Lent in Italy – Corajisima, A Calabrian Tradition
This article is from Calabria: The Other Italy. Check out this website to see additional information and pictures:
If you happen to be celebrating Easter in Calabria and you arrive a little early, you may just come across what looks like a ragdoll hanging from a balcony or the side of a house. Not to panic, this is not some form of malocchio or evil eye, but Corajisima, a traditional practice during Lent in Italy, specifically, Calabria and other areas of the south.
WHAT IS CORAJISIMA?
Corajisima is more a who than a what. She is the wife or perhaps more accurately said, the widow, of Carnevale. She can also be called the sorella or sister of Carnevale. After the great feast of Martedì Grasso or Fat Tuesday, Carnevale, the embodiment of the revelries, dies. Poor Corajisima remains alone. Usually depicted as an ugly, skinny old woman with a decidedly unsettling appearance, she represents abstinence in the Lenten period.
Come augurio di Buon Natale e di Felice Anno Nuovo, ecco il simpaticissimo racconto del famoso “panettone”! C’era una volta un panettiere che si chiamava Toni. Un bel giorno Toni s’innamorò follemente di una certa ragazza contadina di nome Lucia. Ora, Lucia andava al paese tutte le mattine per vendere le uova. Toni, ogni mattina, aspettava l’arrivo di Lucia con ansia ed entusiasmo e poi nel vederla, tanto erano forti i sentimenti che provava per questa fanciulla di campagna che non sapeva mai cosa dire e rimaneva ammutolito. Quanti sguardi d’amore scambiati, quanti sospiri e quante uova rotte proprio perché questo povero diavolo non riusciva a esprimere il suo amore. Finalmente, Toni ebbe una brillante idea: decise di preparare un dolce per la sua adorata Lucia, ma non un dolce qualsiasi, bensì un dolce speciale mai preparato prima di allora!
The tradition of the seven fishes prepared for meals on Christmas Eve lends itself to a Central and Southern Italian tradition and is not prevalent in the Northern region. Some argue that this may be due to Southerners being a bit more superstitious than their Northern counterparts. Of course, you don’t have to look too far for an explanation of why fish is an obvious choice on Christmas Eve: Catholic rules prohibit the consumption of meat on Christmas Eve.