One of my biggest life pursuits, is being MINDFUL. After a lifetime of being discriminated against, othered, invalidated, and in so many ways discarded, I developed the sad habit of disassociation. Staring off blankly into space, “checking out” - it’s a common defense mechanism of the abused and disenfranchised. Because of it, there is much of my life that I simply cannot recall. YEARS, in fact.
When I started my transition, I dropped the mask, shed my skin, and left the boy behind. I committed to being as completely authentic as possible; to be grounded, and to live in the moment moving forward. MY life, in abundance.
For me, that has meant embracing my heritage, expressing it. I’ve always been proud of my cultural origins. As a little Fia, I had the honor of knowing some of the immigrant members of my family. From them, I learned of our journey to the states, the difficult situations we left behind, and much of our traditions.
I also learned of our Romani background. Being Sicilian, in the areas I lived, in the TIME I lived, came with stigma, and discrimination. Romi folks have it worse, so I was told to keep that part of me to myself. To assimilate. I was in college before I understood why.
Over the years, as I researched my family history, I have become aware of the continuing persecution of Romani people, who - to this day, are denied access to basic human rights and face a life of poverty, discrimination, violence, and exclusion.
Part of my research led me to mr. R. Lee, a Canadian Roma who taught linguistics in Toronto, and who is responsible for creating the written form of Kalderash - the most widely spoken dialect of the Romani language. With his help, I discovered that the DeRosa part of my family is connected to the Napulengere clan of Sicilian Romani, which travels along the Salerno coast and in Sicily. I know my mother’s side also has similar origins, but so far have not connected them to a specific tribe. It’s difficult for me to communicate the significance of this information, and how deeply rooted in my identity it is.
As part of my investigation, I recently did one of those DNA things - “23 and me,” which goes into great regional detail, the trail of my clan, and the various conquering nations in Sicilian history.
I like knowing where I’m from, who my people are. It gives context to how I got to where I am, and empowers me as I begin this new chapter in my ancestral narrative.
Today me and my friends visited Torretta, It was a super dangerous heaven. It is a places full of caves, where ancient people living in Sicily got their materials. Nowadays the floor is super slippery because it is always wet, and there is no sand, the rocks are really dangerous, that’s why one of my friend fell today and got scratched. Aside of the danger, this place has a magical aura, because of the colours and the smell that I recognize as mine, my Sicilian traits, and the caves that hug you with their shadows when the sun goes down, it makes you feel like the place is giving you the chance to visit it, welcoming you with amazing colours, the sound of the sea and some jazz music around the bars, and the rocks that I recognize are the ones used for the temples. It is familiar, so familiar that it is breathtaking.❤️
This is the second post I am trying to do I hope I finally get to share it, I said before that I love to collect picture of the places I visit because it is like building up a palette for every place I go, it is so much fun!
Scipione Rebiba, Cardinale-Presbitero di S. Pudenziana, Arcivescovo di Pisa.
Secondo lo studioso di genealogia episcopale Charles Bransom, è uno dei più antichi vescovi del quale si conoscano con certezza i dati sulle ordinazioni episcopali: più del 95% degli oltre 5200 vescovi viventi lo pongono al vertice della propria genealogia episcopale, inclusi papa Francesco e tutti i suoi predecessori ininterrottamente a partire da papa Clemente XI.
Nacque a San Marco, piccolo centro siciliano arroccato su una collina dei monti Nebrodi, a quel tempo facente parte dell'arcidiocesi di Messina, il 3 febbraio 1504 da Francesco e Antonia Lucia Filingeri. Intraprese gli studi giuridici a Palermo, conseguendo la laurea in utroque iure, e quelli teologici. Ricevette gli ordini minori e quelli maggiori negli anni 1524-1528, mentre era arcivescovo Giovanni Carandolet, e fu insignito di un beneficio nella chiesa di Santa Maria dei Miracoli di Palermo.
In seguito, intorno agli anni 1536-1537, si trasferì a Roma, venendo a contatto con la giovane congregazione dei Chierici Regolari, ed entrò al servizio del cardinal Gian Pietro Carafa, vescovo di Chieti e Protonotario Apostolico presso la Curia Romana. In rappresentanza del Carafa assunse il governo della diocesi di Chieti e da papa Paolo III, il 16 marzo 1541, fu nominato vescovo titolare di Amiclae e vicario generale della chiesa teatina.
Per una singolare circostanza il Rebiba si colloca all'origine della linea ascendente della successione apostolica della maggioranza dei vescovi della Chiesa cattolica. Coloro che hanno inteso ricostruire le genealogie episcopali dei romani pontefici e dei vescovi si sono tutti arrestati al Rebiba, oltre il quale, ad oggi, non è possibile risalire.
