Specific Holiday or Ritual Associations
The tortellini is associated with celebration in Italy. “Until roughly 50 years ago, the poor ate tortellini only during holiday celebrations. They usually saw meat (other than pancetta, salt pork and salami) only at Christmas and Easter.” (Kasper, 75) Today, the tortellini still carries this holiday connection as Christmas dinner traditionally begins with the dumpling. Additionally, on the second week of September there is an annual tortellini festival in Castelfranco Emilia, a town in Emilia-Bologna. “Each year, Castelfranco Emilia celebrates the Sagra di San Nicola or Tortellini Festival during which the creation of the tortellini is re-enacted. The town folk dress up for the festivity and the voyeur awarded the “Oste” title has the responsibility to uphold the tortellini tradition for a year.” (travelsignposts.com)
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