to decorate Venetian lions, they wear white beards and put red caps on their heads.

Festive illumination illuminates absolutely all the streets, thousands of garlands wrap around the facades of buildings and trees. Everywhere you can see figures of Santa Clauses who are trying to climb onto the balcony or climb the pipe.
All the delights of the new year in Italy in this video.

Italians celebrate the New Year at home and in restaurants, but many people celebrate in the city squares. Dances are very popular on this night, musicians perform.

How is the celebration of the new year in the squares of cities in Italy, you can see on the video. Festive mood will be passed on to you. Happy viewing!

Italians celebrate very noisily and cheerfully, laughter sounds. All night fireworks are launched, firecrackers rattle, firecrackers. The deafening roar does not subside until the morning. All this noise and farce, splashes of champagne and broken glass should scare away evil spirits and attract wealth and prosperity. Especially beautiful fireworks in Naples.

In Rome, there is a very cheerful tradition - in order to be lucky throughout the year, the most daring on New Year's Eve jump from the bridge into the Tiber River.

It is very important for Italians who they will meet first on the street on January 1st. It is considered a good omen to see an old man, if he is humpbacked, it is generally fine. The year will be unsuccessful if the first comer is a child or a monk.

At the celebration of the new year, you should definitely.

Traditional greetings for the new year in Italy

Buon Anno! Italians shout to each other on New Year's Eve. Buon Anno means Happy New Year. “Buon Natale” also sounds everywhere, buon Natale can be translated as a wish for a Merry Christmas. “Tanti auguri”(tanti auguri) - “congratulations” - also suitable for other holidays.

Babbo Natale with the fairy Befana

Italians actively give gifts to each other at Christmas, so this is no longer accepted on New Year's Eve. Gives children at Christmas Babbo Natale is a fairy-tale character, very similar to Santa Claus. Babbo Natale is dressed in a red suit, a white beard is also present, Babbo Natale travels on a sleigh pulled by deer.

To receive a gift, little Italians must write a letter to a kind grandfather. There are two versions of the origin of this character.

The legend connects Babbo Natale with Saint Nicholas, who lived in the 3rd century AD. After his death, the relics of the Saint were stolen by Italian knights and kept in the southern Italian city of Bari.

The second version claims that Babbo Natale was borrowed from the Americans.

Children also receive gifts on January 6th, the day of St. Epiphany. Gives them kind fairy Befana, which is very similar in appearance to our Baba Yaga. Befana wanders around Italy from January 1st to 6th, after which she sneaks into houses at night and puts gifts in stockings, naughty children run the risk of finding coal in a stocking in the morning instead of a gift.

Befana has its own history. According to legend, she wanted to go with the Magi to the newborn Jesus. They did not take Befana with them, so she decided to stay in Italy, fell in love with this country and since then gives gifts to obedient children and punishes juvenile hooligans.

There is another version of events, according to which Befana herself refused to visit little Jesus and since then has been looking into all the houses in the hope of finding his cradle.

New Year traditions celebrations cannot be imagined without these two fabulous characters.

The sweet tradition survived and spread to the cities among the rural inhabitants of Italy. On January 1, they come to visit with clean water. There is even a saying about this: “If you have nothing to give to the owners of the house, give new water with an olive branch.”

Weather in Italy for the New Year

Winters in Italy are warm. Snow lies only in the north and in the Alps, the traditional New Year can be spent in one of their ski resorts.

Most of the country's territory will meet you with an air temperature of + 8 ... 10 ° С. Rome, Venice, Florence, Tuscany celebrate New Year without snow. In Tuscany, there is a wonderful tradition of burning bonfires on New Year's Eve, the inhabitants dance around them until the morning.

Christmas in Italy is a family holiday, and New Year is a friendly one. That's why Dec. 31 Italians fill numerous establishments and have fun until the morning. Firecrackers are rattling around, cities are decorated with festive illuminations, bouquets of flowers and bright red ribbons. The main squares of the cities are decorated with live Christmas trees, and around there are huge flower beds with a variety of flowers. According to the full program these days, the famous Venetian lions, which turn into cute cats, go to. Italians are people with a sense of humor, so they put cute hats on the heads of the kings of animals, and cotton beards are attached to the muzzles.

