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La Madonnna Arrives!
As darkness creeps in on December 7th (the vigil of the Feast of the Immacualte Conception on the 8th), the men of the Comunità Montana (Forestry Service) light a huge bonfire in front of the massive14th-century Papal fortress La Rocca Maggiore towering over Assisi. The men roast sausages on the fire and offer them with hot mulled wine to "the locals" gathered around the fire. According to tradition, this bonfire lights the way for the angels who are flying in Mary's home from Nazareth!
In fact, during the night of December 7th, La Madonna will stop
at each Assisi home, leaving a simple gift for the children. In the
past (and in the 1970's when we moved here - and when Italy was still largely
an agricultural economy), the gifts were simply basic clothing needs such
as socks, underwear, perhaps gloves - in harmony with the saying (in Umbrian
dialect) Chi si rinnova per Maria, sgrampola da ogni malattia ("whoever renews
- ie, replaces old clothes with new - for Maria, escapes all illnesses").
Our children used to wake up on December 8th to find new socks or
underwear, perhaps a scarf, next to their pillows. I remember many
years ago when our Giulia returned home from elementary school on December
8th quite perplexed that a friend of hers had received a new bicycle from
la Madonna- "and
not clothes as she should have, Mamma. I guess la Madonna made a
mistake"!
(Happily, Giulia was delighted with the new scarf she had received
that year). I remember the year I was in the U.S. on December 8th and called
home. Our son Mattia - 16 yrs old at the time - answered the phone and said, "Mom
- la Madonna missed us this year. How come?!" Nowadays, the Madonna might
bring an I-POD, a digital camera or a new cell phone to a child. More "Madonna
mistakes"?!
(Join us for the "Vigil" FESTAtour in Assisi, December 7th!)