Assumption of Mary Day
 

I understand that Aug 15 is celebrated as a national holiday by Italian Catholics. What can we expect to be impacted, such as train travel, shops or restaurants closed?

Thanks

Although it's a holiday in the Catholic Church Italians don't celebrate it as a religious holiday. It's a secular holiday. It's been celebrated since the year 18 AD.

Trains run at reduced schedules. Basically, everything else is closed, except in really big cities like Rome, where you might find a few bars or something. Try to find an ethnic restaurant if stuck. Italians are basically all off.

Something wrong here: Mary supposedly died after Jesus. In 18 AD, he was still around and hadn't even started his preaching.

As for the rest, yes, all Italians are either on the beach or in the mountains that day, and the only living people one might see are tourists and an occasional waiter or train conductor. ;)

Exactly why it's not a religious holiday. Supposedly, celebrating Ferragosto was started by Emperor Augustus in year 18, to celebrate a pagan God named Dana, or something like that. It has nothing to do with Mary. Like some other Christian holidays, the Assumption was piggybacked onto a pagan holiday. Italians don't consider August 15th a religious holiday. It's a day to go to the beach or to the mountains. Your only chance of finding an open place to eat is to find a bar run by a Chinese immigrant who doesn't observe the holiday and opens. 99.9%!of Italians close their business.

My experience of Ferragosto is that all Italy is on the move, restaurants are full, booked in advance and are more likely to offer fixed menus. Book well in advance for food and accommodation, bring water and patience if you're driving or lie low and enjoy the festival until everybody goes back to work on the following Monday!

No, I don't think so. I've spent the last five summers in five different cities. You can starve on August 15th. And, outside of Rome, Florence, and Venice, the big three tourist areas, many italians take the whole rest of the month off, and pickings are scarce. Also, Ferragosto doesn't always fall on a Sunday. It falls on whatever day August 15th lands on. If it lands on a Friday, you can bet almost every restaurant owner outside of the big three will make a three day weekend of it.

Nope. Augustus died in 14 AD.

Depends on which Augustus you mean. All of the emperors were called Augustus for a long time. Cesar Augustus died in 14 AD and was followed by Tiberius Cesar Augustus died in 37 AD. He was followed by Caligula Cesar Augustus, who was followed by Claudius Cesar Augustus, then Nero Cesar Augustus.

https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferragosto
Il Ferragosto nell'Antica Roma
Il termine Ferragosto deriva dalla locuzione latina feriae Augusti (riposo di Augusto) indicante una festività istituita dall'imperatore Augusto nel 18 a.C. che si aggiungeva alle esistenti e antichissime festività cadenti nello stesso mese, come i Vinalia rustica o i Consualia, per celebrare i raccolti e la fine dei principali lavori agricoli. L'antico Ferragosto, oltre agli evidenti fini di auto-promozione politica, aveva lo scopo di collegare le principali festività agostane per fornire un adeguato periodo di riposo, anche detto Augustali, necessario dopo le grandi fatiche profuse durante le settimane precedenti.

The term Ferragosto derives from the latin phrase, Augustinian holidays, (the rest of August) and indicates a festival instituted by the Emperor Augusto in 18 AD that was joined with already existing ancient festivals that fall in the same month, like the rustic Visalia or the Consualia, to celebrate the harvest and end of the major agricultural work. The ancient Ferragosto with the goal of political self-promotion, had the goal of tying the principal festivals of August to provide an adequate period of rest, also an Augustinian saying, necessary after the great, profound fatigue caused by efforts during the previous weeks.

Also http://www.swide.com/art-culture/ita...aly/2013/08/15

Religious Significance - The history of the Italian Festival Ferragosto Assumption

The Catholic Church celebrates this date as 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. Before the Christianity came into existence, however, this holiday was celebrated in the Roman Empire to honour the gods, in particular Diana, and the cycle of fertility and ripening.

Not sure what city you are going to, but if it is Rome, this from Katie Parla will help you.

http://www.parlafood.com/where-to-ea...ome-in-august/

Thanks, Perche. We won't be in Rome at that point. Our plan is to take the train from Verona to Bolzano on Aug 15. We have a hotel booked in Bolzano, so we will keep our fingers crossed for food.

18 BC my friend is when this was instituted by the First Citizen, not 18 AD.

The Italian a.C. is an abbreviation of avanti Cristo.

Avanti Cristo translates into English as before Christ.

You're right, I breezed through the translations and just saw the A. And didn't notice it wasn't Anno Domini. Makes my original point even clearer that Ferragosto is not a Catholic holiday.