New Year customs in Italy

Luck in Italy has its own color, so all residents dress up in red. If you meet an Italian, say, in green pants and a yellow jacket, then do not hesitate, at least something on him that day is necessarily red. And you don't have to show it to others.

Italy. New Year. Traditions

Perhaps the most popular Italian tradition is throwing old things in the trash. Of course, basically we are talking about things that fashionable Italians are no longer going to wear, so fashionistas will never throw away an old but good designer thing. Yes, and serenely strolling on December 31 through the picturesque Italian streets, be careful, they throw old things right out the window. Please wear a helmet or walk straight along the road. As a rule, in holidays Roads in Italy are at the mercy of pedestrians.

In addition to old things, sometimes money falls out of the windows. And all this is due to the fact that the Italians put, for good luck, a few coins on the windowsill and light candles nearby. Sign: if a candle burns on the windowsill, it means that soon money will fall from there.

Dishes for the New Year in Italy

How is New Year celebrated in Italy? Italians love to eat, and always and everywhere, and especially on New Year's Eve. The St. Sylvester Dinner, which is how they call the New Year's Eve feast, starts around 9 pm and lasts until midnight. On the tables, usually, there are from seven to thirteen different dishes. Italians love lentikkie or, in our opinion, lentils and serve this cereal, so similar to small coins, as a New Year's side dish. Also on the Italian New Year's table there are nuts, pork dishes, caviar and, of course, grapes.

It is also customary on the last day of the old year to treat your homemade pork legs. As if raising a glass of wine, Italians elegantly pick up pork legs and eat them as a farewell to the old year.

New Year brings Italians not only a lot of good mood, joy and fun, but also a variety of hearty and unusual dishes. For example, original dishes from a pig's head. The Italians believe that the pig is a stubborn and very prudent animal, and if not always neatly, it slowly and surely moves forward. But with chickens, everything is the other way around, Italians believe that when eating game, they take a step forward and two steps back and hint at sluggish chickens. On the Italian table you will definitely find caviar as a symbol of wealth, as well as very fatty and spicy pork sausage. If you are on a diet, excuses are not accepted. Without trying at least a piece of this sausage, you run the risk of inflicting a blood offense on the owner of the house. Better not argue, but eat, at least a little. Well, then absolutely everything is used, from seafood and beans with honey to pies and traditional Italian wine. By the way, drinking champagne or neighboring French wine is simply unacceptable. In some regions of Italy, it is believed that he will not see good luck in the new year, who does not eat a plate of chickpeas at the festive table, washed down with a mug of light beer.

The tradition of 12 grapes

The world-famous Italian New Year's tradition about 12 grapes originates in ancient times. Each blow at the onset of the year is a reminder that another grape should be in the mouth. If you are nimble enough, then with the first second of the New Year, the very last of the 12 grapes will be in your mouth, which means that good luck will await you all year. It seems to be everything, but in fact this tradition has an interesting continuation. After the 12th stroke, the lights in the whole house turn off, and all the guests in the house will certainly kiss.

And now in Italy they celebrated the New Year, it has come and thousands of people pour out into the streets of cities and continue the fun. In Rome, the most popular place to celebrate the New Year is the central square of Piazza Del Poppolo. Around the square there is an unprecedented noise and din, accompanied by explosions of firecrackers and bright fireworks. It is unlikely that you will be able to sleep in such an atmosphere, and this is one of the main goals of the New Year holidays - to have fun until the morning without getting tired.

Finally, Italians are very superstitious. They pay attention to every little thing, down to who they meet on the very first day of the year. For example, meeting someone from the clergy or a small child will bring disappointment. Oncoming grandfather opposite - happiness and prosperity. And if he still has a hump, then consider that you were generally born under lucky star: money, love and fun in the new year will be more than enough. New Year traditions are also popular among Italians, for example, the belief about clean water. It is believed that by giving clean, drinking water to one of your friends, you bring new, bright energy to their house, and together with life-giving moisture, you give a good part of yourself. Even if you have nothing to give a friend for the New Year, bring a container of drinking water with you, it will come in handy on January 1st. And, in every sense.

