Lighting a log, Italy
Italians have many deep-seated traditions to celebrate New Year’s Eve. The customary menu for il cenone di San Silvestro (St. Sylvester’s feast) includes lentils, which are considered symbols of good luck and financial success, and cotechino (spiced sausage) or zampone (pig’s trotter). People often wear something red to attract good luck. And last but not least, a centuries-old tradition sees Italian Catholics lighting a log to ward away evil spirits and invite the Virgin Mary to keep the newborn Christ child warm.
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