Here’s a list of Italian festivals and holidays.
Some of them are international festivals such as Christmas or Easter. Others might be unknown to you.
festeggiare [to celebrate]
la festività [festival / holiday]
la Pasqua [Easter]
la domenica di Pasqua [Easter Sunday]
la Pasquetta / Lunedi dell’Angelo [Easter Monday]
il Natale [Christmas]
il Capodanno [New Year’s Day]
l’Ognissanti / Tutti i Santi [All Saints’ Day]
l’Epifania / la Befana [Epiphany]
il Ferragosto / l’Assunzione [mid-August holiday]
il Carnevale [carnival]
La Festa della liberazione [Liberation Day]
La Festa della Repubblica [Republic Day]
La Festa dei lavoratori [Workers’ Day]
La Immacolata Concezione [The Immaculate Conception]
… and two U.S. holidays that are widely known in Italy:
il Giorno dell’indipendenza [Independence Day]
il Giorno del ringraziamento [Thanksgiving Day]
And below are some words associated with the above holidays. We’re sure you could add others…
l’albero di Natale [Christmas tree]
i fuochi d’artificio [fireworks]
la sfilata [parade]
il regalo [gift / present]
il panettone [typical Christmas cake from Milan made from flour, butter, eggs and sugar, with candied lemon and sultanas]
le uova di cioccolato [chocolate eggs]
In fact, why not mind-map each holiday writing down as many words as you can that are associated with each one?
For ideas, check out these fourteen free listening texts with transcripts.
There’s one for each of the year’s main festivals!
Use them to build your reading and listening and reading skills, as well as to consolidate the words in the lists above.
