La Befana e L'Epifania!

L'Epifania...tutte le feste porta via!

On January 6, the 3 Wise Men visited the baby Jesus paying him homage with gold, frankincense, and myrrh.  My Italian grandmother used to take down her Christmas tree calling it Little Christmas.  In Italy, The Epiphany signals the end of the Christmas season with a witch, La Befana (possibly a mispronunciation of L'Epifania).  Well, she's an old, ugly woman with old, tattered Roman clothes and broken shoes.  She rides around on her broomstick like a horse.  And the children have to be in bed when she arrives; she doesn't like to be seen or else the children will get coal.  She'll bring little toys, trains, dolls, mandarins, and other fruit to the children who were good and ash and coal to those who weren't.  But nowadays, there is a "coal" candy made from black sugar that parents will put in their child's stocking along with toys.

La Befana's story is entangled with the 3 Wise Men and has been celebrated at least since the 13th Century whereas Babbo Natale, Santa Claus, arrived in Italy in World War 2.  I've read that the 3 Wise Men had asked Befana to come along to pay homage to Baby Jesus but she was too busy cleaning or she was too heartbroken after losing a child.  Only later she changes her mind, follows the star, but arrives too late.  The Holy Family has already left for Egypt.  Then the gifts she had brought for Baby Jesus she then distributes to good little boys and girls around possibly still looking for Baby Jesus. 

But as Christianity started in the context of the Pagan Roman environment where many early Christian traditions were borrowed from them.  Historians believe that the legend may derive from the Sabine (a pre-Roman Italic tribe of central Italy) and later as adopted by the Romans, the  goddess Strina/Strenua.  She was a goddess of the New Year, purification, and well-being.  She safeguarded youth by providing health and strength.   Strina was an elderly goddess.


In Italy, children put out stockings for Befana on the evening of the 5th...and they also leave glasses of wine and cookies!   And when she leaves, she sweeps the floor behind her because she likes cleaning, and she may have also been a housekeeper.  And it may also signal sweeping away problems of the year.

While the holiday from work is nice as well as the stories and tradition of La Befana, what I really like the closure to the holiday.  Today is the day to relax, spend time with family and friends, and above all, put your Christmas decorations away.  The Christmas Season has, once again, ended.   

The next holiday:  Carnevale! 

But until then, Buona Befana!



                    











Sources:  https://journeyingtothegoddess.wordpress.com/tag/strina/
http://www.stylecoven.com/post/14018623062/the-italian-christmas-witch-la-befana
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strenua
http://paganwiccan.about.com/od/yuletraditions/p/La-Befana.htm
http://carminesuperiore.blogspot.it/2009/01/la-befania-epiphany-twelfth-night.html

Poetry for Pizza

While reading an introduction of a B&B in Siracusa in Italian (Bed and Breakfast dei Viaggiatori, Viandandi e Sognatori, www.bedandbreakfastsicily.it), it struck me half way down the page that it was not only flowery but also romantic...something you would never see in the US in a description of a hotel.  But that's relfected throughout Italian culture, an emphasis and importance of style and presentation. 

While stopping over in Naples on my way back to Milan, I found a Tripadvisor and Google recommended pizzeria, a tiny hole in the wall that I almost missed, a few blocks from my hotel near Centrale (yes! for my 6:10am train), Pizzeria da Gaetano, via Casanova 109.    I got the DOP pizza with mozzarella bufala (from the Italian water buffalo), basil, and tomato, and it was good!  6.50€  Mac enjoyed it, too.  The wine was tasty as well, Rosso Rubino, Cantine Carannante, from Campania.

Near the end of my meal, I relaxed and studied the place better.  There were framed photos on the wall, maybe some certifications/authorizations from the city, and then....poetry.  About what?  What else:  how good Gaetano's pizza is in Neapolitan dialect.

Side note:  Gaetano comes from the Latin name, Caietanus, which meant "from Caieta" (a town) which is modern day Gaeta on the coast in Lazio.  The anglicized form is Cajetan.  

