New Year's Celebrations and Events in Italy

La Festa di San Silvestro and Il Capodanno
Italians love festivals and the ending of the old year and beginning of the new year, il capodanno, is a great time to celebrate in Italy.

New Year's Eve in Italy - La Festa di San Silvestro
La Festa di San Silvestro is celebrated December 31 on New Year's Eve. As with most Italian festivals, food plays a major role. Families and friends get together for a huge feast. The star of the dinner is lentils, symbolizing money and good fortune for the coming year. Traditionally, the dinner in many parts of Italy also includes a cotechino, a large spiced sausage, or a zampone, stuffed pig's trotter. The pork symbolizes the richness of life in the coming year.
Fireworks and Dancing
Huge midnight fireworks displays celebrate the coming of the new year.
Most towns have public displays in a central square but private parties will also include firecrackers or sparklers, too, and will continue for a long time. Naples is known for having one of the best and biggest New Year's fireworks displays in Italy. Some smaller towns build a bonfire in the central square where villagers will congregate into the early morning. If you're near the coast, lake, or river you will hear boats and ships blowing their horns.
Dancing is also popular and many towns have public music and dancing before the fireworks. Rome, Milan, Bologna, Palermo and Naples put on huge popular outdoor shows with pop and rock bands. These events can sometimes be seen on television, too.

More New Year's Eve Traditions in Italy
Guests of private or public parties are sometimes entertained with a game called "Tombola", similar to Bingo.
The New Year is also celebrated with spumante or prosecco, Italian sparkling wine. New Years parties, whether public or private, will often last until sunrise in order to watch the first sunrise of the newborn year.
An old custom that is still followed in some places, especially in the south, is throwing your old things out the window to symbolize your readiness to accept the New Year. So, keep an eye out for falling objects if you're walking around near midnight!
Oh, one more thing, don't forget to wear your red underwear to ring in the new year! They say it'll bring you luck in the coming year.

6th of January in Italy

The Befana is one of Italy's oldest and most celebrated legends. Each year on January 6 the children of Italy awaken in hopes that La Befana has made a visit to their house. This is a significant day to Italians because it marks the end of the Christmas season and the day that the three Wise Men arrived at the manger of the Christ child. Over the years the Epiphany has been a more celebrated holiday for the children of Italy than even Christmas.
As legend has it the three Wise Men were in search of the Christ child when they decided to stop at a small house to ask for directions. Upon knocking, an old woman holding a broom opened the door slightly to see who was there. Standing at her doorstep were three colorfully dressed men who were in need of directions to find the Christ child. The old woman was unaware of who these three men were looking for and could not point them in the right direction. Prior to the three men leaving they kindly asked the old woman to join them on their journey. She declined because she had much housework to do. After they left she felt as though she had made a mistake and decided to go and catch up with the kind men. After many hours of searching she could not find them. Thinking of the opportunity she had missed the old woman stopped every child to give them a small treat in hopes that one was the Christ child. Each year on the eve of the Epiphany she sets out looking for the baby Jesus. She stops at each child's house to leave those who were good treats in their stockings and those who were bad a lump of coal.
Make sure to keep those stockings hung by the chimney in hopes that La Befana will soon be there.

Happy 2007 from Gemma

Christmas is coming....

