2024-09-13 14:24:25
The family in Italy is considered the building block of society, and is sacrosanct.
Most Italians give so much importance to it that it is hard for some to believe. Family is much more important in Italy than in other European and western countries where I have lived such as the Netherlands or Switzerland.
We tend to stick together like glue.
When I was talking with some of my friends, I realized that this is something that many foreigners are often surprised by, and they leave the “seat” of the family at the beginning of life. And it’s not surprising to outsiders to Italian culture by attending large, fancy weddings, religious celebrations such as baptisms, and birthdays, where family members are present in large numbers.
Clan is our daily reality, for better or worse.
In Italy extended families are considered a blessing and young people cannot seem to leave their parents at home until they are very, very old (so the slang word ‘mammonmeaning ‘mama’s boy or girl’).
Until after the Second World War, when a new baby was born, families in rural areas and on remote islands would build shelters so that everyone could live in the future.
When I first visited the island of Ponza, which is on the coast of Rome, I was impressed by how they carved huge caves from the top of the cliffs into many grotto houses that were suitable for the whole family.
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One can think that it all comes down to the matter of religion: as most Italians are Catholic, and are very religious, the Church preaches the importance of the family as an important spiritual element and tool that accompanies a person throughout life. they.
But that’s not enough to explain it.
I believe that the importance of the family is part of the traditional Italian life and mentality, belief in certain values that having a family is like an investment for the future, a safety net in hard times.
This traces its roots back centuries. Even though Italian society is often outwardly patriarchal, with the father-in-law deciding on everyone’s destiny, in reality it is the woman (wife and mother) who is the mistress of the house. Often, children tend to stick around their mothers more than their fathers.
Throughout history members have always stood up for each other, both aristocratic and poor.
It is important to keep in mind that we are a relatively young country when compared to France and the UK. Italian national unity was achieved only in 1861 and the republic was created in 1946; until then Italy did not exist.
It was a mosaic of bickering city-states and fiefdoms ruled by powerful aristocratic families who were always at war with each other. Family is the seat of power, and kinship is more than just identity and property. It means survival.
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Likewise, farmers can only rely on their own family members to survive, to keep the harvest going and the land fertile. Each new child was considered an additional labor force to add to the family, a pair of ‘extra hands’ (as my grandmother would say) to plow, feed the animals and do farm work.
When the society went from rural to modern, and people started leaving the villages to go to big cities and cities, the family was still seen as a pillar. Immigrant Italian families that have flourished throughout the world, home, for example, to the ice cream and pizza empires that survive, are proof.
“Family is everything” (Family is everything) is my father’s favorite.
I believe that, regardless of how Italian society will develop in the near future, spending a lot of time with close family and family members will still be the most common characteristic of Italians. He is talented.
#Family #sacrosanct #Italians #means