ITALIAN NEW YEAR

WATCH OUT!

• Watch out for falling crockery.
• Crockery is plates, dishes, cups, and other similar items, especially ones made of earthenware or china.
• It is a tradition to throw the possession(s) out the window to show you are ready for the new year.

NEVER HALF

• The Italians never do anything in halves so instead of doing things (like we do in the USA) they party till sunrise the next day.
• They do it so you can see the new year.

CARDS?
Yes, they play cards at the New Year's Eve parties. They play a game called tómbola

TÓMBOLA

• Tómbola is a game that is similar to bingo.
• This game was created in 1700s in Nápoles as a gambling game. the church didn't want people to play so the king (King Charles) made a compromise to ban the game around Christmas time.
• The people found a way around the law. Instead of playing at the church, they played at their homes during the Christmas time.

FOOD

• Food is very important to the Italians.
• Lentils symbolizes wealth and prosperity because of 1. They have a golden brown color and a round shape 2. They are long lasting so they represent longevity
• You will have sausage meat (sometimes is stuffed by pig's trotters) which means good fortune.
• Finish your meal with grapes.

If you wear red underwear it keeps the evil spirits and negativity away. The only catch is you can't just put on some plain pair of red underwear you have to get it as a gift from another person.

The end