Years ago, when it wasn’t common to have running water at home in Abruzzo, on the first day of a new year, women would go to the village fountain to collect clean water in their copper conca or basin and take it to friends and neighbours as a gift.
They would deliver it with a saying, “Buongiorno e Buon Capodanno, questa è l’acqua pulita che ti porta un inizio pulito per il nuovo anno.” – ‘Good morning and Happy New Year, this is the clean water that brings you a clean start to the new year.’
In honour of this tradition and taking in my ties to both Australia and Italy, I poured Australian water into an Abruzzese basin (not a conca but my great-granny Maddalena’s copper cooking pot that she brought all the way to Australia from Abruzzo).
The gushing cold water bubbled in the hot sun and I felt hopeful for a clean and fresh new year. To wash away all that’s not kind or respectful, to embrace the gentle, thoughtful and giving, and also, to be thankful for those who bring this to our lives. The basin was poured out to water a little tree and so the new year begins… Buon anno. ✨🌳 Zoe x
Mending… so out comes the sewing box Nanna Francesca gave me for my 8th birthday. I can’t tell you how disappointed I was to receive this as a present at that age, though I put on a happy face so not to hurt her feelings. Afterwards, I told Mum she could have it and the sewing box sat in her linen press for years. Yet, once I moved into my own house, I went and retrieved it and it has stayed with me.
Spring circles in the kitchen and garden – eggs in purgatory, ‘lucky’ lentils, broad bean risotto fritters, a dandelion flower, melanzane fritte, orange patty cakes, fava spaghetti with spring greens…
On the kitchen table… fennel flowers, their little blossoms like star bursts with a slight scent of liquorice, honey and lemon. I came across some fresh fennel bulbs at the market about a month ago but life has taken over for a bit since then! These fennel were irresistible in their curviness. (Male fennel are slimmer, the female fennel more rounded and sweeter – said to be ‘like the many beautiful, curvy women of the Mediterranean shores these plants are indigenous to’!) 😘
Thank you for joining me here throughout the year – for your wonderful interest in and support of my books and for sharing your own experiences and memories with me.
‘Raccavallala!’ Granny Maddalena cried out if someone stepped over a child lying on the floor – step back over it! – or you’d stunt the child’s growth. I’m currently researching Italian folklore and came across this very superstition and many others like… never put your wallet on the floor or you’ll have no money. If you accidentally put your clothes on inside out in the morning it’s good luck and you’ll receive good news. Wasting food or throwing it out brings misfortune. Remove cobwebs with your left hand for good luck.
Beside Maddalena’s amulet are her gold earrings – given to young girls as gold was believed to protect against blindness and misfortune and interestingly because it symbolises the sun’s power and masculine energy. I have no idea how old these earrings are but Estella Canziani did paintings of similar earrings worn by peasants in Italy and France that she saw during her travels in the 1900s, including in the area of Abruzzo where Granny lived.
Zoë Boccabella 