Thanksgiving, Italy Style

Is it a sin to have Halloween decorations up on Thanksgiving day?

My Italian friend Diana (@naturallyitalian) asked me to explain America’s Thanksgiving holiday.  We didn’t get very far, before I was scrambling to explain the differences between the pilgrims of Plymouth and those pilgrims (pelligrini) that have walked across Italy for two millennia.   We chatted about the food at the original Thanksgiving, some 400 years ago.  So many of the foods at the heart of a modern American Thanksgiving feast rarely make it to the Italian table.  Turkey is hard to come by, and certainly is not native to the peninsula, nor are cranberries. Pumpkin is hard to find.

After explaining the gratitude that is celebrated in the US, we talked of various holidays and feasts in Italy that share this sentiment.  Beyond the many days set aside for saints, and commemorations of wars ending, I was struck by the importance placed on March 8th, International Women’s Day, a day to celebrate, appreciate and give thanks to the women in our lives, with the yellow mimosa as the official flower.  (Some say or joke that this day is to make up for a year of neglect by, but let’s set that aside today.)

Reconciling the different types of pilgrims is no easy feat.  The Plymouth pilgrims ran from persecution, seeking a place in America to live out their religion in peace.  For centuries, pilgrims and travelers have journeyed to Italy seeking their own salvation through the saints and holy sites, and at times making the journey to give thanks.

Years ago we visited a small church in the town of Forlì.  There we found a glass crypt with the skeletal remains of San Pellegrino.  No, not the famous founder of the effervescent bottled water company.  This San Pellegrino (or Saint Pilgrim) is the patron saint of cancer victims.  We prayed there for his intervention with friends and family, and are grateful for his help.

As Diana explained that the commercial side of Halloween is now appearing in Italy, decorations and all the trappings, it struck me that we all can benefit from a better understanding of one another’s cultural celebrations.  Gratitude.

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