The presepe (masculine, plural: presepi), or nativity scene in English, has been an integral part of the Italian Christmas tradition since the 16th century. It is important not only to practising Catholics (cattolici) celebrating the birth of Christ, but to all Italians who want to embrace their past (passato) and heritage (eredità). Interesting fact: Another …
One of the most important Christmas symbols in Italy and across Europe is the candle – or candela (feminine, plural: candele) in Italian – as it is said to represent the light of Jesus Christ. Candles can be found everywhere at this time of the year: on trees as decorations, inside churches during religious ceremonies …
If there is one thing I love about this festive time of the year, it is hearing the church bells ring throughout the city on Christmas Day. The word for bell in Italian is campana (feminine plural: campane). It mostly refers to medium to large-sized bells such as those found inside the bell tower (campanile) …
The Italian word for angel looks and sounds extremely similar to its English equivalent: angelo. Angelo is a masculine noun that takes the following definite and indefinite articles: The word derives from the Latin angelus via the Greek angelos meaning messenger. Angeli play an important role in the Christian religion, as they are believed to …
We already talked about the word festa (party / celebration) in a previous ‘word of the day’ article but did you know that you can transform it into a verb as well? The verb festeggiare means to celebrate, to party or to make merry in Italian and can be used to talk about birthdays, anniversaries …
The word for decoration (or ornament) in Italian is decorazione which, given the shared origin of the two words, shouldn’t be in the least bit difficult for English speakers to remember! The word derives from the Late Latin decoratio(n), which in turn comes from the verb decorare. As a feminine noun, it takes the following …