Group members:

 

Bissaro Lucrezia

Dal Ben Francesca

Giorgio Annalisa

 

 

This is our presentation:

 

 

NationalCelebrations_final.ppt.ppt 

 

In our presentation we are going to analyse three peculiar American celebrations, focusing on American habits and tradions. As far as the Independence Day and Labor Day are concerned ,we will  make a comparison with the italian Festa della Repubblica and Festa del lavoro,casting light on similarities and differences between the two countries.

 

American celebrations Independence Day  Fourth of July Rituals Brief comparison with La Festa della Repubblica in Italy. Thanksgiving Day HISTORY OF THANKSGIVING A FEAST OF THANKS A NEW TRADITIONAL HOLIDAY THANKSGIVING SYMBOLS   TRADITIONAL FOOD THANKSGIVING CUSTOMS Labor Day  LABOR DAY IN THE USA    Brief comparison with ltaly: La Festa del Lavoro  References

 

American celebrations

 

1. Independence Day
2. Thanksgiving Day
3.  Labor Day

 

 

 

Independence Day

 

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It is a federal holiday, it is considered the America's birthday and it commemorates the signing of Declaration of Independence by the Continental Congress in Philadelphia( Pennsylvenia)  on July 4 in 1776.

At the time the US consisted of 13 Colonies under the rule of  Britain King  George III, forced to pay taxes to England. A host of consumer goods including tea, paper and glass were taxed. In 1765 the British  government passed The Stamp act that put taxes on all documents , newspapers and books. The situation got worse when the Americans realized that they had no representation on Parliament: it  was the major objection of the 13 Colonies " Taxation witout represation"

As the claims were not listened by the English Parliament and George III didn't anything to help their situation, but just sent troops to controll  the rebellion acts, the Colonies managed to obtain the separation from Great Britain.

On 4 July 1776 the Continental Congress met in Philadelphia to start drafting a document which would definetely cut any connection with Britain dominance.The members of the Commitee were Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Roger Sherman and Robert R. Livingston.

Thomas Jefferson was chosen to write the first draft of  Declaration of Independence, which was on 28 july 1776  signed by John Hancock, the president of the Continental Congress.

.Of the 13 colonies, 9 voted in favour of the Declaration, 2 ( Pennsylvania and South Carolina) voted against it, whereas Delaware remained undecided and New York abtained.

After the War of Independence ended in 1783 and the Declaration  was read out in various cities in the colonies, the Fourth of July became an official holiday in some parts of the Union but it didn't become a federal holiday until 1941.

 

 

 Fourth of July Rituals

 

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The most important ritual at the Independence day is sharing food and drinks while someone tells stories and memories of past times.

Typically the places chosen for dining are taverns, public buildings, coffee houses. However, depending on the weather almost all events are held ooutdoors.

Picnics, barbecues are set up in green areas, where one can also enjoy the shadow of trees

  There is a saying that on Independence day people must eat red, white and blue food, they must also wear these colours, and someone uses to paint his face as well!

As far as the food is concerned it's not so easy to find blue things in the American diet (expections are blueberries and cheese)!

Anyway the traditional menu is an easy one: hamburgers and hot dogs are the main dishes, also because it is easier to have a grill outdoors, and accompaniments potato salad, coleslaw, green salad with ripe and red tomatoes.Whatever it  happens, the Fourth of July is not completed without toasted marshmallows and watermelon.

Obviously drinks are cool beer and  iced tea for children!

 

 

 

 

 

FIREWORKS

 

 

 

 

 

Photo taken from:http://whatsupnyc.com/blog/archives/Rainbow.jpg

 

 

 

 

In the United States from coast to coast in any city and suburban neighbourhood , fourth of July is celebrated  with fireworks, parades and private parties

In New York the traditional Fireworks is sponsored by the world's largest store, Macy's and it is also said to be the largest fireworks in the world.Musket -fire and cheers have always been an important part of any Fourth of July celebration.:when the Declaration of Independence was read to the people, it was met by cheers and musket-fire.

