Why Is Italian Family Important

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The Italian culture has old and deep roots embedded into history. From the Roman empire conquering Europe to Benito Mussolini and the Axis powers spreading socialism throughout Europe, the impact of Italian custom in the world has been passed down for many generations. One of the many things that has transcended time and remains constant throughout the years in their culture has been the importance of family.
The Italian world for family is ‘famiglia’. Quite obviously, this isn’t very different from English but the meaning behind the term is a little different. In Italian ‘famiglia’ can also be used to describe the household, which implies that not only are your blood relatives family, but anyone under the same roof is also considered family, including friends. This is significant because there aren’t any other cultures that make this correlation and which use this term so fluidly. In the U.S. as with many other countries, family only pertains to persons of the same blood line. Over the last fifty years, the
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And when they do, how do they celebrate? As with any family, getting together can be hard. With jobs and kids, it can be difficult to find the time to gather, which is why holidays are a vital family time. The Italian culture follows closely with the Roman Catholic Church (McCormick). In the Roman Catholic religion, Christmas is termed ‘Natalie’ in Italian, and is celebrated as part of their three-week Christmas season. The season starts off eight days before with the firing of a cannon from the St. Angelo Cathedral in Rome. In the days leading up to Natalie, special church services are held honoring the Saints of the Catholic church (The Holiday Spot). During this custom, children of the poor will dress up as Shepherds and sing Christmas carols door to door to feed their family Christmas