(Rough translations to be completed later)

To the Pizza

A beautiful pizza for all of this city, only Sir Gaetano knows how to do it. He seems to me to be a master, how much I love this meal while resting on my balcony singing this song:  Ta, fa, ca, tomatoes (?), ta fa ca, mozzarella, filled with marinara....and he does all of the flavors, and the rare ones, too, as you like, it bids you to eat, just prepared, put into the oven, and in 4 to 8 minutes a pizza is cooked and ready to serve!

Friends for...the Pizza!

A pizza is Gaetano's special song...I come to him, the genius, and I eat at almost any hour, so good, so flavorful, so succulent....I give you compliment!

To the Real Pizza

For you eating the pizza keeps your stomach healthy....you'll find a tasty and beautiful pizza...you can eat the rich capriccosa or for you he'll make what you prefer, and you can taste the beautiful margherita...

As I mentioned, this translation is in progress, in allestimento.  I'll update it later after getting some help on translating the Neapolitan.  Until then...what poetry would you write about your favorite pizzeria?  Or your favorite restaurant or food?

Expo Milan 2015

Go to the Expo!  As soon as you can.  Get there early and stay late, bring money to spend and wear comfortable walking shoes. And maybe expect a few lines.

Milanese have been excited as long as I have been here (since Feb 2011).  When I first heard about it, much to my embarrassment now, I imagined some kind of generic expo.  Chicago has a lot of them, ie, home and garden expos, pet expos, beauty expos, etc.  No, people, this is the World's Fair!  My grandfather went to the one in Chicago in 1933. Organizers changed the name from World's Fair to Expo in 1967 for the exhibition in Montreal and thus the name was given to Montreal's new baseball team, the Montreal Expos (which lasted until 2004 when they were moved to Washington DC and renamed the Washington Nationals.)

This is the universal expo.  The last one was 5 years ago in Shanghai, and in 2020 it'll be in Dubai.  They've already started construction.  The year's theme is food, Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life.  Italy is a perfect host country for this.  They bring food, its preparation, and respect for the digestion process to a whole new level.

There's been quite a bit of excitement and self-criticism leading up the Expo.  Journalism here isn't focused on reporting the facts.  Articles are more like editorials, opinion essays, or diatribes(a topic to be explored further in another post.) And most have been very critical of the Expo and its progress.  But the reality is it's beautiful and it's done.  The Nepal Pavilion was only half completed, but they just had a major earthquake.  That's understandable.  There's good security at the entrance and a lot of police and security patroling the venue and Rho-Fiera Milano Expo metro stop.  

You can compare it to an amusement park.  Each pavilion has a take on food or something surrounding food plus a plug on the county whether it's the history or culture.

First go into Pavilion 0 describing the evolution of food, farming, and society. 

And then the Expo is yours to see!

My favorite was the Austrian pavilion.  Their idea was clear on air.

I got annoyed at the exhibits where they didn't want me to exit from the same entrance right after entering, ie, Angola and The Vatican.  The Vatican let me got because I was already out of the building, but Angola made me walk up 4 flights of walk-ways to then climb down 4 flights of stairs just to exit.  

At the Brazilian exhibit, there's mesh netting to climb onto.   

I recommend the Caipirinha at the Brazilian pavilion; it's freshness is well worth the 10€.

I took a pass at the 7€ glasses of wine in Chile and Spain.  I liked the fresh beer on tap at the Czech Republic and German pavilions.  The lieberkase sandwich was good at the German pavilion also. 

Some of the exhibits didn't have English.  There should be at least English subtitles for Italian audio.

There were lines outside of Malaysia, Colombia, and Italy. South Korea escorted groups through, so there was a short wait.

Some of the pavilions started closing at 8pm, but a few stayed open later, ie Austria and the UK.  

At 9pm, there was a beautiful light, fountain and firework display at the Tree of Life. Don't miss it! Nor the German DJ!!

I can't wait to go back and see more pavilions.  I definitely want to see Israel; their patchwork crop siding was beautiful.  I want to see the Japanese pavilion, Switzerland's presentation on sustainability, and pretty much all the others that I missed which was about half of the countries. 

