L'Italo-Americano

L'Italo-Americano THURSDAY, DECEMBER 24, 2020 www.italoamericano.org 4 PAULA REYNOLDS NEWS & FEATURES TOP STORIES PEOPLE EVENTS E v e n t h e m o s t diehard self-pro- fessing Scrooges out there proba- bly succumb to at least a few of the joyful tra- ditions of the Christmas sea- son. Whether it's scrump- tious baked goods or carols sung loudly or the odd family tradition that no one else would understand, traditions lovingly color and fortify our memories of Christmas. C o m i n g t o g e t h e r w i t h family and friends, at least in non-pandemic years, is as much a part of holiday cele- brations as twinkling lights a n d g a r l a n d e d t r e e s . W e g a t h e r t o e a t , l a u g h , exchange gifts, catch up…and i n I t a l y , c e l e b r a t e w i t h games! What better way to pass the time between meals, rev up a little healthy compe- tition, and give Zio Gianni yet another chance to show off his bluffing skills to the next generation. In Italy, card and board games are as much a part of family celebrations as panet- tone and Befana. Perhaps one of the most popular is tombola, the rowdy Italian cousin to the more sedate Bingo game. The main objec- tive is to fill a player's card by marking random num- bers drawn and called by the person assigned the task, but that's where the similarities end. With the game's origins traceable to Napoli in the 1700s, we'd expect nothing less than a colorful, spirited game! T h e s t o r y g o e s t h a t i n 1734, Naples' King Carlo III found himself in a squabble with the Dominican Friar Gregorio Rocco. Looking out for the royal coffers, King Carlo wanted to make the already prolific gambling games legal in order to col- lect from the proceeds. The good friar, however, felt this d i s t r a c t i o n w o u l d t u r n believers away from prayer and duties of faith. A com- p r o m i s e o f s o r t s w a s reached: gambling would be s u s p e n d e d d u r i n g t h e Christmas season. Crafty schemes were immediately deployed to disguise beloved lottery games… and tombo- la came into being! A t r a d i t i o n a l g a m e s e t consists of cartelle, indivi- dual playing cards contain- i n g 1 5 r a n d o m n u m b e r s arranged in three rows of five, 90 bussolotti, wooden or plastic markers placed in a pouch or container, and a tabellone, a large board showing all 90 numbers. The tabellone, however, offers much more than a rote list of numbers! Alongside each number is a unique picture and corresponding name ( s h o w n i n I t a l i a n a n d Neapolitan dialect) which, tradition says, derives from "la smorfia," a mystical s y s t e m t h a t i n t e r p r e t s dreams and helps pick win- ning lotto numbers. These colorful illustrations range from the ordinary, such as n u m b e r 3 – l a g a t t a / ' a Jatta (the cat) – to the naughty, such as number 16 – i l d e r e t a n o / ' o c u l o (buttocks)! O l d a n d y o u n g a l i k e eagerly join in hours of tom- bola play. Cards are "sold" for agreed upon prices, be it a euro or a candy stick, and one big spender buys the t a b e l l o n e , e a r n i n g t h e honor of drawing and calling out the bussolotti. Players might honor the old tradi- tion of marking their cards with orange peel or beans, or by closing flaps on newer p l a s t i c c a r d v e r s i o n s . Typically, winnings consist of pooling the proceeds, cre- ating six prizes from smallest to largest, which are then awarded based on number of spaces filled. Two spaces filled -- the ambo -- earns t h e s m a l l e s t p r i z e , t h r e e spaces – the terno – wins the next, and so on up to five s p a c e s . T h i n g s r e a l l y g e t loud, though, when someone fills the entire card – the tombola – and wins the jackpot! Another popular holiday game is L' Assassino – The Assassin. Although it sounds ominous, this card-based game is yet another way fam- ily comes together for laugh- ter and trickery during the yuletide season. Played with richly illustrated Neapolitan cards, the dealer is tasked with singling out the Re di Denari (King of Diamonds) and Asso di Spade (Ace of Spades) cards. Additional c a r d s a r e t h e n d r a w n t o An old-fashioned tombola game: tombola is a classic at Christmas! (Photo: Rosario Bergamasco/Dreamstime) Continued to page 6 Haul out the holly…and the games - It's time for family fun around the Italian holiday table!

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