Did you know that today, on the 15th of August, all of Italy celebrates this special holiday? ๐ฎ๐น
Italians celebrate Ferragosto by taking the day off and heading for the coast or the cool mountain air (if they're not already there). ๐๏ธโ๏ธ
The term Ferragosto comes from the Latin term Feriae Augusti ("Augustusโ Holidays"), as the celebration was established by the Emperor Augustus in 18 BC. ๐๏ธ
Initially, it was a day of rest for hardworking farmers, thanks to Emperor Augustus. ๐พ They'd wish their bosses a "buon ferragosto" and get a bonus ๐ฐ before attending horse races held across the Roman Empire ๐ (a remnant of which survives in the form of Sienaโs bi-annual Palio).
Ferragosto was not traditionally on August 15th but on August 1st (the first day of the month that Augustus himself introduced).
The Catholic Church pushed the event back on the calendar to coincide with the Assumption of Mary. ๐
Assumption Day commemorates the belief that when Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ, died, her body was "assumed" into heaven to be reunited with her soul instead of undergoing the natural process of physical decay upon death. โจ
๐ผ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ถ๐, ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ'๐ ๐บ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฒ! ๐คฉ
๐๐ฉ๐ช๐ด ๐ฅ๐ข๐บ ๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ญ๐ฅ๐ด ๐ฆ๐ท๐ฆ๐ฏ ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ฉ๐ช๐ด๐ต๐ฐ๐ณ๐บ!
During Fascism, Benito Mussolini would organize low-cost โholiday trainsโ between Aug. 14-16, so low-income families could take trips to cultural cities or the seaside for a few days.
Food and board were not included, so even today, Italians associate packed lunches and barbecues with this day. ๐๐
๐ So, whether you're having a picnic ๐งบ, exploring new places ๐บ๏ธ, or just having a blast with friends and family, today's your day!
๐๐ฎ๐ฝ๐ฝ๐ ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ด๐ผ๐๐๐ผ! ๐
๐๐ ๐๐ผ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐ ๐ฎ ๐ต๐ผ๐น๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐ ๐น๐ถ๐๐ฒ? ๐
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โจ Hi! I am Maria.
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