We have been waiting for so long, but it’s done: Spring has finally arrived!
March has been quite glorious, over here, and actually made us feel we were in spring way earlier than its official starting date. We got warm days, blue skies, and amazing sunshine. It was not official, but it was spring no matter what.
Now that it is official, though, it started raining. I knew this was supposed to happen, but I decided to write a post about spring anyway. It’s such a nice time that it deserves its own proper post. Moreover, I thought it could be a perfect topic for another Italian vocabulary series post.
Well, let’s talk about spring then!
Primavera (spring) usually comes on March 21st, which is il primo giorno di primavera (the first day of spring). But actually, there’s something special that takes place just a few days before. On March 19th, we celebrate la festa di San Giuseppe (Saint Joseph’s Day). Quite a few towns in Italy celebrate Saint Joseph’s as their patron saint.
Therefore, I am sure that there are feste di piazza (street parties), balli (dances), giochi per bambini (games for the kids) and lots of food, of course. The most traditional dish for Saint Joseph’s Day is zeppole di San Giuseppe, fritters filled with pastry cream, which originally come from Naples but are actually popular everywhere nowadays.
But Saint Joseph’s Day is special for another reason as well: on such day, we celebrate la festa del papà (Father’s Day). As everywhere else in the world, it is a day when i bambini festeggiano i papà (the kids celebrate their fathers) by giving them regali (presents) or some lavoretti (DIYs usually done in school). Well, even if we are not kids anymore, we all facciamo gli auguri (give wishes) to our fathers.
Spring is actually a time for feasts and public holidays, here in Italy.
Obviously, there’s Pasqua (Easter) but I’ll write a specific post about it as soon as the holiday approaches, and there are il venticinque aprile (April 25th), il primo maggio (May 1st) and il due giugno (June 2nd).
On April 25th, we celebrate il giorno della liberazione (Liberation Day), when we commemorate the end of the Italian Civil War and the end of Nazi occupation during World War II. On May 1st, we celebrate la festa del lavoro (Labour Day), while June 2nd is la festa della Repubblica (Republic Day).
These are all feste nazionali (national holidays), which means that people do not work and enjoy their free time. If they fall on a Thursday or a Tuesday, we can fare il ponte, which literally means “doing a bridge”, meaning that we take a day off and we enjoy four free days.
During these days, you can andare in vacanza (go on holiday), or simply fare una gita (go for a day trip). If the weather is nice, you can fare un picnic (do a picnic), una festa in giardino (a garden party) or una grigliata (to do a barbecue).
What do you like doing in the spring?
I love fare passeggiate (to go for walks) and scattare fotografie (to take photographs). I especially like to take pictures of fiori (flowers): my favorite spring wildflowers are primule (primroses), viole (violets) and margherite (daisies). In the garden, I like tulipani (tulips), narcisi (narcissi) and giacinti (hyacinths). I also like lavorare in giardino (to do gardening). I like seminare (to plant seeds) and piantare fiori (to plant flowers).
But now tell me, how’s spring where you live?
I hope you’ll find this post useful for your vocabulary building. If you like this kind of vocabulary posts, these are the other ones:
Christmas vocabulary
Aperitivo vocabulary
Carnival vocabulary
If you have specific requests for topics and themes, just leave a comment here below or send me an email at cinzia@instantlyitaly.
I have prepared a pdf file with all the words and phrases we learned in this post. You can find it in Your Italian Toolbox, a section of Instantly Italy where you’ll find Italian learning materials. You can get access to it by subscribing here.
If you are interested in improving your Italian language skills, I’d suggest you check Chiacchieriamo, your way of chatting with an Italian without moving from home.
Chiacchieriamo is a Skype chat that helps you practice your Italian with a native speaker, gaining the confidence you need when speaking the language.
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Hello Cinzia,
Not being certain how busy your schedule may be on account of your blog and other activities, I am hesitant to write. However, this is the first time and may, in a small way, add to your description of spring.
I was born and raised in Budapest during the worst historical times. But the day of St. Joseph was selected for my middle name after my godfather. March 19 also marks the day when Germans have overtaken Budapest from one day to the next. They suspected that Hungarians were going to make a separate peace treaty with the invading Soviet Army, and had prevented it. I barely passed six years of age.
The social and political conditions turned worse day by day, and the execution of Jews, and other adverse elements to the Hungarian Nazi system switched into high gear. The Soviet Army advanced rapidly inside Hungarian territory. By Christmas Budapest was surrounded, and bombarded almost hourly. We all spent six weeks in the bomb shelters, and the cellars. After Budapest fell in house to house fighting the western part of the country still resisted until April 4th. That is the day that was declared liberation day from the Nazis, and also denoted the beginning of the communist oppression. All days after the previous Christmas were days of starvation under the Soviet occupation.
As you may note, that spring had also a special meaning for me, and for most of my compatriots.
Eleven years passed when the Hungarian revolution broke out against the communist oppression that was supported by the Soviet occupation. My involvement necessitated my departure to North America where I have lived during last sixty years.
After the end of my professional carrier I have had an opportunity to return to the culture which filled me with enthusiasm. In my retirement I have finally had opportunity to widen my meager acquaintance with Italian culture. Unfortunately, I could read Dante, Machiavelli, D’Annunzio, and Alda Merini only in English translation, except for Alda whose sad life impressed me, and read only a few paragraphs in their original. We have been blessed by a whole series of Italian composers who have rightfully dominate our classical music.
I have so much to learn, and have not yet been able to read Ariosto, Manzoni, Pirandello, etc. As the days of my life turn gradually grayer, I may not achieve those targets of my ambition.
Nonetheless, it is enlightening to see your newsletter, and learn about the culture which has been overwhelming the birth and the succession of all of our Western Culture.
Regards,
William J. Benedek
Hello William,
thank you so much for your lovely comment. It was really moving. I’ll send you an email really soon.
Cinzia
Ciao Cinzia,
Thank you for all the wonderful work you do to share your language and culture with those of us less fortunate growing up in other parts of the world.
I was wondering with this presentation about spring why you mentioned how special Father’s Day is with children giving their fathers little lavoretti made in school to honor their fathers, while not even mentioning Mother’s Day…which also comes in spring and happens earlier than Father’s Day? This was surprising to me, since I see Italy as a county that honors the mother in many wonderful ways.
I wonder, was this just an oversight on your part, or is Father’s Day actually a much bigger celebration in Italy for Italians than that of Mother’s Day?
Thanks for the new expressions for me to start using to talk about springtime:
fare il ponte, fare una gita, zeppole di San Giuseppe, lavoretti, facciamo gli auguri, una festa in giardino, una grigliata and scattare fotografie
grazie mille,
Sophia a Lucca
Ciao Sophia!
Thank you so much for mentioning this. Actually, I mentioned Father’s Day because it happens on Saint Joseph’s Day, which is an important day for other reasons too and I forgot about Mother’s Day, which comes later in the season – when it’s almost summer for me! 😀
But in terms of celebration, they are equally important: moms get flowers and lavoretti from their kids too!
A presto,
Cinzia
Hello Cinzia, thanks for your post on Spring ! However, I would love lo learn WHAT do people actually say when Spring arrives….???
Like in Spanish we say… “Bravo, la primavera llego…!” = Hurray, Spring is finally here…!!
Could you send me a phrase in Italian , just the normal expression of happiness for the arrival of Spring….!
Thank you so much x x x
It would be something like “che bello, è arrivata la primavera!” 🙂
A presto,
Cinzia