Getting there:  I took the red line from mmLotto.  If you have a monthly pass, you can add on the extention price of 1.60E.  If not, the ticket costs 2.50.  And with the monthly, if the exit is accesso libero, don't scan it!  You can keep it for the return trip! 

Have I whetted your apetite? I don't want to show too much to spoil the fun of discovery.  Is there anything else you that want to hear about? Let me know!

Happy Expoing!

Stare Bene vs. the Pursuit of Happiness

In Italy, when someone asks you, how are you? Come stai? It's a sincere question, how do you stay? Are you well?  I've seen Italians that I ask this pause, tilt their head and give me a look, like, wow, thank you for asking and caring how I'm staying.  In America, it's more of a greeting.  It's another kind of "Hello" or acknowledgement of your presence rather than a sincere inquiry on your status.  Whether you're having a good or bad day, typically the person asking, your co-workers, classmates, and the check out clerk at Walgreens, isn't sincerely interested on a full, in-depth analysis. He or she is just being friendly. 

And on top of that, how often do you stop to reflect on how you are?  Once a day? Once a week? Unless you make time for it, it's easy to not think about it and just stay focused on juggling various priorities which yields the shallow answer of fine, great, or good, thanks.

In Italy, staying well is something important.  With your friends or significant others, staying well with them is what's important.   Staying well alone with yourself is also important if not moreso. Ligabue sings about it in "Eri bellissima": "stai bene li con te?" "Are you well with yourself there?"  

And staying well with yourself through changes and new experiences is also important. One of my students explained to me that before studying abroad in America 20-some odd years ago, he broke up with his then girlfriend of 4 years because he wanted to be alone while embarking on this experience. To have the freedom and the space to change and grow personally.  He realized what was best for him and did it.

This idea of staying well with yourself lends to this external acknowledgement and objectivity of looking at the self.  I feel like Italians are able to step outside of themselves, not take themselves too seriously, and be self-aware.  One student described to me how he suffered as a child, and he was very matter of fact about it.   It's like an external, 360 degree analysis of self with acceptance.  That's how it is.  They're also able to step out and say, it's not a good moment in my life right now.  You would never say that in America.  People would look down on you because A-you're struggling, B-you showed weakness.

In America, what's important is doing well and being happy. Being happy with yourself, with your significant other, and with your job.  That's the goal.  I think the seeds for this present-day cultural goal of happiness were sown by Founding Father, Thomas Jefferson, when he declared that the pursuit of happiness as a right in the Declaration of Independence.  

But honestly, Tom, is this a destination that can be reached? And then what? Live happily ever after? For forever with no problems? Life is filled with never ending sorrows and joys. What about staying well?

Ultimately, pursuing happiness is a unachievable goal.  Happiness, however, can be found in the pursuit of goals. Perhaps a balanced update to this part of the Declaration would be the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of goals while staying well.  Because what is reaching our goals without having stayed well?

Blues Brothers and Italy

February 21, 2014

Growing up in Chicago, you know the know the film, Blues Brothers. At least, that's how it was for me.  It was staple of my childhood.  My dad, my brother, and I would quote lines from the film.  I was a Blues Brother for Halloween when I was 12 years old.  It was a source of cultural pride.  The film shows some fantastic parts of Chicago, what it means to be a Chicagoan and from the Midwest.  At least, partially, what it means.  I had the film memorized.  

When I got my first apartment in Chicago, I was especially thrilled that my bathroom window overlooked the el (at the Paulina Brown line stop), just like the apartment in Blues Brothers, but just not as noisy.  At that time, I was working at a law firm and regularly went to the Daley Plaza, City Hall, and the County Building, all seen at the end of the film, to file, certify, and retrieve documents.  And later while working in radio sales, I often used Lower Wacker Drive to enter or exit the city.  (And movie aside, going to the Billy Goat, which Belushi and Aykroyd made famous with their Cheeseburger, Cheeseburger, no Coke, Pepsi SNL sketch, is a place you go to once in a while.  I don't really like their burgers, nor the chips, but I love going there.  It's a beautiful, little hole in the wall.  I adore Second City, too, the improv club where those guys made their start.)

