Italian and American Holiday Traditions

Tuesday, December 05, 2017

Winter is filled with holidays and celebrations in countries all around the world. Italy and America are no strangers to going all out for the holidays! November and December are packed with Thanksgiving, Black Friday, Christmas and New Years in America while in Italy they focus on more religious holidays such as the Conception of Mary, Christmas, the day of Santo Stefano and New Years Eve. Both countries focus on family and have their own traditions that get everyone excited for the holidays.

Winter Holidays - Full Of Italian Tradition

Italian traditional holidays in the winter season are primarily in December. Italy is a country based heavily on Catholicism and long-standing traditions, which is why their biggest holidays revolve around the church. December 8th commemorates the Conception of Mary. Throughout Italy this day is really considered to be the start of Christmas where nativity scenes and holiday lights go up around the country. Christmas is celebrated with the "feast of the seven fishes" on Christmas Eve followed by a midnight mass. New Years Eve is a blast in Italy with every city throwing beautiful firework shows in the piazzas. Italian NYE traditions include eating sausage before midnight to represent a good omen for the next year and throwing pots and pans out of windows in older towns to banish bad luck.

American Traditional Winter Holidays

American traditional winter holidays start as early as November when every store seems to have been redecorated in all things red and green. Thanksgiving is celebrated with the Macy's Day Thanksgiving Parade, American football games and a huge meal. The Friday after is known as Black Friday and has been increasingly more popular over the years as the countries largest retailers have blow out sales to drive consumers to buy the bulk of their Christmas presents in a single day. December is filled with Christmas lights throughout towns and cities around the country and New Years Eve is celebrated with watching the famous ball drop in Times Square.

The Italian "Feast of the Seven Fishes"

Both countries have established traditions, but some would argue that food is what the holidays are all about. The Italian "feast of the seven fishes" is a traditional meatless meal on Christmas Eve celebrated with the entire family. New Years Eve in Italy traditionally has a feast featuring foods that are symbolic of wishes for the next year!

American Traditional Winter Holiday Menu

America is all about the turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie. This meal is a traditional menu for both Thanksgiving and Christmas

Long Standing Traditions - The Root Of Both Italian & American Holiday Seasons

Whether you love the Macy's Day Parade, watching football on the couch, getting the best deals at Target, eating a massive plate of turkey or going to midnight mass and enjoying the traditional feast of the seven fishes, everyone can acknowledge the long standing traditions in each country are endearing at the holiday season. Both countries focus on love, food and family and that is what the holidays are all about!

Proud of Our Italian Roots and Our American Home

Squisito Pizza and Pasta is proud of its Italian roots and American home and loves celebrating the holiday season! Squisito wants to wish everyone in both Italy, America and around the world a very happy holiday season filled with traditions, family, friends and lots of delicious food! Sources- http://www.worldholidaytraditions.com/countries/italy.aspx http://www.santas.net/americanchristmas.htm https://www.walksofitaly.com/blog/traditions-2/italian-national-holidays http://www.italymagazine.com/featured-story/new-years-eve-italian-traditions