Heather Broster
An icicle is a column of ice (ghiaccio) formed when dripping water freezes in sub-zero temperatures, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the Italian word for icicle derives from the word for ice: ghiacciolo (masculine, plural: ghiaccioli). I ghiaccioli che pendevano dalle case scintillavano come diamanti. The icicles that hung from the houses sparkled like …
How does Santa Claus manage to enter the homes (case) all the world’s children? Not through the door, not through the window, but by shimmying his way down the chimney of course! The word for chimney in Italian is camino (masculine, plural: camini), which mustn’t be confused with the similar-sounding cammino meaning walk or hike. …
According to the American and English Christmas tradition, Santa Claus puts toys (giochi) and sweets (caramelle) inside the stockings of the children who have been good, and coal – or carbone in Italian – inside those of naughty children. In Italy, it is Befana, the Italian Christmas witch, who has the job of filling the …
According to Christian tradition, the practice of exchanging presents during Christmastime is symbolic of the presentation of the gifts gold, frankincense and myrrh to Jesus by the Three Wise Men (i Tre Re Magi). It was reinforced by the story of St. Nicholas, a fourth-century saint and secret gift-giver who gave rise to the model …
The snow we see on the ground at Christmastime is made up of hundreds of billions of tiny snowflakes, none of which are identical. This is because each snowflake is made up of millions of tiny water molecules that can arrange themselves in infinite ways. Comparing two snowflakes may reveal some physical similarities but statistically …
Most people in the English speaking world strictly associate witches with Halloween. In our minds, they are dark clad figures with flying brooms, ragged clothing, craggy features, and perhaps, a black cat for company. As far as I know, Italy is the only country in the world where witches are also closely linked to the …