There are a lot of traditional Italian ways to welcome in the New Year. In Naples and southern Italy, it’s loud. People quite literally “ring in” the year, at the stroke of midnight noisily tossing old pots and pans out the window. This tradition dates back to ancient Roman times, when loud sounds and fire were thought to frighten off evil spirits. Today, in Venice, Ferrara, Florence, Rome and many other Italian cities, there remain lovely light shows, and public fireworks displays, and you can see and hear neighbors setting off firecrackers and waving sparklers from terraces, windows and balconies.
In the north, skiers create enchanting light shows in stately processions slowly traversing the slopes in Courmayeur, Valtellina, Val Gardena and other winter resort areas. Another spectacle are the bonfires, called faló del vecchione, popular in Bologna and other northern Italian towns. A sort of out-with-the-old, in-with-the-new ritual, it typically involves burning a large straw figure called vecchione, the old one.
Many Italian New Year practices are aimed at bringing good luck and wealth in the coming year. For instance, both men and women wear undergarments of red, a color long thought to symbolize fertility and fortune. Another ritual is to eat a grape at each ring of the midnight bell, twelve in all, to banish bad luck for the coming twelve months. An old Italian rhyme explains the custom: Chi mangia l’uva per Capodanno, maneggia i quattrini tutto l’anno, “Whoever eats grapes on New Year, will handle money all year.” The saying might have arisen because it was thought that if you’re wise enough to save some grapes from the fall harvest, you’re probably also frugal and clever with money.
The countless traditional Italian New Year foods include:
Pork
Because their snouts always root in a forward direction and their meat is rich in fat, pigs are believed in many cultures to symbolize prosperity for the coming year. Particularly popular in Italy is Cotechino, a large spiced sausage, which is simmered over very low heat and then served sliced into rounds. The rich fat of the pork used in the filling predicts riches in the coming year. A specialty of Emilia-Romagna, Cotechino di Modena has earned European Union IGP special geographically protected status. Another popular dish is Zampone, a unique sausage created by stuffing a mixture of seasoned ground pork into a boned pig’s foot instead of a more typical sausage casing is another specialty of Modena in Emilia-Romagna. As with cotechino it is cooked for hours over low flame and served sliced into rounds. Both these delicacies were created centuries ago when it was important that no parts of the pig be wasted. With artistry and carefully selected spices, the less valued bits were integrated into prized holiday culinary creations.
Lentils
Lentils are considered lucky almost everywhere in the world. Their round and flattened shape resembles coins and, according to Italian tradition, each corresponds to a penny. So, it’s thought that the more you eat, the more money will come your way. Accompanied by zampone or cotechino, it is customary to eat lentils at the stroke of midnight.
Cotechino and lentils
Fish
In southern Italy and especially Naples, “Big New Year’s Dinner”, Cenone di Capodanno is, like Christmas Eve dinner, traditionally a menu of various fish courses. A typical cenone might start with a seafood appetizer of oysters and shrimp, then a primo of spaghetti with clam sauce, followed by a secondo of whole oven-baked fish that might be served with a classic dish of pickled vegetables they call l’insalata di rinforzo, “reinforcement salad.” The name may originate from the assistance it gives to the substance and flavor of the rest of the meal.
Risotto
Grains of rice swell and grow as they cook, in many cultures representing abundance and wealth. Accordingly, in northern Italy, especially Piedmont, Friuli and Lombardy, it is customary to serve a New Year’s Eve first course of risotto to encourage prosperity in the coming year.
Desserts
Traditional holiday cakes like panettone and pandoro are also served at New Year. Italian tradition dictates that seven dried fruit and nuts be eaten for good luck on New Year’s Eve: almonds, hazelnuts, peanuts, walnuts, dates, raisins and dried figs. Some also eat pomegranate, its innumerable seeds suggesting fertility and wealth since ancient Roman times.
Another popular holiday dessert is the Neapolitan classic, struffoli — marble-sized fried dough balls dipped in honey, piled into a mound, and topped with colored sugar and candied fruit — a symbol of abundance and money. According to Gabriella Testai, owner of That's Napoli, an elegant B&B in the center of Naples, “In recent years, some Neapolitan pastry shops sell struffoli inside a cornucopia made of caramelized hazelnuts, which is itself a further symbol of good luck!” The traditional Campagna region New Year's sweet’s buffet includes classic Neapolitan cookies such as: susamielli – almond spice cookies; raffioli – oval shaped iced sponge cookies; roccocò – perfect for dunking these hard almond spice rings date to the 1300s; mostaccioli – chocolate covered soft sponge parallelograms. These sweets, along with spasso – raisins and pine nuts wrapped in grape leaves – are nibbled as guests play games like tombola while waiting for midnight.
Happy New Year!