L'Italo-Americano

L'Italo-Americano THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2021 www.italoamericano.org 6 NEWS & FEATURES TOP STORIES PEOPLE EVENTS parents are usually happy to hand down those used by older siblings the year prior. In olden times, all grembiuli were black and collars were detachable, so you could choose the one you prefered: those who h a d c r a f t y p a r e n t s o r grandparents would often wear beautiful crocheted one, a hit, of course, among the girls. W h a t a m o n t h , September. From an astronomical p o i n t o f v i e w i t i s , o f course, the month of the fall equinox, which takes p l a c e b e t w e e n t h e 2 2 n d and the 23rd of the month, w h e n t h e S u n i s p e r p e n d i c u l a r t o t h e Equator: this means that, everywhere in the world on that very moment, day and night have the same length. I n o u r c a l e n d a r , t h e Gregorian, September is t h e n i n t h m o n t h o f t h e year, but it's interesting to note how it is named after the number "seven" (sette), because in antiquity, before J u l i u s C a e s a r p r o m u l g a t e d t h e J u l i a n calendar that placed the beginning of the year on the 1st of January, this was the seventh month of the y e a r - - y e s , n e w y e a r ' s celebrations would take place in March! I n a n c i e n t R o m e , S e p t e m b e r w a s a n important month, because festivals for Capitoline Jupiter, who formed the Capitoline Triad along with his wife Juno and daughter Minerva, would take place: for 16 days, Romans were entertained with military parades, games, music and d a n c e s . T r a d i t i o n a l l y , statues of the gods were c a r r i e d i n p r o c e s s i o n through the streets of the city and sacrificial offerings to them were made: there is an interesting linguistic curiosity here to discuss, because the animals to be s a c r i f i c e d w e r e c o v e r e d with toasted wheat germ, or mola, and the common Italian verb immolare, "to sacrifice," comes right from that practice. Echoes of it a r e p r e s e n t a l s o i n t h e English language, where the verb "immolate" exists, too. But history, we shouldn't forget, is not only made of g r e a t e v e n t s s e t i n a glorious past, but also of small, daily gestures and habits that, little by little, created the outline of the people we are today. Even i n t h i s , S e p t e m b e r i s important. It is the month when the annual cycle of the vine comes to an end, w h e n l a v e n d e m m i a takes place and the history o f f a m i l i e s a n d e n t i r e c o m m u n i t i e s h a s b e e n made. It was usual, for our grandparents' generation, to make of vendemmia a b o n d i n g e v e n t , w i t h f a m i l i e s h e l p i n g o n e another in the vineyard, then enjoying evenings of c o n v i v i a l i t y t o g e t h e r , p e r h a p s i n t h e f a r m courtyard if the weather w a s c l e m e n t , o r i n s i d e , around the sturdy, wooden tables typical of our old, b e a u t i f u l , s t o n e farmhouses. G r a p e h a r v e s t i n g w a s more than work, it was a celebration of life, love, family and friendship, of that idea of "community" our grandparents enjoyed and considered natural, but that is almost entirely lost today. The sharing of labor came with a sharing of joy a n d r e w a r d s t h a t w e n t f u r t h e r t h a n a m e r e e v e n i n g t o g e t h e r a n d a t h a n k y o u , b e c a u s e i t symbolized union, respect and support within and among families, within and a m o n g c o m m u n i t i e s . I t was the moment where the v e r y h e a r t o f s o c i e t à contadina was forged and reiterated, year after year, g e n e r a t i o n a f t e r generation. And then, after grapes were harvested, it was time for wheat and all cereals, t h e g r a i n s o f o u r civilization and of life that c o n t i n u e s t h r o u g h c e n t u r i e s , t o b e s o w n again. Cereals, yesterday more than today, were life b e c a u s e w i t h t h e m w e made bread. And bread, in the old times, was more than food in Italy, it was the symbol itself of life, of prosperity. In those Septembers of o n e h u n d r e d y e a r s a g o , sowing wheat was a poetic moment of connection with the soil, of hope and, of course, of labor, because those Septembers weren't always a stroll in the park. There was hardship and sweat and early mornings with little rest at night: nature couldn't wait for us to feel strong and ready to w o r k t o m o v e o n . Y e t , there was so much joy and serenity in the heart of our g r a n d p a r e n t s a n d g r e a t grandparents back then: because they were content with what they had, aware t h e m o s t i m p o r t a n t - - family, bread on the table, good friends -- were there, always. Wallowing in memories and colors of Septembers p a s t i s s w e e t , i f a t a d nostalgic, but it shouldn't make us forget that we've j u s t e n t e r e d a m o n t h o f great abundance. Beside grapes, we find chestnuts a n d p e a r s , a p p l e s a n d h a z e l n u t s , w a l n u t s a n d even some last, summer- s c e n t e d p e a c h e s a n d plums. It is also the month o f w i l d m u s h r o o m s a n d truffles, the kings of Italian fall, at least in some areas of the country. This wealth o f f l a v o r s i s c e l e b r a t e d t h r o u g h o u t t h e c o u n t r y with fairs and festivals, our beloved sagre that, while p r e s e n t i n a l l s e a s o n s , s e e m t o g e t a n e x t r a "oomph" during the ninth month of the year: from c h e e s e s t o m u s h r o o m s , from sausage to baccalà, all the way to ravioli and, by the sea, fish of all types, traditional food and the bounties of a good harvest are celebrated and enjoyed with gusto. And September is a time where good food becomes rich and comforting again, after we spent the summer months fighting the heat with gallons of water and granitas, along with the lightest -- but delicious, of course -- of salads. That's why we love to celebrate it gloriously with these fairs. But this year, in Italy, S e p t e m b e r a l s o b r i n g s along a heightened wish for n o r m a l i t y : w i t h t h e v a c c i n a t i o n c a m p a i g n going well and the green pass adding an extra layer of protection, we all hope this last month of summer and first of fall can give us back the simple pleasure of a c o f f e e o n s a t u r d a y m o r n i n g s i t t i n g a l b a r without a face mask and, f o r o u r c h i l d r e n , t h e possibility to be in school, w i t h t h e i r t e a c h e r a n d friends, for the whole year. And so, it happens that, in 2 0 2 1 , S e p t e m b e r i s n o t only the month of grape harvesting, memories and ritorno a scuola, but also of hope. Continued from page 4 At work in September, making wine the old fashioned way (Photo: Photoprofi30/Dreamstime)

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