The country is home to 12 million grandparents and studies show that Italian nonni spend an average of 25.8 hours a week caring for their grandchildren.
Grandparents Day was initially introduced in the US in 1978, following a proposal by Marian McQuade, a West Virginia housewife who was a mother to 15 children and a grandmother to 40 grandchildren.
Adopted in Italy by law on July 31, 2005, the Festa dei Nonni (National Grandparents Day) is a civil holiday that coincides with the date when the Catholic Church honours guardian angels.
The law also establishes the Premio nazionale del nonno e della nonna d’Italia, an award which the president of the Republic of Italy assigns annually to 10 grandparents, based on research conducted by Italian politicians and academics.
The day is celebrated with many initiatives and events that take place in towns, cities and regions across the country.
The official flower chosen for this special occasion is the forget-me-not.
Its scientific name is myosotis, which stems from an Ancient Greek word meaning “mouse’s ears”, due to the shape of its foliage.
The Italian song dedicated to National Grandparents Day is Tu Sarai, written and produced in 2005 by singer-songwriter Walter Bassani and performed by Peter Barcella.
It has been widely acclaimed for its positive message uniting generations of children, parents and grandparents.
Interestingly, Italy will celebrate grandparents on two occasions every year from 2021.
In the Catholic tradition, the patron saints of grandparents are Saints Joachim and Anne, the parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary and grandparents of Jesus, who are celebrated annually on July 26.
In January 2021, Pope Francis announced the World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly, to be celebrated each year on the fourth Sunday of July, coinciding with the feast day of these two saints.
While the wonderful work of grandparents deserves to be acknowledged 365 days a year, why not take the chance on Saturday to give your nonni a little extra love?
