The Novena is a Catholic ritual linked to the rosary and is normally a nine-day prayer. The term is sometimes used for any prayer that is repeated over a series of days. While there are many times of the year where this devotional activity takes place, one of the most observed is the Christmas Novena. Also called the Saint Andrew Christmas Novena or the Christmas Anticipation Prayer, a special prayer is prayed 15 times every day from the Feast of Saint Andrew the Apostle (November 30) until Christmas. The First Sunday of Advent is the Sunday closest to the Feast of Saint Andrew. Feast of Saint Andrew Novena
(This prayer is not prayed to Saint Andrew, but to God Himself) Hail and blessed be the hour and moment in which the Son of God was born of the most pure Virgin Mary, at midnight, in Bethlehem, in piercing cold. In that hour, vouchsafe, O my God! to hear my prayer and grant my desires, through the merits of Our Savior Jesus Christ, and of His Blessed Mother. Amen. The Novena can be said all 15 times at once or divided up necessary (perhaps five times at each meal). Saint Andrew was the very first disciple called by Jesus, and he also convinced his brother, Saint Peter, to become Jesus’ disciple. Afterwards during Advent, in the 9 days leading up to Christmas day, the rosary is said as a preparation to welcoming Christ. This religious tradition was transformed with children going from house to house just as the time of prayer was over to sing traditional Christmas songs. The children would in turn receive small gifts of sweets or cakes. --Jerry Finzi If you enjoyed this post, please LIKE it and tell your friends about us... ciao e Buon Natale! I remember when I got my first fax machine in the 1980s. It was slow, but became essential in my studio, as art directors started using them to send layout revisions. What a time saver. Who knew that the fax... or facimile... or telefax was really invented back in 1863 by Giovanni Caselli, an Italian priest! Caselli invented his device thirty years before Bell invented the telephone and actually put it into commercial use by contract with the French government. Caselli was seen as a mad scientist rather than a man of the cloth by his friends and neighbors, with odd mechanical devices mixed among his furniture. Born 1815 in Siena, Caselli studied both theological and scientific studies. While the wired telegraph was already sending coded messages, sending pictures by wire was only a dream at the time. Caselli's idea was his pantelegraph, an concept first thought of by Alexander Bain of Scotland in 1840. Bain created a crude device to send pictures over wire, but never fully developed the idea. Living in Florence at the time (while hiding out from his political enemies) Caselli reworked Bain’s device and improved on it, but he didn't have enough mechanical skills to make a working prototype. So he went to Paris and partnered with Gustav Froment, a leading maker of scientific instruments. After seven years in 1863, they triumphed. Caselli received a U.S. patent for his telegraphic apparatus, making major improvements to the design. Unlike Bain's design which scratched the image on metal plates, Caselli's fax used ordinary ink. The image received could be enlarged or reduced. Multiple messages could be transmitted through a single wire at the same time. Caselli also developed an electrically sensitive paper, soaked in potassium, that changed color each time electricity passed through it. His fax machine was more than six feet tall, with long pendulums, batteries, and wires. For the 1860s, the quality of the fax image was amazingly high. Eventually, he would dub it the pantelegraph. Emperor Napoleon III liked the device so much they passed a law to connect a fax service between Paris and Lyons. In 1861 the French government authorized tests of a fax system using telegraph lines between Paris and Lille and Paris and Marseilles. By 1863 a Paris-Lyons line was tested with great success. Transmitting at fifteen words per minute, the fax could send forty telegrams of twenty words each hour. In 1865 the French government decided to take the system public. On May 16, 1865, the pantelegraph was set up on the existing Paris-Lyons telegraph line. It must have worked well because in two years, the Marseilles connection was added. By 1867 four Caselli machines serviced the Paris-Lyons lines. Service was so successful and the device so efficient that 110 faxes and hour could be sent. The newspaper industry, seeing what a boon it could be for their industry, touted the new invention on their pages. Interestingly, early fax machines needed to "talk" to machines of the same brand and model and it wasn't until 1974 that the world's first international fax standard was approved by the United Nations. In the 1980s, personal and small business fax machines proliferated around the world. And to think, we own it all to an eccentric Italian priest. --Jerry Finzi If you found this post interesting, please pass it along on your favorite Social Media site. Grazie! Agnone lies in the rocky mountain region of Isernia in the Molise area of southern Italy. Every Christmas Eve, Agnone hosts the Carnevale Agnonese, including the Ndocciata--a pagan, ritualistic procession of rustic, wooden torches (ndocce) made into bizarre and lethal looking fan shapes which are essentially worn by men dancing through the town. The celebration is accompanied by Zampognari (bagpipers), turning the streets into a river of fire, ending in the main piazza where a huge bonfire is lit. Then the huge bell of the Church of St. Anthony is rung, very fitting since Agnone is known for the last 1000 years for the making of church bells--many of which are installed in the Vatican in Rome. Bringing the pagan into the realm of Christian celebrations, there is also a large Nativity in the piazza. The festival's roots go back even before the time of the ancient Romans... this area was the home of the Samnite tribes, a pagan group with a rich history and even their own alphabet. Samnites used long ndocce made of silver birch pine and dried broom for illumination at night. About a thousand years ago, this tradition was passed down to farmers and shepherds that used the torches both as a source of light and warmth during their times in the mountains. There is a lot of pagan symbolism in the Ndocciata... If the wind blows from the north during the bonfire it was expected to be a good year for crops. A roaring fire from the torches helped to subdue the power of witches and their spells. Young men also made long lasting and beautiful torches to hold under the windows of their intended lover... if the girl looked out onto the flames, their was a match... if water rained down on their torch, they were rejected. I particularly like the modern symbolism of the bonfire... people toss in anything negative... photos or possessions they wish to unburden themselves with--a former lover's picture, a paper with names of their bad thoughts or misguided deeds, a pair of crutches no longer needed, or simply getting rid of old furniture to be replaced with the new. The Nativity display is to celebrate both Christmas and the New Year. --Jerry Finzi If you found this post interesting, please visit our Facebook page and LIKE us. Grazie!
