Comenius Project 2013-2015

1. Comenius Project 2013-2015 “The Heritage of Cultures and Traditions in Pluralistic Society-Religious Traditions” “Pitagora College” San Giovanni Rotondo Italy Spain Meeting – Santiago de Compostela

2. May 1st The labourday or labordayis a holidaycelebrated on may 1 ofeachyearthatwillhighlight the commitmentof the tradeunionmovement and the achievements in the economic and social workes. Labordayisrecognized in manynationsof the world, butnot in all.

3. 1 maggio • La festa ricorda le battaglie operaie, in particolare quelle volte alla conquista di un diritto ben preciso: l'orario di lavoro quotidiano fissato in otto ore (in Italia con il r.d.l. n. 692/1923). Tali battaglie portarono alla promulgazione di una legge che fu approvata nel1867[1] nell'Illinois (USA). La Prima Internazionale richiese poi che legislazioni simili fossero introdotte anche in Europa.

4. If you're in Rome on holiday and really love music and concerts,  don't miss this great event in the city. Since1990 the Italian trade unions CGIL, CISL and UIL have organized this big music event, the Concert of the 1st May, in St John in Lateran's Basilica  square.  Each year it attracts thousands of young people, tourists and music lovers from all over Italy and beyond. From morning until late at night, there are performances by Italian and foreign artists on stage

5. April 25th April 25 isofficiallyoneof the public holidaysof the Italian Republic, chosento commemorate the end of the Germanoccupation in Italy, the fascist regime and the second word War, symbolicallyindicatedtoApril 25, 1945. The date ofApril 25 wasofficiallyestablished in 1949 and waschosenby convention becauseitwas the dayofliberationby the partisansof the citiesof Milan and Turin, but the war continuedfor a few more days, until the first week of May.

6. June 2th On 2 ndJune, the Feastof the Italian Republic, the mainItaliannationalholiday. Itiscelebratedto commemorate the birth of the Republic. On 2 nd and 3 rdJune 1946 washeld,in fact, the institutional referendum heldbyuniversalsuffragebywhichItalianswerecalledto the pollsto express theirviews on whatfromofgovernment, monarchy or republic, togive the country, following the fallofFascism.

7. August 15th Ferragosto is an Italian and Sammarinesepublic holiday celebrated on 15 August. The term Ferragosto is derived from the Latin expression Feriae Augusti (Augustus' rest), which is a celebration introduced by the emperor Augustus in 18 BC. This was an addition to already extant ancient Roman festivals which celebrated the harvest and the end of a long period of intense agricultural labor. The ancient Ferragosto, in addition to obvious self-celebratory political purposes, had the purpose of linking the main August festivities to provide a longer period of rest, called Augustali, which was felt necessary after the hard labour of the previous weeks. The Catholic Church celebrates this date as a Holy Day of Obligation to commemorate the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary— what they believe to be the actual physical elevation of her sinless soul and incorruptible body into Heaven.

8. December 8th The Immaculate Conception is a Catholic dogma was proclaimed by Pope Pius IX on December 8,1854 with the bubble Ineffabilis Deus,which lays down as the Virgin Mary was preserved free from original sin from the first instant of her conception. The Catholic Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary on december 8.

9. October 4th Saint Francis of Assisi (Italian: San Francesco d'Assisi; born Giovanni di Pietro di Bernardone, but nicknamed Francesco("the Frenchman") by his father, was an Italian Catholicfriar and preacher. He founded the men's Order of Friars Minor, the women’s Order of St. Clare. Saint Francis' feast day is observed on October 4. A secondary feast in honor of the stigmata received by St. Francis, celebrated on September 17, was inserted in the General Roman Calendar in 1585 . He is the Saint Patron of Italy.

10. January 27th International Holocaust Remembrance Day, It is an international memorial day on 27 January commemorating the victims of the Holocaust. It commemorates the genocide that resulted in the death of an estimated 6 million Jews, 1 million Gypsies, 250,000 mentally and physically disabled people, and 9000 homosexual men by the Nazi regime and its collaborators.  On 27 January 1945, Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest Nazi death camp, was liberated by Soviet troops. In Italy there are a lot of celebrations to commemorate all the people died.

