Italian Baby shower?
Susan Oldfield
don't know much about Italian culture but I am trying to research if there
are any Italian traditions for expectant parents? It would be great to get
feedback.
Thank you,
Susan
susan.o...@dartmouth.edu
rindus
vast majority of the italian public got it.
"Susan Oldfield" <susan.o...@dartmouth.edu> ha scritto nel messaggio
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Anna
presents for the future baby. in this case don't give handkerchiefs as a
present, even if they are well embroidered, or with some special message
written on them. Sometime they give them together with the layette. My
grandmother, who is from southern Italy, says they mean tears.
bye
"Susan Oldfield" <susan.o...@dartmouth.edu> ha scritto nel messaggio
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Anna
presents for the future baby. in this case don't give handkerchiefs as a
present, even if they are well embroidered, or with some special message
written on them. Sometime they give them together with the layette. My
grandmother, who is from southern Italy, says they mean tears.
bye
"Susan Oldfield" <susan.o...@dartmouth.edu> ha scritto nel messaggio
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Susan Oldfield
(and baby) are the guests of honor but they don't know anything about it.
It's a surprise.
"rindus" <rin...@excite.com> wrote in message
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alessandro coricelli
Susan Oldfield wrote:
> I meant that I'm having a party for her at my house. She and her husband
> (and baby) are the guests of honor but they don't know anything about it.
> It's a surprise.
they'll be delighted, do not worry about it. The fact of the matter is
that there is not such thing like a baby shower in the Italian
traditions. A typical American baby shower, the party with games (those
awful games, I might add;-)) and gifts, held before the birth of a baby,
would be unthikable in Italy, cause the Italians are quite supersticious
when it comes to babies. I suppose, however, that your friends would
know already about the American traditions, and they'll be more than
grateful. Do the same things you would do for any of your American
friends, games included.
You know what, I thank you in advance on their behalf. We all thank you!!!!!!!
ciao,
alessandro
rindus
are many old fashioned traditions in Italy, but they are regional sometimes
very local, at town or village level, and they generally are a bit outdated.
For example, in my town, Bologna, northern Italy this thing about
handkerchieves is unknown. You shouldn't formalize too much with culture,
even if they come from some small town or the country, where generally old
traditions mantain their grip on people, they certainly do not expect you to
know them. It seems that the only custom spread all over Italy nowadays is
to give the baby a little gift like a toy, even a very small thing, what
matters is the thought. They will appreciate it even if is worth 1$.
By the way, you are really a kind person. You invite Italian friends and you
care about their customs. I have been 4 years in the UK, and I've never seen
or heard about a brit family inviting a couple of Ities, let alone worring
about their traditions. Jeez, I've waisted 4 years of my life.
Down with the queen. Long live the statue of liberty.
"Susan Oldfield" <susan.o...@dartmouth.edu> ha scritto nel messaggio
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Marco
> I am hosting a baby shower for an Italian friend. I'm sorry to say that I
> don't know much about Italian culture but I am trying to research if there
> are any Italian traditions for expectant parents? It would be great to get
> feedback.
There's usually no such thing as baby showers in Italy, but I'm
sure it will be a pleasant surprise for them.
From what I remember, baptisms are also rather subdued occasions
in Italy. The first real shindig comes on the occasion of the
first communion, for those who practice it.
Marco
Enzo Michelangeli
[...]
: By the way, you are really a kind person. You invite Italian friends and
you
: care about their customs. I have been 4 years in the UK, and I've never
seen
: or heard about a brit family inviting a couple of Ities, let alone worring
: about their traditions. Jeez, I've waisted 4 years of my life.
: Down with the queen. Long live the statue of liberty.
But why? I just love it when my acquaintances respect my privacy. I may be
less sociable than most, but being invited more than once in a few years by
the same people gives me urticaria: nothing irks me more than having to
adjust my programmes in order to comply with schedules decided by others
(and the well-meaning nature of the invitations make the whole thing even
more awkward to handle). Neighbours are an especially difficult group to
deal with, because they can't be chosen, and live on your doorstep for
extended periods of time.
Well Susan, I hope I didn't scare you too much: I just wanted to balance the
opinions expressed in this thread, so that you won't get unduly shocked if
you come across another specimen of Italicus Asocialis (yes we do exist in
the wild) ;-)
Enzo
---
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rindus
Ehmm..no Enzo, I wasn't talking about your sociableness or the fact that
there are people who do not like social events, even in Italy. My opinion
was about another thing and I think It is quite clear what I meant.
I may be
> less sociable than most, but being invited more than once in a few years
by
> the same people gives me urticaria: nothing irks me more than having to
> adjust my programmes in order to comply with schedules decided by others
> (and the well-meaning nature of the invitations make the whole thing even
> more awkward to handle). Neighbours are an especially difficult group to
> deal with, because they can't be chosen, and live on your doorstep for
> extended periods of time.
You are free to stay alone and given your "social instincts" I suggest you
go to the UK (if you are not there yet), there you will find loads of
unfriendly neighbours: you can relax, they will never think about inviting
you anywhere. And if you happen to speak to them, after showing their wide
variety of faces because of YOUR ACCENT (oh, instead when they speak Italian
their accent is SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOoo good) they will delicately hint about not
so recent history, somebody may even openly pronounce the word Mussolini (so
kind, so fucking britshit). It is not some sort of bitter remark, I truly
think it. Any Italian who has been abroad for a while knows that, there is a
problem of...balancing.
Enzo Michelangeli
[...]
: You are free to stay alone and given your "social instincts" I suggest you
: go to the UK (if you are not there yet), there you will find loads of
: unfriendly neighbours: you can relax, they will never think about inviting
: you anywhere. And if you happen to speak to them, after showing their wide
: variety of faces because of YOUR ACCENT (oh, instead when they speak
Italian
: their accent is SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOoo good) they will delicately hint about
not
: so recent history, somebody may even openly pronounce the word Mussolini
(so
: kind, so fucking britshit). It is not some sort of bitter remark, I truly
: think it. Any Italian who has been abroad for a while knows that, there is
a
: problem of...balancing.
Oh come on, I have spent a fair part of my life abroad and never felt
especially discriminated by anyone (also in the times when the place where I
live was a British colony): as a matter of fact, one of the few new
neighbours who ever came to knock my door was English. Some teasing and
cliche' waving is pretty normal among people of different national
backgrounds: it also happens to foreigners in Italy (do you remember the
"romantic Englishwoman" played in drag by Enrico Montesano in the seventies,
heavily accented, ugly and hornily chasing her reluctant latin lover
Salvatore?). And regarding Mussolini, well, nobody makes innuendos after I
mention that Emilio Lussu's example shows that a US-style Second Amendment
might be useful to protect freedom also in other countries.
But anyway, if you really can't get along with the English, despair not: in
UK there are hundreds of non-English ethnic communities that you may
socialize with. In extreme cases, you may always find sympathetic listeners
of your grievances among Scots and Irish ;-)
Ciao --