 

PARADE

 

The most important America's parade takes place in Washington D.C  and usually  has a street audience of over 300,000 spectators. The Parade consists of invited bands, military,floats and VIP's, where  anyone can admire a patriotic, flag waving, red white and blue celebration of America's birthday. Bands are invited based on recommendations from each state's Governor's office. Other times these recommendations come from a state's music educators office or the state tourism board at the governor's request. United States is the goal of the parade National Selection Committee.

The marching  bands at the the parade are 20-25( including fife and drum corps), the floats 15,20 speciality units made up of military, giant ballons, drills team.

Moreover   after the parade there is the so called Folklife Festival on the Mall features different cultures in the Americas and a variety of ethnic groups.

 

 

 

FOURTH OF JULY AT SCHOOL

All schoolchildren  in the US memorise part of the Declaration of Independence: The first line are: " We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unaliable Rights, that among these are LIfe, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness" 

 

 

 

Brief comparison with La Festa della Repubblica in Italy.

 

 

 

 

On the 2nd June of every year is celebrated in Italy  La festa della Repubblica. This date refers  to the referendum of 1946 asking Italians which form of government they would prefer: monarchy or republic.After 85 years of reign Italy became a Republic with 12.717.923 votes in favour ( votes against were 10.719.284)

This feast could be compared to the 4 th of july in America, or the 14 th of july in France.

In1948 for the first time there has been a parade through Via dei Fori Imperiali in Rome, the following year ( when Italy became member of  NATO) this parade took place all through the country.

1950 the feast was registered in the Italian Protocol as national celebration.

Nowadays the celebration consists of an army parade and the bringing of  bay wreath , which is the emblem of victory ,to Il Milite Ignoto ( Unknown Soldier)- the monumental grave  representing all the  unknown men and heroes dead for the Nation.

 

Italians, in comparison to Americans  don’t feel this celebration, they don’t share stories or listen to patriotic speeches and parades are organized only in Rome. La festa della Repubblica  has become a longer weekend, where one can go to the beach or have some relax. Anyway if this celebration was felt, there would so many interesting things to partecipate at. For example,le frecce tricolori , which are the National flying circus of Italian army. It was founded  in 1961 and it consists of 10 planes: 9 part of the aircraft in flight  and the one left is the led fligter. This circus is the biggest one all over the world.

 

 

 a

 

 

 

 

Thanksgiving Day

 

 

 

 

HISTORY OF THANKSGIVING

 

 

In 1620, a boat called Mayflower, filled with more than one hundred people sailed across the Atlantic Ocean to settle in the New World. The Pilgrims settled in what is now the state of Massachusetts. During the first winter they had many difficulties to face, they didn’t have fresh food and half the colony died from disease.

 

The leaders of the Wampanoag Indian tribe and their families helped the pilgrims of Plymouth Rock. They taught them how to grow corns and other crops and how to hunt and fish.

 

A FEAST OF THANKS

 

In  the autumn of 1621 the Pilgrims of Plymouth Rock had a good harvest, and Governor William Bradford proclaimed a day of thanksgiving and prayer. Local Indians took part in the celebration. The feast lasted three days. The Indian brought deer to roast with the turkeys and the colonists learned how to cook cranberries and different kinds of corn and squash dishes from the Indians. To this first Thanksgiving, the Indians had even brought popcorn.

 

The feast  was a thank you celebration for the good harvest. The colonists were also thankful  to the leaders of the Wampanoag Indian tribe and their families for teaching them the survival skills they needed to make it in the New World. Without the precious help of the Indians the colonist would not have survived.

For the feast the men of Plymouth shot ducks, geese and turkeys. They also cooked clams, eel and other fish, wild plums and leeks, corn bread, and watercress. Everyone ate outdoors at large tables and enjoyed games.

 

In following years, the custom to celebrate the autumn harvest with a feast of thanks spread from Plymouth to other New England colonies, but each region chose its own date.

 

 

Although there is record of earlier thanksgiving celebrations (most notably in 1619 at Berkeley Plantation, Virginia), Americans trace their traditional Thanksgiving holiday to one celebrated in 1621 at the Plymouth Colony (now in the state of Massachusetts).

