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FEBRUARY 2014 wwww Visit us at: http://lancaster-italian-cultural-society.org The Newsletter of the Lancaster Italian Cultural Society L’Osservatore Lancastriano President's Message New Year's Eve in Italy This will be my last message as President of LICS. December 31st, New Year's Eve in Italy, is called La Festa di San Silvestro. As with most Italian For the last 2 years it has been my honor to serve you, festivals, food, family and friends play a major role. and I thank you for the opportunity. I have been Lentils symbolize money and good fortune for the thinking about the last 11 years, and especially the last 2 New Year and are the main item on the Italian as your President and what it has meant to me. menu. Traditional dining includes "cotechino", a large spiced sausage, or "zampone", part of a stuffed It has always been my intention to keep LICS alive, pig. We can relate to well and financially sound. It was not always easy. Of having pork on New course, there had been some challenges but, in the end, Year's Day and in Italy we held together and accomplished what we intended. it symbolizes the richness of life in the There were a few accomplishments I am most proud of. coming year. One of which was to give recognition for community service and volunteerism of our members. "The Italian As in many parts of the world, Italy boasts midnight American of the Year Award" does exactly that. I have fireworks. Public displays are held in the central also encouraged cultural awareness by introducing our square of many towns and festivities include private Greek brothers and sisters to the "Multi-Cultural Event" parties which put their own mark on the celebration. which is held every year at the Lancaster Liederkranz. Naples is known for having one of the biggest and This year our scholarship program excelled and 2014 best New Year's fireworks display while smaller will see the society award and additional scholarship towns may build a bonfire for people to gather bringing the total to three awards to deserving students. around to bring in the New Year. If you are near a port, you will hear loud horns from the harbored To keep up with the "Times", E-Blasts took flight ships and boats. Dancing and live music can be during my administration thanks to my Vice President, found in almost all larger cities. John Villella and for the first time, in 2014, I initiated an audit to maintain consistency in our financial records. Tombola, a game similar to our Bingo, is very popular at this time of year and is played both at In conclusion, let us continue to teach our children of private parties and in the public squares. our rich heritage, and to keep an open mind to all people so that we, as Italians and Italian Americans will stay Prosecco and spumante are the wines of choice and strong. are consumed much like our champagne. May God Bless You and An old custom of the south is throwing your old Bring Peace to Your Heart things out the window to symbolize the readiness to and Joy for the New Year. accept the New Year. If you find yourself in Jeannie Hubbs, southern Italy at this time, be careful walking below President windows! 1 One more thing--be sure to wear red underwear-it is This is the fifteenth in a series on: said to bring good luck in the New Year. The Regions of Italy Sardinia Here are a couple of traditions in some of Italy's Sardinia happens to be the second largest island in larger the Mediterranean Sea (Sicily is the largest). It is cities: one of the five autonomous regions which means the Italian Constitution gives it special administrative Rome: autonomy. Sardinia has eight provinces and Cagliari Large is the capital and largest city. crowds gather in The name Sardinia is pre-Roman and suggests a the Piazza del Popolo to celebrate New Year's Eve religious meaning related to the ancient Sardinian with pop, rock and classical music, dancing and mythological hero-god Sardus Peter, meaning fireworks. On New Year's Day, children take center Sardinian Father. stage and are entertained by acrobats. At the Santa Maria del Popolo church, there is a traditional Because of its geoformation, Sardinia is not nativity scene which represents many areas of Italy. earthquake-prone which is a feeling of security Live music highlights the Colosseum with midnight enjoyed by the inhabitants. fireworks. Sardinia is an ancient land most probably populated Naples and Capri: Lo Sciusco is a tradition beginning in the Paleolithic period until today. which originated in Naples and is still continued From about 1500 BC, there in some smaller towns. Groups of amateur is evidence of villages and musicians, mostly children, go from house to fortresses called nuraghi, house playing and singing on New Year's Eve. A which served as lookout small gift of money or candy is given to them to towers and guarded the bring good luck while turning them away may populace. Nuraghi buildings bring bad luck. can still be found in various places of the island Bologna: An ox is decorated from horns to tail landscape. with flowers and ribbons. Church bells ring and fireworks are set off. At the end, a special lottery Sardinia was at one time a is held and the winner gets to keep the ox. At center of commerce and midnight, an effigy of an old man is thrown into a controlled the extraction of raw materials such as bonfire in the Piazza Maggiore. copper and lead which were important to other countries. Venice: St. Mark's Square has a huge celebration Around 1,000 BC, the Phoenicians visited the island with music and, in time, took over the silver and lead mines and and fireworks established a military presence in 650 BC. In 509 and a group BC, the Sardinians staged a series of attacks against kiss held at the Phoenicians but with the help of Carthage, the midnight. Phoenicians kept control of the island. New Year's In 238 BC, Rome defeated Carthage and took Day often sees control of Sardinia making it a Roman province many bathers which lasted for about 700 years. For a time, the taking a chilling dip at Lido Beach. Byzantine Empire ruled Sardinia and the island was divided into districts governed by a judge from The Officers and Board of the Lancaster Italian Caralis which is modern day Cagliari. Christianity Cultural Society wish all of you a very Happy became the dominant religion and gave rise to Saint New Year! Basil, who we know today as the patron of throat disease. 2 In 1297, Pope Boniface VIII established the He is also the former treasurer of the Library System Kingdom of Sardinia and Corsica to settle a war. of Lancaster County. He served for two years on the But in 1324, the Kingdom came under Peter IV of East Hempfield Township Planning Commission, Aragon who, in 1353, granted a parliament and eleven years on the East Hempfield Township some degree of self-government. In 1479, a royal Zoning Hearing Board, and currently is the marriage resulted in the Habsburgs creating the Secretary of the Manheim Township General Kingdom of Sardinia which in short order fell under Municipal Authority. Spanish domination for almost 400 years until 1720. In 1848, the Kingdom of Sardinia advocated and led His contribution to the Italian community includes the effort for the Unification of Italy and actually serving as a trustee and president of the former changed its name to the Kingdom of Italy. During Lancaster Italian-American Citizens Club, served as the first and second world wars, Sardinia was an vice president of the former Lancaster Sons of Italy important base for military operations. When Italy Lodge, and he formed and served as President of the became a republic in 1946, Sardinia was granted Lancaster Bocce League for many years. James is a special autonomy by the Italian Constitution which charter member of Lancaster Italian Cultural gives the region the right to create its own laws and Society, served as a board member, vice-president carry out administrative functions on its own. and is the current editor of the newsletter. He chaired the By-Law Revision Committee and Today, Sardinia enjoys a diversified and vibrant Program Committee which identified speakers on economy which focuses on tourism and technology. cultural affairs for general meetings. He and his Several telecommunication companies and internet wife Karen became Italian Citizens in 2013. providers are based on the island with successful international operations. While Italian is the official Mr. Lombardo authored a book on the history of the language, most speak Sardu, a distinct branch of the Lancaster Italian Community at the request of the Romance language. Not considered a dialect, it is Lancaster County Historical Society. He also wrote even accepted on certain documents. The a book, “Italian Shoemakers of Lancaster”. James population of just under 2 million live in a modern was appointed by Governor Tom Ridge to be society and are congenial hosts to the many visitors. Executive Director of the Governor’s Center for Local Government Services during which he received several awards from the PA State Association of Township Supervisors, the County LICS Italian-American of the Year Award Commissioners Association of PA, the PA League By: Jay Butterfield, Chair, Award Committee of Cities and Municipalities and the PA State Association of Boroughs.