Ferragosto all together

Hi, here we are after our long summer holidays and the first feast we want to talk you about is FERRAGOSTO. Do you know what Ferragosto is ? For us it represents the peak of the summer, a day when most people relax , get together , have some nice food , laugh, play tricks……..
First of all:
try to solve this rebus and you’ll find out the Italian name of a trick young people play:

PAST SIMPLE of GIVE + T + IT’S EQUIVALENT TO 1,016 KG + I

Got it? Now read on and find out everything, well, almost everything , about Ferragosto

Ferragosto, 15th August, is a very popular holiday in Italy. It has its origin in ancient times, in the Roman festival of the CONSUALI that took place in August and honoured the god of the harvest, Consul. Later on in 18 BC the Emperor Augustus instituted a new holiday , the FERIAE AUGUSTI which ran for the whole month of August and celebrated various gods including Diana, the Goddess whose task was to oversee the wood, the cycles of the Moon and maternity, Vortummus, God of the seasons and so of the ripening of crops and Opeconsiva that personified the abundant harvest. It is interesting to note that it probably derived from the East, from the Syrian celebration of Atagartis , half fish , half woman, a goddess who oversaw fertility and work in the field.
The festival was particular because it was the only occasion when all classes of Romans could celebrate together and even beasts of burden were given a pause.
With the advent of Christianity people turned to the Virgin for help in agriculture and began celebrating her in August and probably it was in the 580s in the Eastern empire that the feast day was instituted on 15 August. This was just a celebration of Mary , the modern dogma that she was transported to Heaven on Ferragosto started in the 18th century and was formally proclaimed by Pope Pius xii in 1950.

CELEBRATIONS
The Romans used to celebrate with horse races a tradition that can still be seen in festivals organized throughout the country in this period like the Palio di Siena , or the Cavalcata of the Assunta in the Marche town of Fermo.
The most typical way to celebrate Ferragosto is to go to the beach or to have a picnic in the mountains or in the countryside. No matter where people spend the day, it is sure they reenact some of the ancient rites celebrating the spirits of water and fire. In fact on 15th Agust and even a few days before it, there are spectacular fireworks in many places , bathing and in some area the so called “gavettoni” waterfilled bags thrown to people relaxing on a beach or on a field.
If you choose to go on a picnic this is what you may find in a picnic basket:
A rice salad, a refreshing fruit salad or a slice of sugary watermelon and a deliciuos jam tart.

This is how some of us spent the ferragosto
Marco : I got up at 11 a.m. , met my friends at 12 and cooked us some pasta and fries for lunch.
Alessandro: the best time of the day was when I met my friends after dinner and all together we went to the beach and watched the fireworks . We spent the night on the beach. Wow!
Angelo: I went to the beach with my friends, and in the evening we went to a party and after the party we went clubbing. I went bach home at 5,30 am
Simone: Hi guys . I spent Ferragosto working! I didn’t mind. I ploughed the fields and harvested sunflowers . I had a nice lunch in a restaurant.
Giulia: Do you remember Pistacoppi? The folk group that performed at school on your last day in Macerata. I went with the Pistacoppi to Senigallia spent the day in a beautiful house with a swimming pool and we ate sausages and steaks and after that, in the evening we went to the beach to see the sunrise. What a beautiful show of nature!