Holidays & Festivals

Italy:

Carnevale: January 17 to Ash Wednesday:
Carnevale always begins on January 17 and continues until Ash Wednesday. The ceremonies of the last three days of the carnival are the gayest, especially those of Martedi Grasso, or Shrove Tuesday. Throughout Italy the occasion is celebrated with colorful pageants, masquerades, dancing, music and all kinds of merrymaking.

Ephiphany Eve (LA VIGILIA DELL' EPIFANIA) January 5:
Children receive gifts at Epiphany, in memory of the presents the Wise Men offered the Christ Child; but, unlike the tradition in Spain and some other countries, it is not the Magi who bring the gifts, but la Befana, the little old fairy witch woman. The name befana is probably a popular corruption of Epifania, or Epiphany, the feast that commemorates the visit of the Three Kings to Bethlehem's manger.

Capo D’anno (New Year's Day): January 1
New Year's Day is celebrated with services in the churches, parties, visits, and all kinds of festivities. Children receive strenna, or money gifts, from their parents, while friends and relatives send each other flowers and bunches of mistletoe. Since early times Italians have attributed to mistletoe such miraculous properties as healing sickness, curing sterility in women and animals, and quenching fire. Today a piece of mistletoe is hung over the door to "bring luck" to the entire household.


Florence:

Rificolona: In the first week of September, the children of Florence come out in the streets in their Sunday best, singing songs and carrying papier-mâché lanterns tied to the ends of sticks, called rificolone. While many believe that rificolone celebrates the day troops of Florence triumphantly entered Siena, on August 2nd, 1555, with lanterns tied to the ends of the soldiers' pikes, there is a more popular explanation. On September 7th, the day before the birth of the Virgin Mary, Florentines descended upon the Piazza Santissima Annunziata to celebrate her birth and sell their wares. Today, a huge fest is held in the Piazza Santissima Annunziata on the 6th and 7th of September with great food and wonderful performances highlighting the day.

Calcio in Costume: One of the most popular and well-known games in Florence, Calcio in Costume is basically a costumed soccer game. Played on the 16th, 24th and 30th of June, it is to commemorate the famous match of 1530 and is till today played by men in 15th century costumes. The games are now played to tourist and spectators in coloured costumes. Two teams of 27 players each, play for an hour for the cheering crowds
Festa di San Giovanni: The Festa, or feast, di San Giovanni is celebrated on 24th of June, coinciding with Calcio in Costume. The festival has a grand display of fireworks at around 10pm.

Scoppio del Carro: Scoppio del Carro, or the explosion of the carriage, is held every year in Florence on Easter Sunday. Every Easter Sunday, a great chariot dating back to the eighteenth century is pulled by white oxen and paraded around the town from the Porta a Prato to the Cathedral square. A wire connects it to the main altar in the cathedral, and when the time is right during the midday mass, the Cardinal Archbishop lights a rocket shaped like a dove with the Holy Fire obtained from chippings from the Sepulchre. The rocket then shoots down to the chariot, which is filled with fireworks, and ignites with a bang to the cheers of the gathered.

Calcio Storico: Get involved with this ancient Florentine soccer game tinged with the fiery Italian passion and tradition. Did you know that the Calcio Storico, or traditional football, played in costume dates back to the 15th century? As an immensely popular game among aristocratic young noble men, Calcio Storico was played mainly in front of the Basilica of Santa Croce and some times in the areas of Via Il Prato, Piazza della Signoria or Piazza Santa Maria Novella. Held in celebration of the Feast of St. John, the patron of Florence, the matches were invariably held at the Piazza Santa Croce.