Thanksgiving reflections from Italy

Today is Thanksgiving Day in the USA. It is not Thanksgiving Day in Italy.

This may seem obvious, but I have been surprised by how many of my friends in the USA have asked me, «How do the Italians celebrate Thanksgiving Day?».

Italy does not have this holiday tradition. Oh, this does not mean that Italians do not have a tradition of pilgrims! The difference is that pilgrims here were not Calvinists or Separatists from England who left from the Netherlands to arrive in North America at Plymouth Rock. Pilgrims here make the journey on foot, to shrines and sanctuaries and holy places, in prayer and penance, as individuals who build community along the way. They live the journey in all simplicity, and are welcomed by families and communities who provide space and nurture for them as they make their way to the holy place. The tradition is centuries old, and not particularly Italian. It has grown up in Christian Europe, but has its roots in ancient Israel and before.

But that is a topic for a later reflection… and I just put it to say that the American reference to “The Pilgrims” is to a group that has historic import to British North America. Italy does not share this history.

In any case, I did send greetings to many of my family members and friends through e-mail and other electronic means. There was news this morning of an attack against Americans in India (Mumbai and other places: a coordinated, simultaneous massacre). I wondered it that attack was timed to coincide with Thanksgiving. I’m sure it was. So my thoughts and prayers go out to all those persons and families hurt by this evil event.

With that news in front of us today, it seems banal to make other reflections on the little stories of daily life. It seems to me that chatter comes to a halt when we see such evil. We stunned by the malice of it all, and need to ponder what it all means.

But this is all the more reason to call down the blessings of God on one another: that the feast of Thanksgiving may be a time for cherishing loved ones, remembering the good that God and others have done for us, and reflecting on how we may offer these gifts back to humanity for the good of all.

Buona festa di Ringraziamento: Happy Thanksgiving.