LIFE: Is it Easter Yet?

SARONNO, Italy -  A couple of weeks ago, after I had written about the grand finale of the pre-Lent celebrations at the Carnival in Venice, I took a walk around Saronno. Much to my surprise the streets were full of kids dressed like little royal princesses and Johnny Depp pirates with eye patches and gray plastic swords, giggling and laughing and throwing confetti and silly string at each other. And it wasn’t just the kids. In Saronno’s main piazza, right in front of the Cathedral, kiddie rides and stands selling colorful candies and other goodies had been set up and everyone was acting like Carnival was still in full swing. What’s going on here, I asked myself. Don’t these people know Carnival is over?

 These two Italian kids are not from Saronno but I couldn resist.

So I went home and started re-checking my Carnival facts thinking I would have to re-write the blog and apologize to everyone for getting my facts wrong. But the truth is Carnival really did end on Fat Tuesday, and there really was a grand finale along Venice’s Grand Canal with candles and costumes and a gondola parade, and Lent really has started. 

I decided to call my Saronno maven, Andrea, and ask him if he knew what was going on.

“Oh sure,” he said, “it's simple. In Saronno we don’t follow the calendar of the Roman Catholic Church, we follow the Ambrosian calendar, and for us Lent doesn’t start on Ash Wednesday but the following Sunday.”

 An Carnival Announcement from a few years back

Oh, well that explains it. Are you kidding me? For all of my life the church was the church, the rules were the rules, and now I find out that isn’t the case? There are two calendars and what else? Are there two Christmas’, two Easters? Can I make up my own calendar?

So back I go to the internet, Google in Ambrosian calendar and oh my God! up pops a whole load of stuff starting with Saint Ambrose.

If you have ever visited the Duomo in Milan, you already know that Saint Ambrose (Aurelius Ambrosius) is the patron saint of Milan. He was Bishop of Milan in the 4th century, a time when various religious factions, including the Church in Rome and the church here in Lombardia, were struggling to become the prevailing religion in Europe. And while the Roman rite eventually became the dominant Catholic rite, the Ambrosian rite, or Milanese rite, has managed to maintain its position. At least here in Lombardia  - until you get to Como that is. In Como they follow the Roman calendar, or maybe their own, I’m not quite sure of anything any more.

While the Roman calendar and the Ambrosian religious calendar are similar, there are basic differences. In the Ambrosian calendar Advent has six weeks and not four; Lent starts four days later so there is no Ash Wednesday, and Carnival isn’t over until Sabato Grasso (Fat Saturday) instead of Martedi Grasso (Fat Tuesday aka Shrove Tuesday).

Another difference is that Mass is not celebrated on Fridays during Lent and communion is not offered.

But reading on, I discover that the Ambrosian rite, or Milanese rite, is only one of several variations on this theme. 

 Milan's Duomo 

There are others. The ancient Mozarabic rite was first practiced in Spain. They have their own calendar and even their own feast days like December 18^th, which is the Mozarabic Feast of the Incarnation, and January 23, the feast day of Saint Ildephonsus. both of which are still celebrated.

In the area in and around Venice they used the patriarchal rite of Aquileia. It was similar to the Milanese rite and practiced until the ended in the sixteenth century when the calendar of the Roman church was adopted. In France the traditions of the Gallican liturgy were popular and are still followed in the city of Lyon. While in Braga, the oldest city in Portugal and one of the oldest Christian cities in the world, the Archdiocese of Braga practices still another rite, the rite of Braga, just as they still do occasionally in the city of Providence, Rhode Island.

This is all so confusing. I was never all that great at keeping up with  all the rules and regs anyway so I think the best thing for me to do is to get my oh-so-blonde Paris Hilton wig, the old faux fur boa and my red high heel shoes off the top shelf of the closet, call up some friends and have my own private Carnival. And for Lent I can give up trying to figure all this stuff out. 

LIFE: Shroud of Turin

TURIN, Italy - The Shroud of Turin, arguably Italy’s most famous holy relic, will be on display from April 13 to May 23 at the Cathedral of Turin, in northern Italy. This will be the first public showing of the Shroud of Turin since it was restored in 2002.

As many as 2 million people are expected to view the Shroud over the 44 days it will be available. So far, almost 1 million requests have come in to reserve the three to five minutes each person will be allowed to admire the cloth that has fascinated pilgrims and scientists alike for centuries. 

According to tradition, the Shroud is the burial cloth of Jesus, but even with the use of special carbon dating techniques, experts have been hard pressed to date it much before the 14th century. Even though French crusader Robert of Clari mentions seeing the cloth in 1203 in Constantinople at the imperial palace, the first actual records trace it only to Lirey in France in 1354. 

There are historians who believe that the shroud was taken by French knights of the Fourth Crusade during the sacking of Constantinople in 1204. The basis of this belief comes from a letter written in 1205 to Pope Innocent II which says in part, “The Venetians partitioned the treasure of gold, silver and ivory, while the French did the same with the relics of saints and the most sacred of all, the linen in which our Lord Jesus Christ was wrapped after His death and before the resurrection.” 

There is also some evidence that on August 15, 944 CE an image bearing cloth known as the Cloth of Edessa, was taken from Edessa to Constantinople (now Istanbul). It had been in Edessa since it was found hidden behind some stones above one of the city gates sometime in the middle of the 6th century. According to legend, the cloth, with a miraculous picture of Jesus, was brought to the King of Edessa sometime between 13 –50 CE by a disciple known as Thaddeus Jude, who claimed to have been sent by the apostle Thomas. 

If the Edessa Cloth is the Shroud of Turin, then written record of its existence goes back to the sixth century. But is it? The controversy continues. And while no new tests are officially scheduled, scientists at Oxford University, where the original tests were done, are taking another look at the data and methodology of the original tests to see if any mistakes were made and if the Shroud could actually date back to the time of Jesus. 

Groups dedicated to researching the relic argue that the shroud has been handled so many times that it could easily have been contaminated, altering the chemical makeup of the carbon in the linen which in turn would affect the results of the carbon dating. To avoid further contamination the Shroud is now kept in a covered, bulletproof, climate controlled case inside the Cathedral of Turin. 

If you are planning on going to Turin I can tell you from my own experiences to see the Shroud in 1998, the city is well organized and even though there are a lot of people, lines move quickly and you never feel lost in a sea of humanity. And if you do have a chance to go I strongly suggest staying a few extra days. Turin is one of the most historically interesting and architectually beautiful cities in Italy, albeit not traditionally Italian. It was the city of Italy's royal family, the French Savoy, and they turned the city into a spectacular European capital. Vale la pena, as they say. You won't be sorry you stayed. 

Reservations to see the Shroud of Turin can be made on the Internet (www.sindone.org) During the Exposition period there will also be a booking service for same day visits at the reception point that will be set up in Piazza Castello, near the Cathedral.

More Information is available on the following sites: www.comune.torino.it
www.provincia.torino.it
www.regione.piemonte.it
www.turismotorino.org
www.comune.torino.it/torinoplus/

Photos: (1) Pilgrims viewing the Shroud of Turin 1998, (2) Cathedral of Turin, (3) Interior Cathedral of Turin

For more on Turin see Auntie Pasta: Italy's Dark (Chocolate) Secret published Feb. 10, 2010.