L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2014 www.italoamericano.com L'Italo-Americano 2 From outdoor concerts to pri- vate events featuring the tradi- tional cenone - a multi-course dinner that can be enjoyed either at home or in restaurants -, Italy offers different alternatives to meet all tastes. Furthermore, many regions have their peculiar traditions to bid farewell to the old year and welcome the new one. In Emilia Romagna, for example, it's quite common to represent this transition as a mid- night pyre, burning a huge pup- pet that resembles an old person. The city of Bologna names it "Rogo del Vecchione", taking place every D ecember 31 in Piazza Maggiore along with a Christmas market and other ini- tiatives. This ancient custom is deemed to date back to pre- Christian times, and in other towns or regions it can also be associated with the feast of the Epiphany marking the end of the holiday season. Typical Capodanno outdoor entertainment also includes street live music performances or com- edy shows. Extremely popular is the free event in P iazza del Popolo, in the historic center of Rome, which attracts thousands of locals and tourists regardless of the winter cold. They usually crowd all along Via del Corso, one of the city's best shopping streets that runs between Piazza del Popolo and Piazza Venezia, whose traditional lighting deco- rations were inspired this year by Expo Milan 2015. A concert is also held at the opera house Teatro La Fenice in Venice, where the New Year is traditionally greeted with the w orld famous chorus Va', Pensiero from Giuseppe Verdi's Nabucco. A mong the mos t popular Capodanno practices shared at a national level are wearing red undergarments to bring love and fertility; drinking a toas t of sparkling wine and lighting fire- crackers at the stroke of mid- night; and eating cotechino – savory pork sausage symbolizing abundance and fortune – with lentils, which since the Roman times have been representing wealth and prosperity due to their coin-like shape. Ancient civilizations probably used to celebrate the New Year back in 2000 B.C., while the modern version of the festivity was introduced by the Roman Empire with the Gregorian calen- dar since 45 B.C. and dedicated to Janus, the god of new begin- nings. According to a popular Italian s aying, w hat happens at Capodanno, either bad or good, will continue to happen through- out the New Year. So let's enjoy this unique night together, leav- ing behind any unpleasant mem- ories of the bygone year and making wishes for a bright 2015. Spending the holidays with your group of Italian friends, you should be aware of the fact that they've most likely started planning New Year's Eve cele- brations at leas t a month in advance. In fact, Capodanno - the Italian word for New Year's Eve – is seen as the culmina- tion of the festivities and a very special moment to share with the dearest friends. While Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and some- times even the 26th - the feast of St. Stephen – are a family busi- ness, on Capodanno everybody's free to choose his/her preferred company, location, and tone of the party. The Cenone" - a multi-course dinner - can be enjoyed either at home or in restau- rants Many regions have their peculiar traditions to bid farewell to the old year and welcome the new one Capodanno: New Year's Eve Italian Style SILVIA SIMONETTI

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