So this is the last use of our Thanksgiving Turkey leftovers. Early this week, Lucas said that he wanted to make a turkey pot pie. Chicken pot pie is one of his favorite meals when we take a ride up the Delaware River to a rustic bakery-restaurant in the little town of Delaware Watergap. I said OK, but only if he'd help. We got to work. First, I made about a half batch of my thin crust pizza dough recipe... about 1-1/2 - 2 cups of flour, yeast, a tad salt and sugar. Put it up to rise, then started the filling. I pulled the rest of the turkey meat off the one remaining drumstick and a wing and some left from a thigh. I chopped them up and started the base of the sauce. I made it pretty much the way I do a bechamel base for my cheese casserole, except instead of 2 cups of skim milk, I used one plus a cup of chicken broth. About four sticks of butter melted in a small saucepan, whisked in about 4 tablespoons of flour, then after it browned a little, I start adding milk and keep whisking, adding more milk until I finished it. Then I added the broth little by little, watching the texture of the sauce. If it gets too thick I can always add in more broth or even a bit of hot water, then which it back to a silky consistency. Then I diced a large onion, and sauteed in a fry pan with a little olive oil until translucent. Then I added the leftover baby carrots from Thanksgiving and a drained, 16 ounce can of Italian style green beans. Next I added celery cut into 1/8" slices (so they'd cook quicker). After about 10 minutes more of cooking, I added the mix into the bechamel pan, mixed and let it simmer on a very low rear burner. After about 30 minutes or so, we divided the filling into three small individual casserole crocks. I floured my work surface and rolled out my dusted pizza dough ball into a 1/4 thick slab. I cut long 3/4" wide strips while Lucas did the lattice work. At first, I tried to show him how, but he pushed my hand away, saying "Dad, I'm a lattice expert! I've been making lattice craft projects since kindergarten--I think I KNOW how to do a lattice!" He did... Just look at the results in the photo above! Thanks, Lucas. By the way, it was delicious. Lucas had the idea of sprinkling some sea salt on top after brushing with beaten egg. Perfetto! --Jerry Finzi You might also find these interesting...
Recipe: Thanksgiving Day Pizza Recipe Idea: Zuppa di Tacchino con Acini di Pepe French Onion Soup Goes Italian: Zuppa di Cipolle Italiano The night sky lights up over the east coast of Sicily as Mount Etna’s Voragine crater erupts for the first time in two years. The giant plume of smoke and ash thrown up by the blast creates a dazzling display of volcanic lightning, a mysterious phenomenon seen in many of the most powerful volcanic eruptions. In the same way that a balloon rubbing against a statically charged object builds up a charge of electricity, or your shoes on a dry carpet can cause a spark when you touch someone, above Mount Etna, the fine, dry ash particles violently gushing upward, rub together and trigger lightning strikes. The tallest active volcano in Europe, Mount Etna stands almost 11,000 feet tall. In modern times, towns and villages in the foothills of Etna have been protected by ditches and concrete dams that divert lava flows to safer ground. The volcano has five craters: the Bocca Nuova, the north-east crater, two in the south-east crater complex and the Voragine. The Voragine crater formed inside the volcano’s central crater in 1945. --Jerry Finzi
If you found this post interesting, please LIKE this post and also, LIKE our Grand Voyage Italy Facebook page. Boun Natale! There are many differences between celebrating Christmas in Italy and the United States. The main reason is that all of Italy is Roman Catholic and even though many (especially younger) Italians don't go to church as often as their grandparents did, it is still a very religious holiday. Here are some interesting ways they celebrate Christmas in Italy...
