L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, MAY 15, 2025 www.italoamericano.org L'Italo-Americano 2 I f there's one thing Ita- l i a n s h o l d d e a r , i t ' s their local traditions. Whether you live in a tiny village or a major city, there are customs, rituals, and habits that feel impossible to give up. Secularization has, in many cases, erased the large crowds and mass participation that once defined these events. Yet unless a community has vanished due to emigration, depopulation, or a declining birth rate, local folklore rarely disappears. The traditions of a region, town, or social group – expressed through legends, beliefs, customs, religious practices, and oral storytelling – function, first and foremost, as rites of passage. They are the symbols of belonging passed from one generation to the next. You could sum it up this way: you're not truly from Bari if There is a message of identity behind seasonal rituals like the infiorate From the Editor you haven't experienced the feast of San Nicola – with its sunrise Masses, processions around a sacred column, and the sea-bound departure of the bishop-saint whose image advertising has turned into Santa Claus. You're not from Naples if you haven't joined the applause and prayers during the ritual liquefaction of San Gennaro's blood. You're not from Viterbo if you've never witnessed the Festival of Santa Rosa, where a 30-meter tower dedicated to the patron saint is carried through the historic center by hundreds of men. And you're not from Venice if you don't feel somehow "invi- ted" to the annual Marriage of the Sea. These events are often small in scale and deeply rooted in local history. We participate in them as children, and they stay with us so strongly that we feel compelled to pass on their gestures, meanings, and symbols to our own children. They are traditions intimately tied to place – part of the cul- tural and historical backbone of a community. Even as visi- tors, joining in these moments can be deeply meaningful: to witness them is to step into the essence of a place and its people. They offer insights that might otherwise be missed, and without which one town might seem indistinguishable from another. Among these events are the infiorate: stunning mosaics made entirely of petals, stems, leaves, and flower buds that cover streets, squares, floats, and even statues. They are acts of devotion and public celebration, but also displays of crea- tive and technical skill – repeated year after year to mark the passage of time and the changing seasons. The infiorate are tied, naturally, to spring rituals where flowers, as universal symbols of rebirth, are used to create delicate and fleeting carpets or compositions that are as beautiful as they are ephemeral. The arrival of spring after the dark and dormant winter has always been celebrated as a joyful, pastoral moment and, in different parts of Italy, it has taken on religious or artistic forms, depending on local traditions. Over time, these cere- monies have evolved into public events and tourist attrac- tions, occasions to be shared with those outside the commu- nity, offering them an experience that is both visual and emotional. What once were acts of faith, offered to seek divi- ne favor or give thanks for healing, are now integrated into the broader strategy of territorial marketing, which often helps support local budgets and economic development. Even in the face of this "secularization," which can some- times seem to strip such events of their original depth, it's important to return to their roots. At their core, these are social rituals – reminders of the power of collective effort, because an infiorata cannot be created by one person alone. The artist needs a team. Without a crew behind them, no designer could cover an entire float with daffodils, or lay out a petal carpet stretching for tens of meters, all within the short lifespan of a freshly cut flower. Only shared effort makes such a transformation possible in just a few hours – turning natural materials into a temporary jewel of color and scent. An infiorata also reminds us of the deep bond between people and their landscape. It reinforces the importance of caring for the environment and respecting its rhythms, not simply to guarantee the success of a single event, but becau- se our lives are fundamentally connected with the natural world around us. Only by taking care of our surroundings can we continue to enjoy the fleeting beauty and fragrance of flowers, transformed each year into extraordinary displays of craftsmanship and collective devotion. Simone Schiavinato, Editor Simone Schiavinato NEWS & FEATURES TOP STORIES PEOPLE EVENTS Member of FUSIE (Federazione Unitaria Stampa Italianaall'Estero), COGITO L'Italo-Americano Please send correspondence to P.O. Box 40156 Pasadena CA 91114 www.italoamericano.org L'Italo-Americano Newspaper (a 501(c)(3) non- profit organization), www.italoamericano.org, is the largest and longest-running Italian news- paper in America, not to mention the cultural and news resource for all things Italian in the US. A bilingual newspaper which represents an historical landmark for the Italian American Communities in the West Coast and throughout the US. L'Italo-Americano benefits from subsidies by the Italian Government, Memberships and Donations intended to support and not interrupt a mission that began in 1908 to preserve and promote the Italian language and culture in the USA Periodicals postage paid at Monrovia, California 91016, and additional mailing offices. PUBLISHER Robert Barbera Grande Ufficiale EDITOR IN CHIEF Simone Schiavinato ADMINISTRATIVE MANAGER Patrick Abbate EDITORIAL COORDINATOR Barbara Minafra COPY EDITOR Francesca Bezzone LOS ANGELES CONTRIBUTOR Silvia Nittoli SAN FRANCISCO CONTRIBUTOR Serena Perfetto SEATTLE CONTRIBUTOR Rita Cipalla CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Mariella Radaelli, Matt Walker, Francesca Bezzone, Luca Ferrari, Stefano Carnevali, Paula Reynolds, Teresa Di Fresco Nicoletta Curradi, Generoso D'Agnese, Jessica S. Levy, Fabrizio Del Bimbo, Maria Gloria, Chuck Pecoraro, Anthony Di Renzo Serena Perfetto, Kenneth Scambray, Chiara D'Alessio, Luca Signorini, Giulia Franceschini © 2024 L'Italo-Americano Membership: One year $59 - Single copy $2.25 POSTMASTER: Send address changes to L'Italo Americano P.O. Box 40156 Pasadena CA 91114

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