 

A NEW TRADITIONAL HOLIDAY

 

In 1789 George Washington, the first president of the United States, proclaimed November 26 a day of Thanksgiving. For many years the country had no regular national Thanksgiving Day. In 1830 New York had an official state Thanksgiving Day, and soon after other States in the North followed its example. In 1855, Virginia became the nation’s first Southern state to adopt the custom

 

 

Sarah Josepha Hale, the editor of Godey’s Lady’s Book, worked many years to promote the idea of a national Thanksgiving Day.

In 1863, President Lincoln, at the end of a bloody civil war, addressed to all Americans and asked them to observe a special day of thanksgiving. He chose the last Thursday of November as "a day of thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent Father" [1].  After the war, many Southerners saw the new holiday as an attempt to impose Northern customs on them.

Since then, for 75 years, the President proclaimed that Thanksgiving Day should be celebrated on the last Thursday of November.

 

In 1939 President Franklin D. Roosevelt changed the date of the celebration and he set the celebration the week earlier. However, since some states used the new date and others the old, it was changed again 2 years later.

 

Thanksgiving Day is now celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November.

 

Today Thanksgiving Day is a big family reunion which is celebrated with big dinners. It is a time for tradition and sharing, family members, who live far away, reach their families and older relatives for the family feast. All give thanks for the good thinks they have to the Divine Providence. For this reason it is also a fest for religious prayers and thanks to God.

 

Charitable organizations offer a traditional meal to those in need such as the homeless.

 

 

The day after Thanksgiving gradually became known as the first day of the Christmas shopping season. To attract customers, large retailers such as Macy’s in New York and Gimbel’s in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, began to sponsor parades. By 1934 the Macy’s parade, featuring richly decorated floats and gigantic balloons attracted more than one million spectators annually. (source Encarta)

 

 

PRECURSORS

Long before Europeans settled in North America, western Europeans observed Harvest Home festivals to celebrate the successful completion of gathering-in the season’s crops. If the wheat crop was disappointing, the holiday was cancelled.

Another important precursor to the modern Thanksgiving holiday was the custom among English Puritans.

THANKSGIVING SYMBOLS

 

 

Many of the imagines and symbols derive from the older traditions of celebrating the autumn harvest. The following are the most traditional ones.

 

• The turkey. The celebration of Thanksgiving will be incomplete without the legendary Turkey. The Turkey derives its name from the 'turk turk' sounds that it makes when is  scared. The famous 'Turkey' adorns the table of every household as a main course during the celebration.

 

• The Cornucopia also known as “horn of plenty” (a horn-shaped basket overflowing with fruits and vegetables) is a typical emblem of Thanksgiving abundance and harvest festival.

• Corn represents another important symbol of Thanksgiving. Some Americans considered blue and white corn to be sacred. The Indians taught the Pilgrims hot to grow corn and it became pa part of the first Thanksgiving dinner, this food tradition continues till now. Ornamental Corncobs are a favourite with the masses during the festival. The tables are decorated with harvest wreaths which is also a very popular gift item among Americans. Ornamental popcorns are also widely used. Corn reminds of the importance and heritage of the famous harvest festival and the foundation of  American 'Modern-Agriculture '.

•  Pumpkin. The 'Pumpkin pie' is another symbol at almost every Thanksgiving table. According to historians, the pumpkin is one of the important symbols of the harvest festival and has been an All American-favourite for over 400 years now.

• Beans are a special symbol of thanksgiving. Native Americans are believed to have taught the pilgrims to grow beans next to cornstalks.

• Cranberry, Originally called crane berry, has derived its name from its pink blossoms and drooping head which reminded the pilgrim of a crane. It is a symbol and a modern diet staple of thanksgiving. Pilgrims discovered how to sweeten the bitten cranberries with maple sugar. Ever since cranberry sauce is a traditional companion of turkey during thanksgiving feast.

 

 

 

TRADITIONAL FOOD

 

Preparing and eating a large meal is the central part in Thanksgiving Day. the celebration recalls the traditional feast for the plentiful harvest.