Christmas Season Phrases
There's much more to the Christmas than just December 25th in Italy. Throughout December and January there are a number of religious holidays that are celebrated. Remember, since Italy is a Roman Catholic country, many religious holidays are also national holidays so you might find many government offices are closed:
--Jerry Finzi If you enjoyed this post, pass it around to your friends... and Boun Natale! The Zampogne is an important part during Christmas festivities in Italy. (Learn more about Zampogne HERE). You will see Zampognari playing their instruments at Christmas markets and fairs, during Christmas Eve church services, at shopping malls, with living Nativity scenes and leading candlelit processions through villages and cities all throughout Il Bel Paese. Here are some videos to give a feeling of what these interesting instruments add to the ambiance of the Christmas season in Italy... --Jerry Finzi
If you liked this post, then LIKE it, of course! Grazie and Boun Natale! Tombola is a game that is very similar to bingo in the States where numbers are picked from a drum and called out, and players have to cover an entire row to win. It is played pretty much all over Italy from Christmas Eve to the Epihany while the little ones are waiting for La Bufana to come with their presents. ALthough more modern Tombola sets come with chips or blots to cover the numbers, most people play the traditional way--covering the numbers with torn pieces of orange or tangerine skins or beans or lentils. The boards are similar to bingo boards, but in Naples the boards are very different. Numbers range from 1 through 90, but the interesting thing is, each number on the board also contains a picture, usually with the name in Italian, Neapolitan dialect and some even have an English translation. Tombola's roots lie in a fortune telling game that was used hundreds of years ago to predict the future or help understand the meaning of dreams. Each number is represented by a symbol or picture with a particular meaning. The really strange thing is--at least to us Americans--is that many of the pictures are downright rude or sexual. Even stranger is the fact that a religious picture might be right alongside a very naughty one! Played casually in the home, people may play for small change or Euro coins, but they may also play just for fun... and offer toys, cookies or other dolci as prizes, usually letting the children win. When they do play for money, things can get pretty heated and loud. After all, these are Neapolitans, after all. The peel their oranges, eat the oranges, place pieces of peels on the numbers and laugh and talk for hours on end. It's all in fun and a great way to start the Holiday season on Christmas Eve, or to finish it off when playing on New Year's Eve. There are even television shows that play the game and offer prizes. If you feel like giving Tombola a try this holiday season, here's a link to one I found on Amazon. --Jerry Finzi
If you liked this post, please tell your friends about us and don't forget to LIKE our Facebook page! Ciao! Video: The Italian Christmas Song, Tu Scendi Dalle Stelle - From the Nativity Grotto in Bethlehem12/2/2015
--Jerry Finzi
If you enjoyed this post, please pass it along to your friends who enjoy wines... grazie! Growing up, a tradition in our family was getting our old crèche--a well worn miniature wooden barn with a log corn crib for the baby Jesus--and placing the the three wise men, the shepherds, sheep, cows, camel and other figures into it. The baby Jesus always waited until Christmas Eve to be placed in his straw filled crib. I always loved to place the baby Jesus, although in Italy it's tradition that the most elder in the family gets that privilege. Later in his life, my Dad made some of the most beautiful nativity barns I've ever seen. He used old beat up pieces of wood that he'd find on his walks around his town. My dad--a deli and fruit man his whole life--always showed sparks of an artist hidden inside. These nativities are also known as a manger scene, or crib, or in Italian presepio or presepe... literally translating as crib. The tradition started in Italy in the 13th century when St. Francis of Assisi created a living Nativity in the town of Greccio for the Christmas midnight Mass in the year 1223. Inside a cave, he prepared a manger with animals and celebrated Mass. There were even claims of miraculous healings following the building of this crèche. From these early roots, the tradition began to spread throughout all of Italy. Presepi were mostly built in churches during the weeks leading up to Christmas. Not wanting to be left out, the wealthy commissioned presepe in their own homes. Eventually poorer people built presepe by using whatever materials they had. Typically, the presepe were modeled after the local villages where they lived. Nowadays, and especially in Naples, the presepe go much further than a little barn, animals and the three wise men. They often become entire villages, temples, neighborhoods, grottoes or hillsides complete with costumed people milling about in various professions hawking their wares... butchers, fruit vendors, carpenters, bakers, monks, washerwomen, bagpipers and of course, a few angels. The figures themselves are often magnificent works of art with typically one purchased each year to add to a family's display. And while the structures that house these cartapesta (see Cartapesta: The High Art of Papier Mache in Puglia) and terracotta figures can also be elaborate, the real appeal is in the small details... cheeses, bunches of grapes, hand tools, butcher's meats, fruit, musical instruments, sausages and more add to the realism of the presepe scenes. Back in the Eighties, I saw an amazing presepe in the basement chapel of St. Joseph's Church of Greenwich Village on Avenue of the Americas in New York. It was huge--perhaps 30 feet wide and 15 feet deep--and represented an entire hillside village in Southern Italy. In my memory it was supposed to be in Sicily, but I could be mistaken--perhaps it was in the Naples area. The buildings looked like the light colored stone houses I saw all over the South when we visited Italy. There were many types of figures and animals placed around the display and I recall it was displayed in the darkened chapel as an illuminated nighttime scene. Sadly, I've tried to find photos of this presepe but they've renovated the church and don't seem to have the display any longer. If I do find any photos, I'll post them here for sure... We still display a small barn type crèche in our home every Christmas and Lucas gets to place the baby Jesus in the crib on Christmas Eve.... --Jerry Finzi If you enjoyed this post, please share it with your friends... Grazie e Buon Natale! |
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