The Catholic religion
The Catholic religion has had a profound influence on the country's history and heritage. From the 1st century AD, Christianity gradually spread throughout the Roman Empire. Several waves of persecution overwhelmed the first Christians, but Emperor Constantine's edict of tolerance in 313 granted them freedom of worship. In 392, Christianity became the official religion of the Roman Empire. Gradually, Rome became the center of the Christian world, and the Pope the spiritual leader of all Catholics. Since 1870, when Rome was annexed to the young kingdom of Italy, the popes have relinquished their political power. For a long time, however, Catholicism remained the state religion, and it was not until 1984 that a concordat put a definitive end to this pre-eminent position. Today, the Italian Constitution guarantees freedom of religion, and the Church's political influence has been declining since the 1960s.
In terms of religious practice, Italy shares the fate of all European countries: a large proportion of the population is baptized, but only a small percentage attends mass regularly. However, southern Italy still boasts the highest concentration of the faithful in the country. This is the area with the highest percentage (40.9%) of people who visit a place of worship at least once a year. Churches are very numerous in every town, and patron saints are venerated, which explains the impact of religious festivals attended by all generations. The three most recurrent are Easter, August 15 (Ferragosto) and Christmas. While more and more Italians are adopting northern European customs and traditions for their Christmas celebrations - Christmas trees and gift exchanges - there are still two deeply rooted traditions: the construction of elaborate nativity scenes(presepi) and the Befana. On January 6, the day of the Epiphany, the Befana (a witch) travels the skies on her broom in search of the Christ Child. She stops at every house and leaves gifts, toys and sweets for the good children, and a lump of coal for the others.
Other religions
In all three regions, Catholicism coexists with other religions. In second place are Orthodox Christians, most of whom are immigrants from Eastern Europe. Other Christian minorities include Protestants (Waldensians, Pentecostals), Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormons and the Italo-Greek Catholics of the Arberèche community, who practice the Byzantine rite in Greek but recognize the authority of the Holy See. Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism are also practiced by citizens of immigrant origin.
As for the Hebrew presence in southern Italy, it has been attested since antiquity. Large Jewish communities were established in Bari, Otranto and Reggio di Calabria. At Bova Marina, in Calabria, the remains of a4th-century AD synagogue decorated with mosaics have been unearthed, the second oldest synagogue in Western Europe after that of Ostia, the ancient port of Rome. As for the vast Jewish catacombs of Venosa, they bear witness to the establishment of a large community in the Lucanian city. In the Middle Ages, Jews were particularly present in port towns, and some, such as Vieste and Trani in Apulia, still preserve, in the maze of their picturesque alleys, the memory of the ancient Giudecca, the Jewish quarter. The historic center of Trani is also home to two synagogues, one of which has been converted into a museum.
Popular beliefs
Legends and popular beliefs have ancestral origins, and their memory is perpetuated by oral culture. They are still part of our collective memory.
Starting with the fantastic beings that populate towns, countryside and forests, and can be either beneficial or evil. Many local legends refer to the presence of werewolves, who appear on the nights of the full moon. In Puglia, Lu Laurieddhu is a mischievous elf with a pointed hat who disturbs people's sleep at night by sitting on their chests or tickling the soles of their feet. He also likes to make a racket with the pots in the kitchen and tie knots in horses' manes. But he's also good with young girls, doing household chores for them, and with babies to whom he offers coins. Lu Laurieddhu is in possession of a treasure, the hiding place of which he will only reveal to whoever manages to steal his hat.
The legends of Basilicata include a similar being called Monachicchio, the spirit of a toddler who died before receiving baptism. He wears a red beret in which he hides gold coins, and seeks out the company of children with whom he shares games and pranks.
Another belief still firmly rooted along the Strait of Messina relates that, when the sea and air are still and untouched by wind, the Sicilian coast appears closer due to an optical phenomenon known as Fata Morgana. The fairy Morgana, a figure of Celtic mythology, was in fact adopted in the South and appears in an account of the Norman conquest of Sicily. As Roger I coveted the island from the Calabrian coast, it suddenly appeared much closer to him, thanks to a mirage caused by the fairy, and the Norman decided to set out to conquer it.
Other stories feature historical figures from the Swabian dynasty that succeeded the Normans. At Lagopesole Castle, near Potenza, Queen Helena's lament for the death of her husband, Manfred of Sicily, at the Battle of Benevento in 1266 can sometimes be heard. Many of the region's castles are infested with ghosts, such as those at Trani and Monopoli. At Monte Sant'Angelo in Puglia, the spirit of Bianca Lancia, Emperor Frederick II's lover, wanders about waiting for her beloved. The castle of Pizzo, in Calabria, is haunted by Joachim Murat, seeking revenge after being imprisoned and executed there in 1815.
Finally, tarentism and the dance derived from it, tarantella, belong fully to this melting pot of popular beliefs. Tarentism was a disease that plagued the Apulian town of Taranto from the 15th to 17th centuries. The condition was attributed to the bite of the tarantula, a large black spider, and was treated with music and a dance: the tarantella. Nowadays, tarantella's therapeutic function has faded, but it remains part of southern Italy's cultural heritage. Indeed, famous composers (Rossini, Chopin, etc.) have written tarantella, and the dance has enjoyed an undeniable revival in recent years, as witnessed by the success of the Notte della Taranta, a festival held every summer in Puglia.