After being here in Milan for a about a year, I had moments of homesickness.  So, you know what film I watched, that made everything feel better and the world seem right again:  Blues Brothers.  

Well, there's some sort of Blues Brothers cult following here.  About a week after watching it, I saw the Rocky Horror Picture Show live for the first time.  The two hosts at the beginning were dressed as the Blues Brothers and came out to their theme music.  Then I slowly began noticing it more and more everywhere.  Blue Brothers were used in advertising signs for a terrible, yet super cheap gym.  And when I tell people that I'm from Chicago, a common response is, oh, like the Blues Brothers.  I smile and nod, yes, yes.  

But tonight clinched it for me.  Nearing the end of the lesson, my 10 year old student and I had just started playing Go Fish.  I asked him what music he wanted to listen to.  He said, Blues.  Then he said, Blues Brothers.  I was taken aback.  Then he said, Everybody Needs Somebody.  My jaw hit the floor.  I pulled it up on YouTube, and in no time we were watching it.  And he sang along!  We didn't finish Go Fish.  We ended up watching other scenes from the film, and I turned it into a receptive language task on the present continuous.  

Watch out, Chicago.  Italy loves the Blues Brothers, too.

Kisses, Dating, and I Love You in Italian

September 2013 

Dating in Italy is different. No one asks, "what are we?" There's no exclusivity conversation.  It's just assumed that after 2 months hanging out together, meeting each other's friends, that you are a couple.  The only time it's talked about, with the "will you go out with me?" is in middle school.  I like it; it sends a clear message through actions.  That harks back to the cliche, actions speak louder than words.

Baci are kisses which you greet your friends and family with.  It's 2 kisses:  1 on the left cheek first, then 1 on the right cheek.  The Spanish greet also with kisses, but they start on the right cheek then go to the left cheek.  The Dutch greet with 3 kisses, left, right, then left.  It gets confusing at times depending on who you are talking to and where you are.

Now, often, friends will conclude an email with "Baci"  or "Baci e abbracci" (Kisses and hugs).  This is the normal salutation just sent electronically.  But if you are romantically involved with someone, I am told that you conclude the email with "Un Bacione" (a big kiss) and if you concluded it with "Baci" the other party would be taken aback.  Baci?  Baci are what you give your aunt.  But later I've seen emails from friends concluded with "Un bacione" and I don't know what to think.  An "abbracione" is a big hug.

In America, we say, I love you, to friends, lovers, boyfriends/girlfriends, mothers, fathers, children, etc.  The context you say it within is understood, and it's just one phrase.  The Italian have complexity, delicate layers, like that can be found with the millefoglie pastry or lasagna.   I've heard different explanations.  "Ti voglio bene" is used often.  It means I care about you.  You say it to you family, close friends, and even boyfriend/girlfriend and husband/wife.  "Ti amo" is reserved for more romantic, intimate relationships, but I don't think it's used very often.  "Mi piachi tu" doesn't really work or maybe it's said when to express a desire to escalate the relationship.

Inno: Soccer Team Song

Each team in Italy has an official song, an inno, and the fans listen to it.  It's not like a university fight song; it's more like a pop song, almost. They listen to it in their cars driving around.  It's interesting.

Here's Milan's song:  "Milan, Milan"


While I'm an Interista, I'm not a fan musically of their inno, "C'è Solo Inter."  It sounds like a Michael Bolton song or background music for a Sports Utility Vehicle TV commercial.  Where are the hands swaying with lighters?  But in all earnestness, the inspiration of the song is cool.  Peppino Prisco was the Vice President of Inter from 1963-2001.  He was asked once about having served under 5 different Presidents of Inter.  His response was, "Well, I always sought to serve only Inter."  He loved his team.

Here's Naple's inno, "Napoli."