 

There are typical dishes: TURKEY represents the centrepiece on any. Thanksgiving is sometimes colloquially called Turkey Day (USA). The USDA estimated that 269 million turkeys were raised in the country in 2003, about one-sixth of which were destined for a Thanksgiving dinner plate.” (source: wikipedia). The use of the turkey in the USA for Thanksgiving relates back to Lincoln's nationalization of the holiday in 1863. Since a turkey could feed more than a chicken, those were sent to the troops instead as a more cost-effective feast.(wikipedia)

Other typical food are:

• Stuffing
• Mashed potatoes with gravy
• Sweet potatoes
• Cranberry sauce
• Indian corn
• Pumpkin pie

 

 

Turkey, corn (or maize), pumpkins and cranberry sauce are symbols which represent the first Thanksgiving Day.

According to tradition the Pilgrims received these foods from the American Indians. However, many of the classic traditions attributed to the first Thanksgiving are actually myths introduced later.

Later groups of immigrants to North America often adapted the traditional holiday menu to fit their own tastes. For example, many Italian American Thanksgiving menu include Italian specialties, such as pasta and wine.

 

 

Now all of these symbols are drawn on holiday decorations and greeting cards.

 

THANKSGIVING CUSTOMS

 

• Prayers of thanksgiving in churches or homes.

  In most families it is tradition that the dinner is preceded by a special prayer of thanks. Family members express thanks for something they are thankful for.

   

• Family dinner and reunion with feast held at home ( football games on television on Thanksgiving afternoon).

 

•   Decorations. Thanksgiving is a time to decorate homes with wreaths, fresh and dried flowers, fruits and vegetables.

•    Thanksgiving cards. Thanksgiving is a day when people send loving messages and warm wishes to their relatives, friends or colleagues.

•    Parades, colourful balloons and  children dressed in traditional costumes (for example like Pilgrims with bonnet or tall hats, dark clothes and shoes with large silver coloured buckles).

   

Slide 1

 

THANKSGIVING THE MOST RAPRESENTATIVE AMERICAN CELEBRATION

 

History

 

1620 Pilgrims on the boat Mayflower arrived to Plymouth Rock

 

Wampanoag Indian tribe offered their precious help to the Plymouth colony

 

1621 The abundant harvest and the first Thanksgiving feast celebrated by the Pilgrims and the Indians

 

Thanksgiving first menu ( turkey, corn, pumpkins, cranberry, clams, eel and other fish, wild plums and leeks, corn bread, and watercress)

 

 

The feast of thanks to the autumn harvest spread from Plymouth to other New England colonies on different dates

 

Slide 2

 

A NEW TRADITIONAL HOLIDAY

 

1789 President George Washington proclaimed November 26 a day of Thanksgiving

 

For many years the country had no regular national Thanksgiving

 

The contribution of Sarah Josepha Hale to promote the idea of a national Thanksgiving Day

 

1863 President Lincoln  proclaimed the last Thursday in November as “ a day of thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent Father”

 

1939 President Franklin D. Roosevelt set the celebration the week earlier

 

Thanksgiving Day is now celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November

 

 

Slide 3

THANKSGIVING CELEBRATION

 

Thanksgiving Day is a big family celebration  and reunions of family members living far away

 

Thanksgiving a big religious feast to thanks God for the good things received

 

The dinner is the central part in Thanksgiving Day

 

Turkey represents the centrepiece on any Thanksgiving table

 

Other typical foods are:

• Stuffing
• Mashed potatoes with gravy
• Sweet potatoes
• Cranberry sauce
• Indian corn
• Pumpkin pie

 

 

Slide 4

 

THANKSGIVING SYMBOLS

 

Many of the imagines and symbols derive from the older traditions of celebrating the autumn harvest. The following are the most traditional.

 

• ·        The turkey adorns the table of every household as a main course during the celebration.

• ·        The Cornucopia or the “horn of plenty”

• ·        Corn symbol of the famous harvest festival and the foundation of  American 'Modern-Agriculture '.

• ·         Pumpkin.

• ·        Beans are a special symbol, Native Americans are believed to have taught the pilgrims to grow beans next to cornstalks.

• ·        Cranberry. Originally called crane berry, has derived its name from its pink blossoms and drooping head which reminded the pilgrim of a crane Ever since cranberry sauce is a traditional companion of turkey during Thanksgiving feast.

