Ferragosto Festivities

During the summer month of August there comes a time when Italians pack up their bags and head out to their seaside and country homes for some much needed relaxation. It’s the beloved time of Ferragosto that comes only once a year on August 15th. Deemed the second most celebrated holiday in Italy behind Christmas you will find few Italians not partaking in the relaxation of the holiday.

When walking through Italy you will more than likely see restaurants, shops and more filled with signs reading Chiuso per Ferie, or Closed for Holiday. The history of Ferragosto began during 18 B.C. when Emperor Augustus put into place a time to commemorate the end of the harvest season and create a holiday of rest and relaxation after all the hard work was done.

The time of relaxation, or Ferragosto, later began to coincide with the Catholic holiday known as the “Assumption of Mary.” This is the day in which God assumed the Virgin Mary into Heaven at the end of her life. The reason the holiday is called the Assumption of Mary is because her body was never truly found, and Catholics believe she was assumed into heaven on the day of her death. This assumption is honored often by parades and colorful processions in the streets where statues of the Virgin Mary are carried down and throughout the town.

The true emphasis of celebrating and traveling during Ferragosto did not come to complete fruition however until the 1920s during the Fascist regime. During August 15th date, train tickets would be on sale at a price that was affordable for working class families. So families of all shapes and sizes would pack up for the three day weekend where they would find themselves in towns, beaches and mountains they had never visited before.

Alongside the festivities of the Assumption of Mary and Ferragosto, on August 16th there is an annual horse race in Siena, Italy. It is known as the Palio di Siena and it is one of the most intense horse races on and off of the track. Ten riders out of the seventeen contrade mount bareback horses and race around the Piazza del Campo where a thick layer of dirt has been laid. Normally this dirt does not last very long, and it is often common for jockey’s to be thrown from their horses. Finding a horse finishing a race without their jockey can be common. The race is a long honored tradition that brings spectators from all over to root for their favorite jockey in bright colors.

Today the holiday season is full of celebrations, and ways to relax for the entire month of August rather than a three day weekend. Often Italian families find themselves in their country or beach homes as they unwind among friends and family as festivities for the culmination of the two holidays transcends around them. Three days of feasts, parades, light shows and even fireworks bring the holiday season to fruition.

In a world caught up in the hustle of the day and the news around it, it is a comforting notion to know there is a holiday of relaxation that an entire community can stand behind. Whether one is relaxing in the countryside or beachfront, parading through the streets to honor the Assumption of Mary, attending a horse race, or simply staying in to watch television; there is an endless amount of fun to be had with Ferragosto. BUON FERRAGOSTO!

-Ashley Curtis