Column: Capodanno, old and new in Italy

New Year is actually the name for New Year's Day, but is used among my friends as a name for the New Year's Eve party. da capo means 'again', Tue (d') is 'of' and year is 'year'. In short, the year starts again!

In the sign of rituals

During this festival there are many rituals that should bring good luck. For example, you should wear red underwear that you received as a gift. You can leave that set from last year in the closet, because that doesn't help. And so eating lentils (without using your hands?) should make you money.

If I were Italy I would create more jobs instead of buying lentils en masse, but oh well. This year my new neighbor gave me a pomegranate, this fruit also seems to bring good luck… And so I heard many more stories. Perhaps you have some of those superstitious rituals yourself.

Eating again…

New Year's Eve used to be an evening for me that was mainly dominated by music, bubbles, oliebollen and fireworks. Since I've been celebrating New Year's Eve in Italy, the evening is, how could it be otherwise, dominated by food.

Around eight o'clock we started with something antipasti en prosecco to usher in the evening. Then lasagna followed. Everyone was actually quite full by then, so little was eaten of the meat and potatoes. By now it was already a quarter to twelve!

Greeting

At 12 o'clock we opened some more champagne and exchanged the greeting from. Actually nice and easy that they are everywhere greeting say, whether it's your birthday, Christmas or New Years. Greeting always can!

No one had thought of fireworks and the entire mountain village turned out to have no need for them. I haven't seen a flare this year. The dogs didn't mind and stayed nice and quiet.

New Year's Lunch

Since dessert was waiting for us, we went back inside. We played some board games there. At 2 o'clock we realized that we hadn't eaten the lentils yet, so we crammed in two more spoons. Because who doesn't want to win a million in 2015?

After La Befana it's finally over...

Then go to bed with a full stomach. I could hardly sleep and to think that another New Year's lunch was waiting for me the next day at noon… After The witch on January 6, this feast is finally over… I can't wait!

Tanti auguri per un felice anno nuovo!