How I Discovered Italian Thanksgiving
As we are near the end of November, it is difficult to overlook the idea that in Italy people do not observe Thanksgiving Day, at least not in the same way Americans do. Granted that many countries around the world commemorate Thanksgiving, and each one of them may celebrate it for different reasons. American Thanksgiving is highly contextualized in the idea of family gatherings, turkey, and a cold November weather. It is in fact one of the biggest holidays in the US, along with Christmas. To my surprise however, I ran into a holiday that is strikingly similar to the American celebration: San Martino’s day.
From a historical perspective, the United States celebrates Thanksgiving as a form of reminiscing about time in which pilgrims from Plymouth shared their harvest feast with the Native American tribe of the Wampanoag. Nowadays, the festivity consists of the partake of food that was shared back then. Thanksgiving Day takes place on the fourth Thursday of November each year.
San Martino’s day on the other hand, is celebrated on November 11th (Estate di San Martino), and marks the commemoration of the life of San Martin, a soldier-turned-into-Christian who was known by many for his generosity, simplicity, and kindness.
The story goes that San Martin (named after the Roman God Mars) was born in what today is modern Hungary but moved to Pavia, Lombardy as a child along with his family. In his teenage years, Martino enlisted in the Roman military forces and was deployed in Gallia (now France) to be a guard in Amiens. During a freezing night, Martino encountered a poorly clothed beggar who was being abused by the unforgiving cold. Martino then cut with his cloak in two with his sword and handed one half to the beggar. Suddenly at that moment, the sun came out and the air became nice and warm.
San Martino may seem like a far cry from resembling a proper Thanksgiving celebration. But upon closer inspection, it is easy to see that both celebrations share a lot of elements. A typical American Thanksgiving gourmet includes turkey, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, cornbread, and pumpkin pie. In Italy however, meals may differ from region to region. In Veneto, families have at their table goose, chestnuts, “vino nuovo” (white wine), cake of San Martino and other foods.
In the purest sense, Thanksgiving Day is a time to be thankful for what we have, not what we do not. This is not only in terms of wealth, but also in health, wellbeing, good fortune and to appreciate those around us as well as the ones who are no longer with us. The celebration of San Martino’s life and actions remind us about generosity, gratitude, and appreciation of the good things we get from life. Italians overall, take this day to dedicate to their loved ones and to express appreciation and to celebrate humility and generosity.
Jorge Salamanca, Campus Life Coordinator (MBA '21)