Why Italians Take Ferragosto Seriously
You can see something queer, when you are ever in Italy in
mid-August, cities which in other times are busy quiet down. Stores are shut,
plants are vacated and even the buzzing of the tourists reduces. It is
Ferragosto, and to Italians it is not a holiday, but almost consecrated.
Its origin dates back in ancient Rome, when Emperor Augustus
used to declare a day of rest following the lengthy period of harvest. It
became a summer festivity that incorporates history and religion over the
centuries as well as a mere relaxation of pace. August 15 th, Ferragosto, is
today, it is the heart of the Italian summer because they are throwing away and
going to the coast or the mountains or even to the center of their hometowns to
have lunch together, laugh, and enjoy the sunshine.
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I recall my earliest Ferragosto very well. In one of the
places I was lodging close to the Amalfi Coast the air was thick with heat and
with sea fragrance.
By mid-day families were settled on the beaches the
umbrellas and coolers up, the plates of pasta salad and the slices of melon
were being passed around.
The strangers gave me cold beverages and some one began to
sing an old tune which half the crowd apparently knew by heart. No hurry, no
time, no schedule only the communal time of men and women happy to be exactly
where they were.
The best part of Ferragosto is that it is representative of
the Italian philosophy of work and rest, where it does not matter how hard one
works, but rather how one knows when to take a break. It is a wake-up call that
life is not to be lived in a rut, and time to relax and enjoy spending time
together is equally vital to success as ambition.
When the sun was setting behind the cliffs in the evening
fireworks burst in the sky and were reflected in the still sea before. The
laughing continued long after midnight.

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