My dear Italian Friends...... Christmas is on its way... In both countries we're getting ready for this wonderful and peacful time with our families and friends... Let me tell you a little bit about how we prepare and celebrate Christmas here in Poland. Our country is a land of intriguing traditions and legends. The first sign of coming holidays in Poland is St. Nicholas Day (12/6). In the past on this day, one person was selected to represent St. Nicholas and was driven on a sleigh to the homes in a Polish villages and cities. He was dressed in a long white robe, bishop's mirth, long white beard and held a shepherd's staff. Children who were good during the year received gingerbread cookies (pierniki), apples, and small toys. Children who were bad, received twigs as a punishment. Children and adults alike still exchange small gifts on this day. The most important day is Christmas Eve. The first star of the night that Christmas Eve has been given the affectionate name of "little star" or "Gwiazdka," in remembrance of the star of Bethlehem. On that night, all watch the sky anxiously, hoping to be the first to cry out "the star!!!' The moment the star appears, everyone exchanges greetings and good wishes. Families unite for the most carefully planned meal of the year - "Wigilia" - Christmas supper. Poles are famous for their hospitality, especially during Christmas. In Poland, an additional seat is kept for somebody unknown at the supper table. No one should be left alone at Christmas, so strangers are welcomed to the Christmas supper. This is to remind us that Mary and Joseph were also looking for shelter. According to tradition, bits of hay are spread beneath the table cloth as a reminder that Christ was born in a manger. An even number of people must be seated around the table or tradition states someone might die in the coming year. The extravagant feast on "Wigilia" is prepared many days before and is served when this first star is visible in the sky. Family and friends gather together to enjoy the delicious meal.One of the most beautiful and most revered Polish customs is the breaking of the "opłatek" (you can see it on the picture). The use of the Christmas wafe is not only by native Poles in Poland but also by people of Polish ancestry all over the world. The oplatek is a thin wafer made of flour and water. For table use, it is white. In Poland, colored wafers are used to make Christmas tree decorations. In the past, the wafers were baked by organists or by religious and were distributed from house to house in the parish during Advent. Today, they are produced commercially and are sold in religious stores and houses. Sometimes an oplatek is sent in a greeting card to loved ones away from home. To start the meal everyone breaks a wafer (Oplatek) to keep the tradition of the old days and exchange greetings and encouragement with one another. The Wigilia traditionally contains no meat. The many prepared foods include: mushroom soup, boiled potatoes (kartofle), pickled herring (sledzie), fried fish, pierogi, beans and sauerkraut (groch i kapusta), a dried fruit compote, babka, platek, assorted pastries, nuts and candies. After the great feast everyone sings Polish christmas carols. Around the Christmas tree (choinka) for gifts to be handed out. At midnight, people go to "Pasterka" or Midnight Mass. Everybody attended except infants and very sick. After the sermon, the entire congregation sing more Christmas Carols (kolędy).When Christmas day comes to an end the Christmas spirit is not snuffed out. In fact, it lasts until February. During this period of Christmas cheer, the local theaters put on Christmas plays and everyone has High Spirits. Also, the boys of the town make beautiful nativity scenes called Szopki. The Christmas Day is spent quietly within the intimate family; visiting with friends and relatives. Christmas Day is traditionally free of unnecessary work. The menu concentrates on meat, which is probably why the most popular dish on this day is "bigos" or hunter's stew. This dish can and should be prepared ahead of time. Christmas Day itself is spent in rest, prayer, and visits to various members of the family. In Poland, from Christmas Day until the twelfth night, boys trudge from village to village withan illuminated star and a ranting King Herod among them to sing carols. Sometimes, they penetrate the towns in expectation of more generous gifts. During the Christmas season, the theaters give special performances. On the feast of the Epiphany, the priest and the organist visit the homes, bless them and write over their doors the initials of the three wise men - KMB (Kasper, Melchior and Balthazar) - in the belief that this will spare the homes from misfortune. The Christmas season closes on February 2, known as Candlemas Day. On that day, people carry candles to church and have them blessed for use in their homes during storms, sickness and death. In Poland, Christmas day is a day of rest, meditation, prayer, and greatfulness. And that is how most of us celebrate Christmas...before I go let me wish you:

Wesołych Świąt, Bożego Narodzenia i Szczęśliwego Nowego Roku!!
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!!