11. November 4th National Unity and Armed Forces Day (Italy) - Celebrates Italy's victory over Austria-Hungary in 1918.

12. November 1° and 2° Ognissanti (AllSaints) iscelebrated on 1st November, and the 2nd ofNovember, commonlycalled "i Morti" in Italian, is the daydedicatedto the dearoneswhopassedaway. People start visiting the cemeteriesalready some daysbefore, so that on the two festive daysfreshflowers, alsoleft on the oldforgottentombs, notvisitedany more fordecades, giveto the Italiancemeteriesanexplosionofcolors. AllSouls' Day (CommemorationofAllFaithfulDepartedd) wasofficiallyplaced on the date ofNovember 2 in the tenthcentury A.D., practicallymergingwithAllSaints' Day,  Folk traditions include lighting on the windowsills at sunset a "lumino" (redcandle) and laying a tablefor the dearonesdeceasedwhowould come and visit and leave the children confetti and greenbeanstoteachthemthattheywerekeepinganeye on themtoo (the traditionemphasized the importanceof a connection betweenpast and youngergenerations). Then on November 1st almosteverywhere the first "caldarroste" (roastedchestnuts) of the seasonappearedfor the enjoymentofyoung and old.

13. December 26th St. Stephen's Day, or the Feast of St. Stephen, is a Christian saint's day to commemorate Saint Stephen, celebrated on 26 December in the Western Church. St Stephen’s feast Day (Il giorno di Santo Stefano) is celebrated as a public holiday across Italy on December 26. It is the day after Christmas Day (Natale). In some places, St Stephen’s feast day is traditionally a day for many Italians to visit the Nativity scenes at the churches. Other events on St Stephen’s Day in different parts of Italy include markets, carnivals and festivals. St Stephen is believed to be the first Christian martyr. He was stoned to death sometime around the year 33 CE. St  Stephen’s feast day was made a public holiday in Italy in 1947.

14. December 25th Christmas is a Christian holiday that celebrates the birth of Jesus ("Nativity"). It falls on December 25 for most of the Christian Churches. This is the festival more popularly felt among Christians. In Italy are closely linked to the feast of the nativity scene tradition of medieval origin, and the decoration of the Christmas tree, then spread from Northern Europe. The Italian word "Christmas" comes from the Latin Christian Christmas (m), for ellipses diem natālem Chiristi ("day of Christ's birth").

15. December 25th On December 25th, or Christmas, is the day of celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. Established in the fourth century. Christmas Day is celebrated as a major festival and public holiday in countries around the world, including many whose populations are mostly non-Christian.

16. Easter and EasterMonday EasterDay in Italy is a nationalholidaythatcommemoratesJesus Christ’s resurrectionfromdeath, aswritten in the Christian bible. The Easter date is set around the timeof the March Equinox. EasterSundaycelebrates the resurrectionofJesus Christ, aswritten in the New Testamentof the Christian bible. EasterMondayis the dayafterEasterSunday and iscelebratedas a holiday in some largely Christian cultures, especiallyCatholic and Eastern Christiancultures. EasterMondayis a nationalholiday in Italy thatcontinuesfromEasterSunday. EasterMonday, alsoknownasLa Pasquetta in Italian, is part of the Easterholidaycelebrationsthat are celebratedacross Italy. Itis a populartimeto take short breaksto the countrysidewithfriends and/or family. Eastergames include eggraces. Many people also go on picnics at thistimeof the year. EasterMondaycommemorates the risenJesus’ meeting withhisdisciples on the dayafterhewasresurrected, asmentioned in the bible. The Easterperiodis set around the timeof the March Equinox. Italy isoneofmanyothercountriesthat celebrate EasterMonday.

17. January 1st January 1 is the first day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. There are 364 days remaining until the end of the year (365 in leap years).The preceding day is December 31 of the previous year. During the Middle Ages under the influence of the Catholic Church, many countries in western Europe moved the start of the year to one of several important Christian festivals – 

18. Epiphany January 6th The Epiphany has two different meanings and representations the first one is that religious and the other one is the pagan meaning. Regarding the first one Epiphany is the manifestation of the baby Jesus to the world. The second meaning is linked with the Befana distributingf gifts as in this Italian rhyme:“the Befana comes by night with broken shoes , hat alla romana, viva viva la Befana ....” The Magi were a group of characters who, guided by the star, they come from the East, probably the ancient Persia and were astrologer, to pay homage to the newborn Jesus in Bethlehem, believed to be the King of the Jews, giving him gold, frankincense and myrrh.

19. March 11th It is the day to commemorate all the victims of the terroristic attack All around the world. In this day on March 11° in 2004 a train crashed because of a terroristic bomb attack.

20. It’s an important date to remember and celebrate in Italy because it’s the Anniversary of the Unification of Italy. In 2011 there was great celebrations because of the 150 years of Italian Unification.

21. Students: • - • - • - • - • - • - • - • Teachers: • Gravina Paquale • La Porta Filomena • Rispoli Donato • Special guest • -Donatella Bisceglia