Ferragosto Celebration Held at Garibaldi-Meucci Museum 8/15

On Sunday, August 15, from 4 p.m.-8 p.m., as part of our Terza Domenica Heritage Series, the Garibaldi-Meucci Museum will celebrate the Italian summer festival Ferragosto.

After Christmas, Easter and New Year's Eve, Ferragosto is the most popular holiday in Italy. Many Italians take vacation for the entire month of August, so midway through the month they're ready to leave their beach chairs for one day to join the big celebration. In keeping with this ancient Italian tradition, we will offer games and activities for the whole family. Come play bocce and learn to dance the Tarantella. Take a free tour of the museum-in English or Italian. Or celebrate like a real Italian and just chill out-play cards, chat with friends, or take a siesta on a blanket on our lawn. There will also be delicious food from various regions of Italy available for sale, as well as a selection of Italian wines for the adults to taste. Admission is free.

Though all Italians enjoy this fun holiday, most of them don't know that it began in 18 BC. When Emperor Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus renamed the sixth month of the Roman calendar from Sextilis to Augustus after himself, he declared that month should be dedicated to a series of festivals marking the end of summer's labor in the fields and anticipating the harvest to come.
The most important of the celebrations of Feriae Augusti (Latin for "Festivals of the Emperor Augustus") was dedicated to Diana, the goddess whose task it was to oversee the woods and fields, as well as fertility and maternity. The Feriae Augusti celebrated other gods as well: Vortumnus, God of the Seasons and the ripening of crops; Conso, the God of the Harvest; and Opeconsiva, who personified the abundant harvest. These celebrations were one of the few occasions in which Romans from all walks of life-masters and slaves alike-mingled freely, eating and drinking with great abandon.

With the advent of Christianity, people turned to the Virgin Mary for help in matters of fertility and maternity. But the Feriae festivities were so deeply rooted that, rather than trying to override them, the Roman Catholic Church shifted them to a Christian focus. The 15th of August became a Holy Day of Obligation to commemorate the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary-the physical elevation of her sinless soul and incorrupt body into Heaven.

But today Ferragosto means fun, food, and games, so come, eat, drink and be merry in the traditional Italian way. It's a great way for the whole family to spend a summer afternoon together.

The Garibaldi-Meucci Museum is owned and operated by the Order Sons of Italy in America.

The Garibaldi-Meucci Museum was the home of Antonio Meucci, the true inventor of the telephone, and a refuge to Giuseppe Garibaldi, the legendary hero who championed the unification of Italy. For over 50 years the museum has fulfilled its mission to preserve the legacies of these great men, and to promote understanding of the Italian-American heritage through cultural, artistic and educational programs and classes.

Regular museum hours are 1 p.m.-5 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday. Admission is $5 per person, members and children under 10 are free. Call ahead for groups of 10 or more. The first floor of the museum is wheelchair accessible, but the restroom is on the second floor. At press time, program funding has been provided through the Order Sons of Italy in America; by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council; the Office of the Staten Island Borough President, Richmond County Savings Foundation; Northfield Bank Foundation, and by grants allocated by New York State Senator Diane Savino and New York City Council members Vincent Ignizio and James Oddo.

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