Written by A.Kopeć

Polish Educational System

POLISH EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM

In 1999 a major reform was carried out in Poland's educational system. It involved profound changes in the school structure, curricula, the grading system, and requirements made of students. Teacher training has also changed. Teachers are promoted through successive grades of professional qualifications: from trainee teacher, contractual teacher, to appointed teacher, and diploma-holding teacher. The highest level is professor of education, awarded only to the very best tutors. The Polish educational system consists of elementary (primary) schools, middle schools, secondary schools (general grammar schools, technical grammar schools, and vocational schools), and universities and other institutions of higher education. Tuition in the state schools is free and mandatory until the age of 18. Following the reform, pupils begin their education at the age of 6 in "Form 0", where they acquire preliminary skills for reading and writing, and learn simple mathematical concepts and operations. They continue their education at primary school (szkoła podstawowa). This 6-year period of school ends with a test, the purpose of which is to provide information on how much pupils have learned. Next pupils move on to middle school (gimnazjum: as a rule they attend the school nearest their place of residence). The 3-year period at middle school concludes with an examination divided into a humanities paper, and a mathematics and natural science paper. They select their secondary school on the basis of the results of this examination. Students choose from 3-year general education grammar schools (liceum), 4-year technical grammar schools (technikum), or 2-3 year vocational schools (szkoła zasadnicza). Education at a vocational school concludes with a professional examination, which will be of an external type until 2004 (i.e. it will be graded by an independent, external examiners' board). General and technical grammar school concludes with the matura, a school-leaving examination, which is currently predominantly internal in character, i.e. it is held at the student's school and is marked by a board of examiners consisting of members of the teaching staff from the same school. Some grammar schools have already introduced examinations which meet the external examination criteria - matura papers are coded and marked by external examining boards. The new matura examinations are marked according to a national set of criteria, which allows for university admissions without the need for additional entrance examinations. Due to the small numbers of students currently opting for the new matura examination, not all universities exempt holders from entrance examinations as yet. After 2005, the new matura system will be the mandatory scheme. The new matura school-leaving examination will consist of an oral examination at the candidate's school, and an external written paper, marked by an external board of qualified examiners. The school documents are the Charter of the school and “WSO” – internal students’ estimation document. The “WSO” describes the rules of organization of estimating the students at school. The school decides how to mark students and what to mark. School also decides about the way and frequency of informing students and close family about achievements and the way of correcting grades. Since 1999 schools have a duty to use this graduation to yearly classification. Actual graduation: excellent-6, very good-5, good-4, sufficient-3, admitting to receive-2, insufficient-1. At school teachers also use “pluses” and “minuses”, but only in partial grade (for instance you can receive a 4+). In Poland school teachers decide about students’ grades and promotion to next class. The students, who not accomplish required minimum, don’t get promotion to next class. In Polish schools all students have subjects like: Polish, Math, History, Geography, Physics, Chemistry, Music and Art, PE, Biology and some students in school have subjects: English, French, German etc. In our school we study all of these subjects. Our class (3B) is in so called DELF(Diplôme d'Etudes en Langue Français) program which means we study not only English but also French and we took the DELF exam some time ago. Generally we like our school but we have too much homework ;o(

"Polish Educational System" by Marcin Razniewski, Magda Koryto and Dorota Korzeniewska; A part of point 2 of the project- "Getting to know each other"

Pictures by Concetta

Dear friends, ;)
As you know our class is the 2Bs (s stands for the Socio-Psico-Pedagogico course of study) in Saronno.
We are thirty students; there are twenty-five girls and five boys…
unfortunately ONLY five boys!! :-<><:-P Generally we are close but sometimes we are competitive…we think it’s normal and it’s the same thing for you!! Isn’t it? In comparison to the previous school year this year we are a very very very chatty class!!! :-@
All the same we are interested and positive!! B-)
While we are also generous, sensitive, outgoing. O:)
All the teachers are dedicated and keen on their job… ;;) some of them are also funny!
Generally they are nice and not very strict, while when they get angry they become really dangerous!
We study a lot of subjects.
These are Italian, English, history, geography, science, maths, psychology Latin, P.E, R.E, law and music.
Sometimes we are under pressure but we are very good at studying =D> …and we enjoy staying at school!
The subjects are nice and interesting, but some of them are difficult!! :-L
Our hopes and projects for the future are different although we attend the same school.
There is someone who wants to become teacher or psychologist or novelist or actress… 8->
What do you think about us??
Tell us something about you!
We hope that you’ll like us =)) >:D<>

Ilenia Papa and Jessica Conti

"LICEO LEGNANI The school profile" by Stefania Spinello and Giulia Visconti

It's a power point presentation of the Italian school to the Polish partner, part of point 2 - Getting to know each other - of the project.