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Annual Events & National Holidays
1st May - Labour Day
1st May is Labour Day in Italy, known locally as the Festa dei Lavoratori. It is an annual public holiday celebrated all over the world that resulted from efforts of the labour union movement, to celebrate the economic and social achievements of workers.
The celebration of Labour Day has its origins in the eight hour day movement, which advocated eight hours for work, eight hours for recreation, and eight hours for rest. On 21 April 1856 Stonemasons and building workers on building sites around Melbourne, Australia, stopped work and marched from the University of Melbourne to Parliament House to achieve an eight hour day. Their direct action protest was a success, and they are noted as the first organized workers in the world to achieve an eight hour day with no loss of pay, which subsequently inspired the celebration of Labour Day and May Day. (source: Wikipedia).
6th January - Epiphany and the Befana, a Tradition in Livorno, Tuscany, and most of Italy
The Befana awaits Children in MonteneroJust when you think the holidays have come to an end, Christmas a distant memory and New Year's celebrations over and done with, Epiphany comes along, another bank holiday in Italy. Falling on the 6th January, Epiphany marks the day when the three Wise Men (the Magi) brought gifts to the infant Jesus and traditionally closes the Christmas period. But apart from being a religious holiday, the night before Epiphany - twelfth night - is better known to most Italian children as the night when the friendly witch, the Befana arrives on her broomstick bringing sweets and chocolate to all those children who have been good, and coal to those who haven't! Socks are left out for the Befana to fill with the appropriate gift.
8th March - Give Virtual Mimosa for the Festa della Donna - International Women's Day
Mimosa in flowerLa Festa della Donna, or International Women's Day is celebrated on 8th March. It began in 1908 to commemorate the 129 women who died in a fire in a factory in Chicago in that year, and also commemorates two other international events: a strike by women garment workers on 8 March 1857 in New York, which led to the foundation of the first women's union in the US, and a strike by Russian women on the same day in 1917.
14th February - Valentine's Day
Valentine's Day Cards and Gifts on Sale in LivornoBy no means exclusive to Italy, St Valentine’s Day on 14th February – known in Italian as the Festa degli Innamorati (‘lovers’ day’) has become as commercial as it is in most places in the western world. But although the origins of this modern ‘celebration’ are unknown, it certainly takes its name from an Italian Saint – San Valentino - , or possibly two saints of the same name who lived at different periods in history.
15th August - Ferragosto - ancient August holiday
Embarking for the island of CapraiaIn Italy the 15th August is synonymous with holidays and the seaside, but the origins of the Ferragosto holiday date back to ancient times. The term Ferragosto comes from the Latin Feriae Augusti, or August rest and it used to be the time of year when people celebrated the end of the main farming work. Of course the 15th August is also an important date in the Christian calendar, being the date of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary.
Closed for holidays - a familiar sight in AugustIt is a holiday for most people, everything is closed, cities are deserted and the beaches packed. And of course, as with any Italian tradition, there is usually a huge leisurely family lunch involved!
1st November, Ognissanti - All Saints' Day
1st November is All Saints' Day, or Ognissanti in Italian, and is a national holiday. The following day, the 2nd November, is dedicated to the Morti, or the dead, and is a day when people traditionally take flowers to the graves of their loved ones. Schools, banks and shops are closed.
25th April - Liberation Day
25th April is a national holiday in Italy, commemorating the liberation of the country from the Nazis after World War II in 1945.
In Livorno the day is usually marked by a solemn ceremony in Piazza della Vittoria (monument to the fallen) and in Via Ernesto Rossi (Partisan plaque) during which wreaths of laurel are laid at these two reminders of those who died for their country during the war.
30th November - Festa della Toscana
The Festa della Toscana on 30th November was instituted in 2001 by the Regione Toscana to commemorate the abolition of the Death Penalty in the Grand Duchy of Tuscany by Pietro Leopoldo I on 30 November 1786, and to renew its commitment to the promotion of human rights, peace and justice as elements of the Tuscan identity.
Numerous events are organised for this public holid
A Festival of Food
Food, of course, features high on the list of priorities in any Italian community, and no less so in Livorno. Food festivals known as sagre take place throughout the year all over the province, celebrating particular local produce.
Livorno itself has a number of these, including the Sagra in honour of the broad bean - La Sagra del Baccello - in the spring, and others featuring mushrooms - La Sagra del Fungo - and grapes - La Sagra dell'Uva - in the autumn. These festivals usually centre around a number of market stalls and all have at least one restaurant. They are an excellent excuse for a day or an evening out which inevitably ends up with something good to eat at an affordable price. There is often live music and dancing too (See the What’s On calendar for exact dates and venues).
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