After celebrating a stormy New Year's Eve, Italians have a good sleep, and when they wake up they go straight to dinner. Lunch on the first day of the year is always satisfying, tasty, but hardly healthy. On this day, the Italians will treat you to a fatty, baked turkey and raise a couple of glasses to World Peace Day. On this occasion, the Pope will even celebrate the traditional festive mass in St. Peter's Basilica.

Santa Claus in Italy

And where are Santa Claus and the Snow Maiden? We do not promise the Snow Maiden, but Babbo Natala will be very useful. That's what the Italians call this kind old man. Baba Natalia - he is Santa Claus, and most likely Santa Claus, appeared in Italy with the help of the Americans and spread throughout the country only in the 20th century. In appearance, he is no different from his American prototype, the same fat, ruddy and always in glasses on the same cart drawn by deer.

When Santa Claus Babbo Natale fades into the background, the good Fairy Befana appears in the forefront, who gives gifts to children. By January 6, the kids run out of all their New Year and Christmas treats, and then the good fairy brings them some more gifts. By the way, she is kind only on a piece of paper, in fact, Fairy Babbo looks more like a Russian Baba Yaga with a hooked nose, bone leg and dirty, holey clothes. Nevertheless, Italian children are very fond of Fairy Yaga and are waiting for her appearance, almost more than Babbo Natale. Fairy, all according to the same - the American tradition puts gifts in stockings and God forbid the kids behaved badly, instead of delicious sweets they will receive pebbles or coals.

This is how they celebrate the New Year in Italy!

The Christmas season in Italy starts on December 8 (with the celebration of the Immaculate Conception) and continues until January 6, when the three wise men arrived in Bethlehem.

Italy is a country of contradictions. However, Italians are unanimous in one thing: they always look forward to the New Year holidays, starting preparations several months in advance. This is the hallmark of the locals: they love entertainment, and what holiday brings more happiness than Christmas or New Year?

Christmas in Italy: holidays

Officially, Christmas is celebrated only for two days - December 24 and 25, they are also state holidays. Traditionally, these days are spent with the family, there is and cannot be anything more precious than loved ones. On Christmas Eve they attend worship - for example, in Rome (Vatican) it takes place on. A few days before, cathedrals, churches and even shop windows are decorated with angel figurines.

Traditional Christmas fish and meat dishes

At Christmas, Italians do not eat meat, the traditional dish is fish. Perch, salmon, cod, eel - their preparation has been brought to perfection and put almost on industrial rails. The secrets of festive dishes are passed from mouth to mouth and only among the closest relatives.

By the way, about relatives. New Year's celebrations are able to unite members of one big family even from different corners countries. No matter how they treat each other for most of the year, Christmas in Italy is sacred. And hereditary vicissitudes can be left for later.

Christmas bread, sweets and legends

Italians do not forget about sweets on a festive night. A dish that almost every inhabitant of the country enjoys is called "zelten". This is a gingerbread with candied fruits and nuts. Each hostess has her own recipe, but, as a rule, the taste of the delicacy at the exit is identical.

Panettone is one of the main characters of Christmas in Italy

Another highlight of Christmas night in Italy -. Such a domed bread, reminiscent of Easter cake. There are two legends about the appearance of this dish on the festive table. According to one of them, the head of the family broke a large loaf near the hearth at Christmas midnight. It was believed that the crusts of bread help with sore throats, and they can be stored until February.

The second legend is romantic. Italians are happy to tell the story of a young man in love who had to become a baker's apprentice in order to be closer to his daughter. Inspired by feelings, he baked an incredibly delicious cake, thanks to which he became rich and was able to marry a girl.

Whatever legend the Italian adheres to, one of the Christmas cupcakes is sure to end up on his table. Because it's amazingly delicious!