Slide 5

 

Thanksgiving customs

 

• Family dinner and reunion with feast held at home (football games on tv)
• Thankful families prayers in churches and homes
• Decorations. Houses are decorated with wreaths, fresh and dried flowers, fruits and vegetables.
• Thanksgiving cards containing warm wishes to relatives and friends
• Parades, colourful balloons and children dressed in traditional costumes

 

 

ITALY

 

Italian celebrations

 

Religious celebrations

Civil celebrations

 

Christmas celebration as big family feast

PRESENTATION ON WORD DOCUMENT

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Labor Day

 

 

 

 Photo source

 

 

 

For a lot of people, Labor Day means two things: a day off and the end of summer. But why is it called

Labor Day? Labor Day is a day set aside to pay tribute to working men and women. It has been celebrated as a national holiday in the United States and Canada since 1894.

 

 

Labor Day, the first Monday in September, is a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country.

 

The first Labor Day parade occurred Sept. 5, 1882, in New York City. The workers' unions chose the first Monday in September because it was halfway between Independence Day and Thanksgiving. The idea spread across the country, and some states designated Labor Day as a holiday before the federal holiday was created. President Grover Cleveland signed a law designating the first Monday in September as Labor Day nationwide.

 

Labor Day proposal was initiated in the United States by the Knights of Labor. Accordingly a committee was formed to plan a demonstration and picnic. In 1882 the Knights of Labor held a large parade in New York City. In 1884 the group held a parade on the first Monday of September and passed a resolution to hold all future parades on that day and to designate the day as Labor Day

 

The form that the observance and celebration of Labor Day should take were outlined in the first proposal of the holiday — a street parade to exhibit to the public "the strength and esprit de corps of the trade and labor organizations" of the community, followed by a festival for the recreation and amusement of the workers and their families. Parades, festivals , barbeques, this became the pattern for the celebrations of Labor Day.The Speeches by prominent men and women were introduced later, as more emphasis was placed upon the economic and civic significance of the holiday.

 

Through the years the nation gave increasing emphasis to Labor Day. The first governmental recognition came through municipal ordinances passed during 1885 and 1886. From them developed the movement to secure state legislation. The first state bill was introduced into the New York legislature, but the first to become law was passed by Oregon on February 21, 1887. During the year four more states — Colorado, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New York — created the Labor Day holiday by legislative enactment

 

 

 

 

Historical Hints:       

 

 

Photo source

 

 

As the Industrial Revolution took hold of the nation, the average American in the late 1800s worked 12-hour days, seven days a week in order to make a basic living. Children were also working, as they provided cheap labor to employers and laws against child labor were not strongly enforced.

With the long hours and terrible working conditions, American unions became more prominent and voiced their demands for a better way of life. On Tuesday September 5, 1882, 10,000 workers marched from city hall to Union Square in New York City, holding the first-ever Labor Day parade. As years passed, more states began to hold these parades, but Congress would not legalize the holiday until 12 years later.

On May 11, 1886, workers of the Pullman Palace Car Company in Chicago struck to protest wage cuts and the firing of union representatives. On July 4, President Grover Cleveland dispatched troops to Chicago. Much rioting and bloodshed ensued, but the government's actions broke the strike and the boycott soon collapsed. Three union officials were jailed for disobeying the injunction. The strike brought worker's rights to the public eye and Congress declared, in 1894, that the first Monday in September would be the holiday for workers, known as Labor Day.

The founder of Labor Day remains unclear, but some credit either Peter McGuire, co-founder of the American Federation of Labor, or Matthew Maguire, a secretary of the Central Labor Union, for proposing the holiday.

 

 

 

 

 

 The character of the Labor Day celebration has undergone a change in recent years

Labor Day now carries less significance as a celebration of working people and more as the end of summer. Schools, government offices and businesses are closed on Labor Day so people can get in o

ne last trip to the beach or have one last cookout before the weather starts to turn colder.

 

 

 

Other countries, including Italy,celebrate International Labor day (also known as May Day) on May 1. The date was adopted in Canada in 1894 and by socialist delegates in Paris in 1889, in commemoration of the Haymarket Square Riot in Chicago of 1886. Fearing a commemoration of socialism, US President Grover Cleveland opted for the holiday to take place in September, honoring the original Labor Day parade of 1882.

