L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2022 www.italoamericano.org 14 L'Italo-Americano LA VITA ITALIANA TRADITIONS HISTORY CULTURE D e a r R e a d e r s , D e c e m b e r h a s m a n y Italian Con- n e c t i o n s . Following are a few Decem- ber Birthday: Gianni Versace: 12-2-1946 Frank Sinatra: 12-12-1915 Louis Prima: 12-7-1910 Carlo Ponti: 12-11-1913 Fiorello La Guardia: 12- 1882 *** Giacomo Puccini, born on the 22nd of December 1858, is regarded as one of the pre-eminent composers of Italian opera. He is noted for his masterful orchestra- t i o n , l y r i c s t y l e , a n d h i s s o m e t i m e s s e n t i m e n t a l effects, as in Manon Lescaut (1893), which transformed him into a worldwide star overnight. Following this ini- tial success, he produced three of his most popular operas: La Bohème (1896), Tosca (1900) and Madama Butterfly (1904). Giuseppe V e r d i r e g a r d e d P u c c i n i , who was born in Lucca, Tus- cany, as the most talented composer of his time, who rivaled his own popularity. *** R o m a n C a t h o l i c s i n England from 1558 to 1829 were not allowed to practice their faith openly. It is said t h a t T h e T w e l v e D a y s o f Christmas was written as a kind of secret catechism that could be sung in public with- out risk of prosecution, but h a d a h i d d e n m e a n i n g , known only to members of the Roman Catholic Church: The partridge in a pear tree is Jesus Christ The two turtledoves are the Old and the New Testa- ment Three French hens stand for Faith, Hope and Love The four calling birds are the Four Gospels The five gold rings recall t h e T o r a h , t h e f i r s t f i v e books of the Old Testament T h e s i x g e e s e a - l a y i n g stands for the six days of cre- ation Seven swans a-swimming represent the sevenfold gifts of the Spirit The eight maids a-milking are the eight Beatitudes Nine ladies dancing: these a r e t h e n i n e f r u i t s o f t h e Spirit The ten lords a-leaping are the Ten Commandments E l e v e n p i p e r s p i p i n g stand for the eleven faithful disciples T h e t w e l v e d r u m m e r s d r u m m i n g s y m b o l i z e t h e twelve points of belief in the Apostle Creed. *** Christmas presents or gift giving was seen by Chris- tians as a symbolic homage to the Three Wise Men's trib- utes to the Baby Jesus. In the New Testament, the Magi, are described as honoring t h e n e w b o r n s a v i o r w i t h valuable gifts of gold, frank- incense and myrrh. But gift giving this time of year dates to an even older tradition. Pagans in Europe and the Middle East gave presents at s e v e r a l w i n t e r f e s t i v a l s , including Saturnalia, a rau- cous festival in honor of Sat- u r n , g o d o f a g r i c u l t u r e , which began on December 17th. During the weeklong h o l i d a y i n t h e c o l d , d a r k dead of winter, pagans would lift their spirits by drinking t o e x c e s s a n d g i v i n g o n e another gifts such as pottery figurines, edible treats like fruits and nuts, and festive candles. Revelers greeted one another with a joyful Io S a t u r n a l i a , t h e a n c i e n t Roman equivalent of "Merry Christmas!" *** Saint Nicholas of Bari was a 4th-century bishop who lived in Asia Minor. It is believed that he was impris- oned and tortured for his faith by the Roman Emperor D i o c l e t i a n b e f o r e b e i n g released by Constantine the Great. Saint Nicholas' kind- ness and generosity were what came to define him. He was believed to have kind- ness so deep and great that he could perform miracles. In one legend, Saint Nicholas heard of a poor man with t h r e e d a u g h t e r s . D u r i n g those times, a young woman needed a dowry to increase Advancing our Legacy: Italian Community Services CASA FUGAZI If you know of any senior of Italian descent in San Francisco needing assistance, please contact: ItalianCS.org | (415) 362-6423 | info@italiancs.com Italian Community Services continues to assist Bay Area Italian-American seniors and their families navigate and manage the resources needed to live healthy, independent and productive lives. Since Shelter-in-Place began in San Francisco, Italian Community Services has delivered over 240 meals, over 900 care packages and made over 2000 phone wellness checks for our seniors. h e r c h a n c e s o f m a r r y i n g ; without a dowry, she was unlikely to marry and could even be sold into slavery. Mysteriously, three balls of gold were tossed into their home and landed in socks that were laid out to dry. The g o l d p r o v i d e d t h e t h r e e daughters with the dowries they needed to marry. *** Santa Claus underwent many transformations over t h e c e n t u r i e s . T h e j o l l y rotund gent started out as Saint Nicholas of Myra (or of Bari), a real-life 4th-century Byzantine monk who handed o u t b a g s o f m o n e y t o t h e p o o r . S a i n t N i c h o l a s w a s introduced to the US in the e a r l y 1 8 0 0 s , a n d q u i c k l y mutated into a "right jolly old elf" thanks to the 1823 p o e m A v i s i t f r o m S t . Nicholas, commonly known as 'Twas the night before Christmas. By 1890, children could meet live Santas at department stores - the new n a m e h a v i n g b e e n t a k e n from the Dutch version of Saint Nicholas, Sinterklaas. In the 1930s, Santa's beard- e d f a c e w a s s t r e w n o v e r a d v e r t i s e m e n t s f o r C o c a - Cola, solidifying his status as Yuletide's main man. These days, Santa is undergoing a new, politically correct trans- formation: worried that his o b e s i t y s e t s t h e w r o n g impression, some greeting card companies have started to feature a leaner, healthier Santa on their Christmas cards. *** Wishing my dear readers B u o n N a t a l e e B u o n Anno Nuovo!

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