Buon giorno e ciao a tutti!

Good morning and hi to everyone!

The month of October may be gone, but we still have our fundraising dinner, An Evening in Sicily, on November 9th that will conclude our Heritage Month.

During this past week a few of our board members taught a Limoncello class and I can tell you that it was a huge success.

As we begin to prepare for our American holiday of Thanksgiving the Italians (who don’t have this festivity) are organizing something more regional and relating to the different areas of Italy; these are what is commonly known as the Sagre di paese.  A Sagra di paese is a popular festival that generally occurs at a time between the end of September to the middle/end of November and is a festivity celebrating the harvest of local produce that includes wine, olives, vegetables, meats, cheeses and much more. Many times, this is accompanied with a fair and market which can last for days. People gather together as family and friends to participate in these Sagras. In many instances this also coincides with the Patron Saint festival of the town, which adds a religious aspect to this celebration.

Initially, even the United States and Canada celebrated a regional form of Thanksgiving beginning in 1621 that varied in dates from September to December. Modern Thanksgiving in the U.S. was officially proclaimed in 1863 by President Abraham Lincoln as the final Thursday in November in an attempt to create a sense of unity between the Northern and Southern states. However, some states were reluctant to recognize this and a nationwide date was not realized until the Reconstruction was completed in the 1870s. On December 26, 1941 President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed a joint resolution changing the date of Thanksgiving to the fourth Thursday of November hoping that this earlier date would provide the country with an economic boost.

In any case, I am happy that in the world (no matter whether one is in a small town in Italy or a huge U.S. metropolis) we can find a time to unite with family and friends and celebrate nature’s bounty and can offer thanks.

Auguro a tutti Voi un Felice Giorno del Ringraziamento

I wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving

Grazie

Thank you

Paolo Bartesaghi, President