Father’s Day is a celebration that is widespread in different areas of the world.
The party is secular, but the Catholic countries celebrate it on St. Joseph’s Day. Elsewhere it is celebrated in June and many other months of the year.
According to tradition, each country is celebrated in a specific period; in Italy it is celebrated on March 19, the day of Saint Joseph.
Each place has its own traditions linked to this day, which is often associated with a typical dessert.
Who is from Bologna, for Father’s Day eagerly awaits the raviole, a cake of the pastry tradition of the city of San Petronio. Ravioli are half-moons of pastry with fruit jam filling. Its most famous filling is the one with the Bolognese mustard, which is a jam typical of the Emilian capital and is composed of fruits such as apples, pears and quinces.
The history of this dessert has ancient origins. It is said that St. Joseph, fleeing from Palestine to Egypt, was chased by the carabinieri. The route initially planned changed as the poor persecuted continued to flee to different lands. When he arrived in Bologna the carabinieri joined him. In the desperate struggle to free himself, the saint was helped by the divine intervention and succeeded in sowing the pursuers. During the agitated phases of the fight, the hat of a carabiniere (raviola) remained in the hands of St. Joseph. The exultant Bolognese people wanted to remember the event and this excellent dessert was created, which recalls the shape of the carabiniere’s hat.
The dessert actually seems to have been created to brighten up the festivities for the arrival of spring. The ravioli were placed on a plate, outside the window, so that passers-by could take them and celebrate with the locals.