Christmas in Italy: centuries-old traditions

Christmas in most European countries is a family holiday. Italy is no exception. True, this does not mean at all that cities and streets remain the same during this period. The Italians consider it their duty to turn the holiday into a fairy tale and do it skillfully. 8-9 days before the main Christian holiday houses and shops are transformed. Spruce twigs, ribbons, figurines of Jesus, Mary and Joseph, candles become decorations.

By the way, it is customary to not only decorate with candles, but also to please loved ones. Traditional gift at Christmas is also the Star of Bethlehem. Here it can be found in various variations, both at a symbolic cost and completely astronomical.

Santa Claus is called in Italy Babbo Natale. He gives gifts not for the celebration itself, but a little later - on December 26th. It is believed that at first it doesn’t hurt for children to make out presents from relatives, and only then rejoice at the message from Babbo Natale himself.

How to celebrate New Year's Eve in Italy

New Year in Italy is completely different. It seems that on this day, the locals are trying by all means to "get" carelessness and fun, which they lacked at a dignified table with distant relatives and old people. Christmas, of course, is considered a holiday of family and comfort, but on New Year's Eve, Italians break away, believing that they have every reason to do so. Fireworks, festive fireworks, a sea of drinks and treats - does this remind you of anything?

In front of the Cathedral of San Marco in Venice put up a Christmas tree

Christmas markets still open in the Dolomites

But let's get back to New Year's traditions. You will be in Italy for the New Year, pay attention to the abundance red things in shop windows. Yes, the habit of dressing up for the New Year in all red is a local tradition. It is believed that only this color can bring good luck in the coming year.

Please note: clothes should not just be dominated by red - from underwear to outerwear, the outfit itself should be new, if possible expensive and without fail stunning.

Attract luck, gifts and money

Italians love entertainment, delicious food and beautiful women. On this night, everything intensifies a thousand times, because they also have a belief “as you celebrate the New Year, so it will be ...” - well, you know, they themselves are the same. In general, the desire to attract good luck and money is at the head of a long list of all the Italian New Year traditions:

At Christmas and New Year, the cities of Italy are transformed.

The first rule that was brought out in Italy: no self-respecting person should work on New Year's Eve or lend money. Not bad, right?
On the night of December 31 to January 1, candles and coins are placed on the windowsills. Local residents firmly believe that this will bring prosperity to the house for the year ahead;
Walking along the New Year's streets of Italy, be vigilant: the Italians are actively getting rid of rubbish during these hours - another tradition. What does it threaten? Yes, an elementary injury - everything unnecessary is simply thrown out of the windows. If we are talking about some Naples, then the threat is quite real, do not laugh;
The tradition of eating 12 grapes while the clock is striking is also associated with luck.

On New Year's Eve, children are left without gifts ... from their parents. Befana, either a witch or a sorceress, takes on the responsibility of providing the kids with presents. She does it a little later - on January 6th. This day is the last in a series of winter celebrations, after which discounts are closed and no longer valid.

What to bring from Italy for Christmas

Let's try to extract something useful from all these traditions. If you happened to be in Italy in December, and upon arrival home you want to please your family and friends with Christmas gifts, bring the following things with you:

Limoncello is worth taking from Italy at any time!

Balsamic vinegar from Modena - a souvenir from Italy for all time

Buy such a Befana - someone else's Baba Yaga will definitely not stick into the house