 

Our modern celebration of Mayday as a working class holiday evolved from the struggle for the eight hour day in 1886. May 1, 1886 saw national strikes in the United States and Canada for an eight hour day called by the Knights of Labour.

 

 

 

 

 Summing up...

 

 

 

 

 

 LABOR DAY IN THE USA

 

 

Date: first Monday of September (an halfway between  Indipendence Day and Thanksgiving Day)

 

History:

 

-September 1882:parade in honor of the working class by the Knights of Labor in New York

 

 -1887:Labor Day became a state holiday in Oregon, Colorado, New York, Massachusetts and New Jersey

 

- 1894:recognition of Labor Day as an official national holiday

 

Evolution of the Holiday

 

-from the day of the "working man" to a simply day of rest

 

-"last fling of summer" festival

 

-last weekend for parties before returning to school

 

 

Events and celebrations

 

 

PAST:

- street parade

-festival for the recreation and amusement of the workers and their families

-picnics (Irish stew, homemade bread, apple pie)

-fireworks

 

later:

-speeches by prominent men and women:

emphasis placed upon the economic and civic significance of the holiday

 

PRESENT:

-political demonstrations are rare

-only some cities have parades

-picnics, barbecues, fireworks displays, water sports and public art events

-trips  to beaches and other resort areas

-since 1966: telethon of the Muscular Dystrophy Association

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Brief comparison with ltaly:

 

La Festa del Lavoro

 

Date: May 1

 

History:

 

-American roots

 

1.1886 general strike in USA (eight-hours workday)

2.Early May 1886:Chicago Haymarket Riots

 

-1891:The International Confernce in Brussels made May 1 the International Worker's Day to remember the lives lost among this American demonstration

 

-beginning of 1900: May Day was marked by the demand of the rght of universal suffrage and then by the oppostion to the  Lybian enterprise and to the partecipation of Italy in the World War.

 

-During the Fascism ,Mussolini prohibited the celebration

 

-Reintroduction in 1945 after the Liberation

 

Evolution of the Holiday:

 

-from the Worker's day to a simply day of rest

-"first tasting of summer"

 

 

Events and Celebrations

 

-demonstrations of the trade unions in some cities

- occasion for trips

-since the'90 the trade unions (Cgil, Cisl and Uil) organize a massive free rock concert in Rome's Piazza San Giovanni

 

 

 

 

 References

 

References:

 

Wikipedia Thanksgiving: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving story: http://wilstar.com/holidays/thankstr.htm

Annie's Thanksgiving Page: http://www.annieshomepage.com/thanksgivinghistory.html

 

Thanksgiving on the Net: http://www.holidays.net/thanksgiving/

Thanksgiving dinner:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thanksgiving_dinner

Thanksgiving Day symbols:http://www.thanksgiving-day.org/thankgivingday-symbols.html

                                          http://www.theholidayspot.com/thanksgiving/symbols.htm

Thanksgiving Day customs: http://www.thanksgiving-day.org/thanksgiving-day-customs.html

Presidential pardon (The turkey that  lives to see another day): http://www.infoplease.com/spot/tgturkey2.html

Thanksgiving Dinner: file:///C:/Documents%20and%20Settings/Media%20Soft%20Srl/Desktop/Thanksgiving_dinner.htm

 [1] http://www.gkindia.com/holidays/thanksgivingday.htm

 

(References of Labor Day)

 

http://en.wikipedia.org./wiki/Labor_Day

 

http://wilstar.com/holidays/laborday.htm

 

http://usinfo.state.gov/scv/life_and_culture/holidays/labor_day.html

 

http://vienna.usembassy.gov/en/us/labor_day.htm

 

 

(references of The Indipendence Day)

http://www.celebrate-fourthofjuly.com/ 

 

 

http://www.ny.com/holiday/july4/

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Independence_Day_%28United_States%29

 

http://www.corpoforestale.it/compiti-organizzazione-tradizioni/festa_repubblica/lafesta.htm

 

http://www.clubfreccetricolori.com/website/content/blogcategory/1/32/

 

 

http://gurukul.american.edu/heintze/fourth.htm