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LilHal9000 wrote:Viscet name:
Ghiaccio, ice in Italian
Viscet Gender:
Female
Favorite Holiday snack and why is it his/her favorite:
Struffoli (they're always plural) are fried dough balls dipped in a honey syrup, shaped into a wreath, and sprinkled with diavolilli, a type of candy. Sounds (and is) quite rich, and is also probably extremely old -- this sort of use of honey as a sweetener dates back to the Romans.
Favorite Winter tradition:
Ghiaccio hails from Italy, and there are many traditional things she does during the holidays. In Italy...
The Christmas season lasts for 3 weeks in Italy. It goes from December 17 to January 6. During this time children go from home to home reciting Christmas poems and singing. In Italy, children wait until January 6, Epiphany to open their presents.The children's presents are delivered by Befana, a kind ugly witch who rides on a broomstick. Panettone is a traditional cake filled with candied fruit that is very popular during the holiday season. Manger scenes and Christmas carols originated in Italy.Christmas day is reserved for church, family, and feasting. Shepards come into the town and go house-to-house playing bagpipes and singing carols.
Ghiaccio loves to do all of the mentioned, but her favorite tradition is singing and reciting her poems. Her favorite song to sing is LA Befana vien di notte, or Befana Comes By Night, found here!. The song goes as followed, with some versions being longer:
La Befana vien di notte,
con le scarpe tutte rotte,
Col vestito da romana
Viva viva la Befana!
(ENGLISH:)
The Befana comes by night
In worn out shoes
Dressed like a Roman
Long live the Befana!
More about Befana:
In popular folklore Befana visits all the children of Italy on the eve of the Feast of the Epiphany to fill their stockings with candy and presents if they are good, or a lump of coal or dark candy if they are bad. In many poorer parts of Italy and in particular rural Sicily, a stick in a stocking was placed instead of coal. Being a good housekeeper, many say she will sweep the floor before she leaves. To some the sweeping meant the sweeping away of the problems of the year. The child's family typically leaves a small glass of wine and a plate with a few morsels of food, often regional or local, for the Befana.