For friends who love art, there is no need to shell out for a Caravaggio original. Any store, gallery or souvenir shop sells copies of famous Italian paintings. Alternatively, you can purchase works by local artists, such as the frescoes by Alice Pasquini, a well-known street artist in Rome.
For gourmets, you can bring a whole suitcase. There are 138 products in Italy bearing the special sign "PDO" or "DOP" (in Italian). These are the highest quality products. The list includes olive oil first pressing, pesto and balsamic vinegar of Modena. You can take with you a real Nutella (chocolate spread), as well as chocolate products;
For drink lovers Any vintage wine will do, but it's best to bring "limoncello" - a lemon liqueur that has been popular in Italy for over a hundred years. Its sunny color and citrus taste will brighten up the coldest winter evening;
Doll "Befana". This is something like a good Baba Yaga, who brings gifts to children at Christmas. These dolls are sold in all Christmas markets and tourist shops. An Italian legend says that the Magi called Befana to look for little Jesus with them. She said she was too busy, but then she changed her mind and since then every Christmas she travels the world in search of the holy baby;
Souvenirs from the Vatican. Key chains, mugs, t-shirts, phone cases - this is just a small part of the list of things that have images of the Pope. They are sold in any store;
City symbols. Each Italian city has its own emblem. When traveling around the country and buying items with these emblems, do not forget to find out what they mean. The best-known symbols are the lily (Florence), the she-wolf (Rome), and the lion (Venice);
For religious people, you can buy a "Christmas nativity scene"."Nativity scenes" (the toy manger where Jesus was born) are very popular in Catholic countries. No Italian Christmas is complete without them. You can find a wide variety of "nativity scenes": from traditional houses with figurines self made to chocolate and pasta products;
For mother-in-law, mother-in-law and other "difficult" relatives It is best to purchase jewelry made from local materials. Crockery, Murano glassware, volcanic stone or Umbrian ceramics will appease the most fastidious person. To ensure a relatively quiet life for the whole next year, you can invest in leather bag, strap or laptop case;
For a friend who loves to cook suitable kitchen utensils. Help him equip the Italian style kitchen. To do this, you can purchase a slightly old-fashioned Mouli grinder, which grinds food, but does not mash food completely smooth.

And, of course, the best Christmas gift you can give yourself is to plan a trip to Italy for next year.

Excursions in Italy at the best prices

The most interesting excursions in Italy are routes from local residents. In whatever city you celebrate Christmas or New Year, you will be met by a Russian-speaking guide. He will guide you along a carefully thought-out route, show you your favorite places.

New Year in Italy: interesting facts

Since it is customary in this country to celebrate the New Year on a grand scale, then there are records. We list the main ones:

The largest Christmas tree in the world is put up in Italy, in the commune of Gubbio;
The place of the most massive congestion of people in the country on New Year's Eve becomes Piazza del Popolo - the central square of Rome;
The most luxurious fireworks can be seen in Naples;
Milan traditionally pleases guests with sales during the winter holidays.

Italy is so diverse that it brings new surprises every time. Book a wine tour in Tuscany, go to study painting in Florence or get to know the unique culture of Sicily: any trip will give an unforgettable experience. Well, closer to December, you can once again go to celebrate Christmas or New Year in Italy.

For one day and The most, the best, as well as the regions of Veneto.

Daria Nessel | Sep 18, 2017

New Year's is perfect unusual holiday and you need to meet him in such a way as to catch luck by the tail for the next 12 months. This is exactly what the Italians think and therefore celebrate it on a large scale. If you happen to be present in this sunny country during the Christmas period, you can be sure that you will never forget it.

Why are Italian New Year traditions so remarkable?

It’s worth starting with the fact that the New Year and Christmas holidays here last from Christmas to Epiphany and rank first in Europe in terms of their duration.

“Capodanno” is the name of the New Year in this country, and also the day of St. Sylvester, which means “head of the year”. It is customary to sit down at the table at 9 pm. The hostesses prepare a feast of 13 dishes and invite the closest people.

New Year in Italy.

Photographer Angelo Amboldi

There are many provinces in Italy, each of them has its own customs, but everywhere the holiday is fun and relaxed. Concerts and festivities last all night, the streets are decorated with illuminations, and on each windowsill there is a pot with a Christmas tree.

Firecrackers and colorful fireworks

During the new year, you can meet crowds of people on the streets, explosions of firecrackers are heard everywhere and bright fireworks blaze. Such a scale could be explained by the fact that the Italians are known throughout the world for their cheerful disposition.

Yes, there is some truth in this, but the main reason lies in the fact that all representatives of this nation, young and old, are very superstitious and believe that noise can scare away evil spirits. So they arrange unbridled fun so that nothing interferes with happiness in the new year.

Christmas market in Bozen.

