Festa di San Giuseppe

Religion and family play a more important role in Italian life than they do in UK - this is especially true in the south.  I was delighted to learn more about both this week as 19th March was Festa di San Giuseppe (celebration of St Joseph's day).  I couldn't believe every day of the year has at least one saint associated with it and sometimes ten or more!  Some of these saints, and therefore their days, are more important than others and this varies from region to region, but Festa di San Giuseppe is a big one because Giuseppe (Joseph) was Jesus' father and so Italians celebrate it as the equivalent of our Father's Day.

The great thing about saints' days is that everyone baptised in Italy has one, as every child is named after a saint and you celebrate your day as a way to thank your saint for protecting you through the year.  Apparently you just have to go back a couple of generations and your saint's day was celebrated rather than your birthday.  But nowadays it is like a second birthday: kids get presents and take sweets into school for their classmates, extended family comes together for a big meal and people phone to wish you auguri! (a fantastic, catch-all word: congratulations! best wishes! good luck! depending on context).

Something else that comes into play here is the preservation and significance of names within families.  When I first learned that it is common practice to name your first born son after his paternal grandfather and your first born daughter after her paternal grandmother I couldn't help thinking how restrictive it was: what if you don't like the name?  (What if you can't stand the people you are naming your children after?!)  But seeing it in my friends' families (where everyone gets on!), it's clear it's a lovely way to honour the father's parents.  I imagine it's nice as a grandparent to see your mini-me namesake growing up: a designated legacy.  So celebrating a saint's day is perhaps also a time for the bonding of grandchild and grandparent or a time to share fond recollections if they have passed on.

This is a terribly wordy post so I will leave you now with one of the other great aspects that is special to St Joseph's Day: fire!  It's tradition for families and sometimes towns to light a massive falo' (bonfire) and being a bit of a small-time pyro I could have watched it all night!

The warmth on your face, the smell of the smoke, the crackle...love it!