Italian - Yes‪!‬

The title of our book says it all. We are a group that formed a club to express our joy and pride at being Italian. Our culture is so rich since Italy was invaded by Greeks, French, Spanish and Normans and each enriched the Italian culture by leaving a bit of their own.Italians have customs that date far back in history. The St. Joseph’s Table is one of them. A table is laden with delicious food and many are invited to partake of the ethnic foods.At Easter Time, Italians make Pane Cena, bagel-like bread with a cross cut into the dough. The taste of anise is a reminder of the importance of Easter in their lives.On the feast of Epiphany, Italians celebrate little Christmas, the day La Befana, the Christmas witch comes to reward good children with gifts. Bad children receive a piece of coal. Hopefully there are not too many that are “bad”.Italians have a great sense of humor; they find things to enjoy when there is not much to laugh at. They also have a great spirit of compassion, especially for the poor or oppressed.In Italy, when the Jews were hunted down and killed, Italians risked their lives to save them. They hid them for months, taught them to speak Italian and then passed them as relatives. Compassion was the factor that saved many lives.