As American Thanksgiving grows near, I have been thinking more and more about a small beef I have with some of my fellow American expats in Italy. If I had a nickel for every time I heard another American ask “Where can I go to get a big Thanksgiving meal in Italy?” or “Which bars are celebrating the 4th of July in Milan?” I’d be a very rich woman.
This type of question is all too common in expat groups and forums, and I think it is from a combination of just not realizing that our holidays aren’t all international and wishful thinking that somehow someone will make an exception for us.
There is no reason why you can’t celebrate these holidays on your own (I make a mean Thanksgiving feast every November, for example!), but it isn’t really reasonable to expect people in another country to celebrate America’s milestones like Independence Day and Memorial Day just because we’re here (plus, Italy has its own remembrance and memorial days to think about).
So, just in case you weren’t sure which holidays were international, here is a look at 14 American holidays that aren’t widely celebrated in Italy.
Date | Holiday | Explanation |
---|---|---|
January 17 | Martin Luther King, Jr. Day | MLK is an important historical figure and should certainly be honored, but he was more influential to American history than to Italian history. |
February 2 | Groundhog Day | My husband laughs a lot when I tell him about this holiday every year. Apparently Italians don’t trust rodents to make weather predictions?? Weird… |
February (varies) | Super Bowl | Not technically a holiday, but I can’t tell you how many Americans ask which sports bar in Italy is playing the Super Bowl every February… Just a kind reminder: Italians only recognize one form of football, and it’s soccer. |
February 22 | Presidents’ Day | Presidents’ Day celebrates the birthdays of American Presidents George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. While these were very important men, they weren’t presidents of Italy, so they feel no need to celebrate them here. |
March 17 | St. Patrick’s Day | Technically, some towns in Italy do celebrate Saint Patrick on his birthday, but not the way Americans do, with green outfits and copious amounts of beer. Instead, they celebrate with big family meals and religious-themed parades. |
May 5 | Cinco de Mayo | This holiday celebrates Mexican culture, something that isn’t as close to Italy’s heart as it is to America’s. |
May (last Monday of the month) | Memorial Day | This federal holiday honors the men and woman who have died serving in the United States military. Italians have their own days to honor their military losses. |
June 19 | Juneteenth | This holiday celebrates the emancipation of African American slaves. Again, historically significant for the U.S., but not for Italy. |
July 4 | Independence Day | This is the day America gained independence from Britain. Italy had no stake in it, so they don’t celebrate it. |
September (varies) | Labor Day | Italy has their own version of this day to honor workers. |
October (varies) | Columbus Day/Indigenous People’s Day | Christopher Columbus (Cristoforo Colombo) was actually Italian, but they don’t celebrate him discovering America on this day (They also don’t celebrate people who are indigenous to America, not Italy). |
October 31 | Halloween | Some Italians are starting to embrace Halloween, but for the most part it is not celebrated in Italy, with Italians preferring to celebrate All Saints’ Day on November 1st. |
November 11 | Veterans’ Day | This day honors American military veterans. |
November (fourth Thursday of the month) | Thanksgiving | One of the best holidays in my opinion, but the meal shared between the Pilgrims and the Native Americans in America is not a part of Italian history, so this is not an international holiday. |
It should also be noted that, while Father’s Day is celebrated in Italy, it is celebrated on a different day, so be sure to check if you have an Italian father to celebrate that day. The date of Mother’s Day, on the other hand, is usually international.
So, there you have it: fourteen American holidays that you shouldn’t expect to be celebrated in Italy. Some Italians do celebrate some of these, of course, but you should never take it for granted that they do just because we do.
Next time, I’ll fill you in on the reverse: holidays that Italians celebrate that Americans don’t!
Are there any holidays that I missed? Let me know in the comments!
Love your blog and all your insights. Taking copious notes as I’m planning to move to Italy this year! Quick note on Thanksgiving. It’s actually the fourth Thursday in November, not the last Thursday. Rarely are their five Thursdays, but when there is, Thanksgiving is on the fourth one. Turns out 2023 has five so it will happen this year!
Question: How easy is it to find a turkey to cook for Thanksgiving in Italy? And are the ovens even large enough to hold one!
Thanks again for all your insights. Super helpful!!!
Hi Cindy! Thanks for reading! I’m glad the blog has been helpful to you. And your comment was helpful to me – I’ll correct that last Thursday part right away!
When it comes to finding a turkey, a full one is almost impossible to find at grocery stores. You may have better luck if you ask a butcher, but from what I have seen and heard, Italians aren’t too big on cooking whole turkeys (even if most ovens are plenty big enough). What I usually do on Thanksgiving is just roast a full chicken instead. You can also usually find big turkey legs and thighs at the supermarket if you’ve really got a hankering for turkey though!