Ferragosto: Origins and Traditions
What is Ferragosto and why is it such a big deal in Italy?
Ferragosto is a public holiday celebrated on 15 August in all of Italy, and is when Italians take to the beaches and the mountains for summer holidays. But what exactly does “ferragosto” mean?Ferragosto, which coincides with the Catholic feast of the Assumption of Mary, is a holiday that goes back to Roman emperor Augustus’ times. Several festivals took place during the month of August to celebrate the harvest; in 18 BC, Augustus introduced the ‘Feriae Augusti’ to connect them all and provide a longer period of rest after the harvest, a time of intense agricultural labor.
During the ‘Augustali’ celebrations, horse races were organized across the Roman Empire; such ancient traditions remain almost unchanged today, just think of Siena’s Palio dell’Assunta, taking place on August 16.
The popular tradition of taking a trip at Ferragosto was introduced with the Fascist regime, which, in the second half of the 1920s, began organizing hundreds of trips through its recreational organizations, even setting up the “People’s Trains of Ferragosto”, made available at discounted prices. The initiative gave the chance to less affluent people to visit Italian cities or spend time at seaside and mountain resorts. The offer was limited to 13, 14 and 15 August.
The tradition has continued to this day and, among beach games, water balloons, bonfires and dancing, Ferragosto has become a true celebration of summer. A key moment of the day is the traditional Ferragosto lunch, usually a barbecue or picnic with family and friends.
Since Ferragosto is also a Catholic feast, established in the 5th century A.D., the day is a national holiday in Italy.
History of the Ferragosto Celebration
This national holiday has a history that goes back centuries, even before the Catholic holy day, to the founding of ancient Rome itself. The Roman emperor Caesar Augustus (Octavian), the first Roman emperor, held the first iteration of Ferragosto, called the Feriae Augusti, in 18 BCE. The date commemorates Augustus’ victory over his rival Marc Antony at the Battle of Actium.
Many ancient Roman festivals were held in August, including the Consualia, which celebrated the harvest, and several of the ancient traditions started during Augustus’ time are still part of modern Ferragosto celebrations today. Horses are adorned with flowers and given the day off from any agricultural duties, for instance.
The Palio di Siena horse race, held on July 2 and August 16 as part of Ferragosto, also has its origins in the Feriae Augusti celebrations.
Catholic Celebration of Assumption
According to Roman Catholic teachings, the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary commemorates the death of Mary, the mother of Jesus, and her bodily assumption into heaven after the end of her life on earth.
Like many Christian holy days (including Christmas and Easter) the timing of the Assumption was slated to coincide with a previously existing pagan holiday.
Ferragosto Festivals
You’ll find celebrations all over Italy around this day, often including music, food, parades, or fireworks. Here are a few popular Ferragosto festivals held across Italy on August 15.
Rome’s Gran Ballo di Ferragosto fills Rome’s squares with live dance performances. There’s a different type of dance in each square.
- Diano Marina in Liguria holds a festival of the sea with a huge fireworks display.
- In Tuscany, Montepulciano holds a historical pageant and games.
- Cappelle sul Tavo, near Pescara on the Abruzzo coast, celebrates with the Palio delle Pupe, huge effigies paraded through the streets at night. During the procession, they eventually explode with fireworks.
- Sassari in Sardinia holds the Festa dei Candelieri that dates back to the 16th century. In this exciting festival on Aug. 14 and 15, you’ll see a race with teams of men bearing huge candles.
In addition to the festivities held on Aug. 15, many Ferragosto festivals continue through Aug. 16.
Siena, in Tuscany, runs its second Palio race in the town’s main square.
- Girifalco in Calabria celebrates the Feast Day of Saint Rocco on Aug. 16.
Italian traditions at Ferragosto
Ancient Italian traditions at Ferragosto often involved horse races – a tradition that continues today with the Palio dell’Assunta in Siena on 16th August. This famous horse race takes place in the central piazza of the city, and is designed to coincide with the religious festival.
Today, Ferragosto in Italy is usually celebrated with a big family lunch. For a taste of Italian culture and an alternative Ferragosto lunch, check out the film Pranzo di Ferragosto (Mid-August Lunch). Set in Rome, this gentle comedy-drama tells the story of a man left to look after his elderly mother (and the elderly mothers of his landlord and doctor) during the holiday.
The other main tradition is to go on a trip – usually to the beach, the lake or the mountains. Cities tend to be deserted, and you’ll notice a huge difference in cities like Rome and Florence as the locals flee in droves. Some families go away for a weekend break, while others decamp to the beach for the rest of the month.
The accent goes at the end, in truncated multisyllabic words like città, virtù, longevità and on monosyllabic words such as dà, dì, là, lì, sì, tè, è.
In the middle of a word is not necessary to write the accent, however as general rules we can put a grave one on:
- Plural of words ending in –io such as, adultèri plural of adulterio (adultery); benèfìci, plural of beneficio (benefit); demòni plural of demonio (demon); desidèri plural of desiderio (desire), princìpi plural of principio (principle).
- Plural of words ending in –orio like contraddittorio, pl. contraddittòri. (contradictory).
- Words that are not very common, for example, ecchìmosi (ecchymosis), dàrsena (dock), leccornìa (delicacy), libìdo (libido).
ATTENTION! The accent is not equal to the apostrophe, so even on capital letters, we mustn’t graphically confuse the two.
Here’s some vocabulary you should know for Ferragosto in Italy!
- Grigliata — “Barbecue”
- Picnic — “Picnic”
- Andare in spiaggia — “Go to the beach”
- Andare a messa — “Go to mass”
- Viaggio — “Trip”
- Piccione arrostito — “Roast pigeon”
- Cestino da picnic — “Picnic basket”
- Bagno di mezzanotte — “Midnight swim”
- Fuoco d’artificio — “Firework“
- Falò — “Bonfire”
- Ferragosto — “Ferragosto”
- Festa — “Party”
