Buon Natale, Buona Pasqua e……Buon Ferragosto!

Have you ever been in Italy on August 15th and heard people saying: Buon Ferragosto? Yes, on this day in Italy we exchange greetings like Christmas and Easter!
On Ferragosto, which falls right in the middle of the summer, it is traditional to take trips out of town with lavish packed lunches or, given the seasonal heat, go for refreshing swims to the seaside.

The term Ferragosto derives from the Latin Feriae Augusti (rest of Augustus) and indicates a festival established by the emperor Augustus in 18 BC, to celebrate the end of summer agricultural work in honor of Conso, the god of earth and fertility. Feasts, games and horse races would take place in Feriae Augusti and even horses would be given a day of rest and be adorned with flowers for the occasion.
Some of these traditions still continue to these days, as you can see if you attend the Palio of Siena on August 16th (see our separate article on the Palio di Siena for more information on this very special event in Tuscany).
The festival originally fell on the 1st of August. The move to the 15th is due to the Catholic Church, which wanted to make the secular recurrence coincide with the religious feast of the Assumption of Mary.

It became very popular during the Italian Fascist era in the early 20th century when the regime organised trips for less well-off families for a few days around the August 15th holiday so they could rest and have a chance to visit the seaside or the mountains. There were even special “People’s Trains of Ferragosto” between 1931 and 1939. Since these discounted trips did not include food, this is when the tradition of packing lunch for the journey began.

Today, most Italians still take their holidays (“ferie”) in the two weeks before or after Ferragosto, leaving the cities behind and heading for the seaside or the mountains.

People love playing with water balloons (“gavettoni”) on the beach, enjoy a picnic during the day and snack on watermelon (“cocomero”).
A barbecue (“grigliata”) is another tradition in the evening, followed by a firework display (“fuochi d’artificio”) at night.
More recently with more tourists and even Italians visiting cities, you will also find concerts, parades and open air events like “cinema all’aperto” to celebrate Ferragosto in cities.

Wherever you happen to be in Italy for the 15th August you will definitely find a way to celebrate!!
Il lessico di Ferragosto:

Andare in ferie/ in vacanza = to go on holiday.
Chiuso per ferie = closed for holiday
Fare una grigliata= to have a barbecue
Fare i gavettoni = to throw water balloons
Guardare i fuochi d’artificio = to watch a firework display
Cocomero/ anguria= watermelon