Photographer Mike Slone

Getting rid of old things

It is worth learning more about this tradition, not only because it is very remarkable, but also in order to good holiday not be subject to injury. And all because on New Year's Eve, Italians get rid of everything old.

This must be done in order for life to be filled with new people, events and things. Therefore, from windows and balconies, not only grandmother's suitcase, but also quite usable electrical appliances, furniture and utensils fly out into the street without regret.

happy meeting

If you are young beautiful girl and even with a baby in her arms, then on the first New Year's morning any Italian will be incredibly happy to see you. Such a meeting is considered a very good omen, and such a date promises a lot of happiness.

And if a humpbacked person turns out to be the first passerby, then this is completely unspeakable luck - it means that the whole next year will be comfortable and will bring a lot of money. But the Italians will avoid the priest on January 1 by all means. Such a sign is considered completely unkind.

Pietrasanta.

new water

If you want to give the most desired gift, then bring clean water to the Italian home. Don't forget to put an olive sprig in it. Such crystal clear water from the source is called "new water", it symbolizes a happy, bright life. Therefore, it is highly valued in this sunny and optimistic country.

Profitable period for traders

AT new year holidays sellers' incomes rise significantly, but not only due to the great demand for souvenirs and gifts.

Italians believe that new clothes, and even more so red in the new year, will bring good luck to their owner. Therefore, do not be surprised that everyone around is dressed in trousers, dresses and shirts of an exceptionally scarlet color.

12 grapes

Of course, such a significant event as the celebration of the new year could not do without the fruits of this culture in Italy. As soon as the chimes begin to beat the designated number of strokes, the Italians put one grape into their mouths.

You definitely need to guess so that the last berry falls on the 12th beat. Then throughout the new year your companion will be luck.

As I have known for a long time, Italians are temperamental people, so they always celebrate very cheerfully and on a large scale, this especially applies to the New Year holidays, which start from catholic christmas December 25-26 and end with Epiphany, celebrated here on January 6. Let's find out what Italy is like on New Year's holidays!

Numerous advertisements in newspapers, as well as websites are full of ads from travel agencies that offer their own options for spending a New Year's holiday. Among the most popular countries visited by tourists in new year holidays Greece, Spain, Portugal and, of course, Italy stand out! These southern European countries are valued for their stable climate: the air temperature here does not fall below 15 degrees Celsius.

So, if you chose Italy when choosing a country to visit, then get ready to learn a lot of interesting things! Along with Russia, Italy celebrates its New Year holidays in the last days of December, as well as in early January.

Christmas in Italy

The Italians have such a saying: “Celebrate Christmas with your family, and New Year with whomever you want.” It is believed that in no other Catholic country Christmas is celebrated like in Italy. Italians sit down at the festive table on the evening of December 24 - on the very eve of the holiday, while believing Italians consider it their religious duty to defend the Christmas service before dinner.

New Year in Italy

Unlike Christmas, Italians usually celebrate the New Year with friends, not with family. On New Year's Eve, everything is decorated with garlands, red ribbons and New Year's wreaths. There are huge elegant Christmas trees on the squares, and flower beds are planted under them. houses. After the traditional New Year's feast, the Italians go for a walk on the streets, where they continue to have fun all together!

Christmas sales

But not only the festive atmosphere attracts tourists on New Year's days, because it is during this period that the season of grandiose winter sales begins, when you can make great purchases and save a lot of money!

Going to Venice, you can see the decoration of marble lions with festive caps and white beards. The appearance of Santa Claus on a gondola, sailing through the magical canals of Venice, will also be remembered for a long time.

A visit to the Italian province of Umbria will introduce visitors to the work of jazz bands, while the Tuscan villages will surprise everyone with spectacular bonfires. The ancient holiday of Epiphany, created in honor of the sorceress Befana in a pointed hat, reminiscent of our Baba Yaga, is interesting.

Well, what about the holiday sales and costume shows that are organized in Rome on January 5 and 6? In general, the New Year's holiday in Italy promises to be unforgettable and magnificent!

Happy New Year to you in Italy!