No morning wash is more glorious than that of Umbria’s rural people on the morning of June 24th. On June 23rd at sunset, eve of the Festa di San Giovanni Battista, the farm women head out into the fields to gather cento erbe (literally,”one hundred greens or plants”, though flowers as well as plants are picked). These will then be soaked all night in a basin outdoors; they must never enter the home. Keeping the basin out all night assures that the first guazza (dew) will enter the water. My farm neighbors are puzzled when I ask them why the basin must be left out to receive the guazza. They can only tell me that their ancestors “have always done so – and so must we”. I think I understand why: the guazza descends from the heavens.
Upon rising the next morning, everyone in the family will wash face and hands with the acqua di San Giovanni gloriously perfumed with the wildflowers, leaves, blossoms, seed pods, weeds, and greens which have been soaking all night. Roses, the yellow wild broom, and walnut leaves dominate the fragrance. Washing in this water is purifying and protective. In many families, a ladle of the acqua di San Giovanni is added to everyone’s bath that day, while infants will be washed directly in the basin before the water is used by others.
This tradition is rooted in the solar moment of June 24th, near the summer solstice. On this day, Christianity celebrates the Feast of St. John the Baptist, cousin of Christ, born exactly six months apart. In ancient Rome the fertility festivities in honor of the goddess Fortuna ended on June 24th. Both summer and winter solstices are symbols of passage between the world of space/defined time and the world which is timeless and spaceless, and the tradition of the acqua di San Giovanni certainly has its roots in such ancient solstice celebrations.
- Contributed by Anne Robichaud. Anne has lived in Umbria since 1975 with her Italian husband Pino. They farmed for many years and raised three children. Anne offers guided tours of the Umbrian hilltowns and cooking classes in their Assisi countryside farmhouse. She writes frequently on Umbria and other areas of Italy. See www.annesitaly.com for more articles!
Thank you Anne, this note really moved me. It has something to do with the search for meaning and the healing capacity of nature; with simple gestures and the power of tradition that brings people together.
Yes, I was also very moved by your delightful note, Anne, and had not heard of the custom before. We’ll try this as well here in our village in Alza Lazio, on the border of Umbria. Italian traditions are another reason to love life here, and this time we’ll be bathing in its wonder.
Thanks so much.
Ah, timeless, traditional Umbria. Thanks Annie….love your dress, is it Umbrian embroidery?
What a wonderful tradtion. Another reason for loving and treasuring our Italian heritage. Grazie and ciao!
How absolutely delightful! I loved this note.
i love this note-it gets right to the heart of the italian people, and this is the stuff that makes us love italy!
A fascinating story. A blending of the old and new religions. Thanks for sharing I look forward to my newsletter everyday..
Hi, I am also a contributor to Italian Notebook (Patricia Smith, article on Umbrian tiles out tomorrow). I also have lived in Umbria for quite a while, and am also married to an Italian! I live in Ortricoli, and am a painter. (See contributors). Stop by if you ever get down this way…
Thank you Anne, makes me all the more excited to return to Assisi to learn more about these time honored traditions. Keep growing, Marianne
I, not so surprised, am perplexed by the Church of Cristo and pagan beliefs and practices
Ah, memories of life in the foothills of Piemonte, because of this article now I probably know the reason my aunt told me to pick the wild field greens only as the sun was coming up. The people in her hamlet called wild salad greens either insalata Francese (French salad) or salatamatta, insalata matta, meaning crazy/mad salad, I don’t know the reason behind that name but I sure like it… Actually it might be because there is a crazy mix of different greens? Don’t know. Thank you for the article!
Thank you, Anne, for this beautiful note! Thanks to you my 9-month-old son bathed in perfumed water on the front porch this morning! We live in a small Philadelphia row home with no yard and yet were able to hunt around with neighbors in alleys, garden and patio pots to assemble over 60 different flowers, herbs, plants and weeds. I look at our urban environs with a whole new gratitude. We don’t travel to Italy as we did before bambino, but your note gave us one of the best things that our travels have: a fresh new view of our own lives. Thank you for introducing a beautiful new tradition to our family!
Here I am sitting in my window in Southern Italy (Calitri) at this moment with a dangly USB antenna out our window and your story popped in. I loved it! In a little while we are headed for a Mass in the local cemetery. Should be very interesting.
Paolo
I so enjoyed reading each and every comment.
Yes, always fascinating to me the age-old beliefs – grounded in a variety of past traditions and cultures – which still animate the Umbrian people today.