Here is a translation of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone in Sicilian by Cademia Siciliana. The translation is unofficial, so there are currently no real editions of the Harry Potter saga in Sicilian.
Cademia Siciliana is a non-profit organisation whose members are academics, linguists and researchers who aim to promote and regulate the Sicilian language and its use.
Al-Andalus (الأَنْدَلُس) was the Muslim-ruled area of the Iberian Peninsula. The term is used by modern historians for the former Islamic states based in modern Portugal and Spain from 711 AD to 1492 AD.
Much of the Arabic influence upon Spanish came through the various Arabized Romance dialects that were spoken in areas under Moorish rule, known today by scholars as Mozarabic. This resulted in Spanish often having both Arabic and Latin derived words with the same meaning.
Examples of Arabic and Latin derived words in Spanish with the same meaning:
aceituna & oliva (olive),
alacrán & escorpión (scorpion),
jaqueca & migraña (migraine),
alcancía & hucha (piggy bank).
The influence of Arabic is more noticeable in the Spanish dialects from regions with a longer history of Muslim rule than those where it was shorter-lived. For this reason, the dialects of the southern half of the country show a higher degree of preference for Arabisms.
Northern Spanish dialects tend to prefer Romance synonyms to terms of Arabic origin. Because Canarian and all Hispanic American dialects are mainly derived from Southern Castilian, Spanish words of Arabic origin are common in most varieties of Modern Spanish.
The Emirate of Sicily (إِمَارَة صِقِلِّيَة) was an Islamic kingdom that ruled the island of Sicily from 831 to 1091. Its capital was Palermo (Bal'harm), which during this period became a major cultural and political center of the Muslim world.
More Spanish words that come from Arabic:
azul (lāzaward, ultimately from Sanskrit)
café (qahwa)
pantalones (bantalon)
camisa (kamis)
alacrán (aqrab)
barrio (barri, from Andalusian Arabic)
cúrcuma (curcum)
jarra (ǧarrah)
fulano (fulan)
rincón (rukn)
almohada (al-makhada)
TheMozarabic/Andalusi Romance language… this is so cool.
Arabic-influenced Romance dialects spoken in the Muslim-controlled areas of Iberia, known as Al-Andalus. It was spoken until around the 13th century when it was displaced, mostly by Spanish, which adopted a lot from it.
Mozarabic vs Spanish:
Mozarabic:
Mío sidi Ibrahim,
ya wemne dolche!
vente mib
de nohte.
non, si non quieres,
iréyme tib:
garreme a ob
legarte
Spanish:
Mi señor Ibrahim,
¡Oh tú, hombre dulce!
Ven a mí
de noche.
Si no, si no quieres,
yo me iré contigo,
dime dónde
encontrarte
“Inshallah” & “Mashallah” around the world & words descended from these terms:
Arabic: إِنْ شَاءَ ٱللَّٰهُ (In sha'Allah)
Spanish: Ojalá
Asturleonese & Galician: Oxalá/Ogallá
Portuguese: Oxalá
Maltese: jekk Alla jrid
Persian/Farsi: انشاءالله
Costa Rican Spanish: Machalá
Cypriot Greek: ίσσαλα (ishalla)
1. “In sha'Allah” or “Inshallah” an Arabic language expression meaning “if God wills” or “God willing”.
2. In Cypriot Greek the word ίσσαλα,ishallais used with the meaning “hopefully”.
3. The word “oxalá” in Asturleonese, Galician, & Portuguese; also present in Spanish as “ojalá” all come from the Arabic لو شاء الله law šā’ l-lāh. It means “we hope” or “I hope”.
4. A similar expression exists in Maltese:jekk Alla jrid (if God wills it). Maltese is descended from Siculo-Arabic, the Arabic dialect that developed in Sicily and later in Malta between the end of the 9th century and the end of the 12th century.
5. The word “Machalá” descended from the Arabic “Mashallah” is used in Costa Rican Spanish.
In Costa Rica, it means the opposite of “ojalá”, so it means “I hope not” instead of hopefully.
You can say something like:
“Machalá,machalá, toco madera"
in order to keep bad luck away.
End of thread:
I hope you enjoyed and learned something neat about these languages
There is a story here. Yes, it’s a beautiful balcony. But look more closely. There is something else very Sicilian about this. Hmmm… If you guessed the garbage can hanging from the rope dangling from the balcony, you are correct! You will see this phenomenon all over Sicily. Baskets. Buckets. Bags. Yup. It’s a practical way of taking the garbage out. And keeping it high enough from the ground so the cats, dogs, and other varmints don’t mess with it. Keep your eyes open for this practice during your travels. And smile as you remember I told you about it! #experiencesicily #sicily #balcony #sicilian #sicilia #siciliabedda #italy #italia #sicilyvacation #sicilians_world #ig_sicily #igerssicilia #instasicilia #gf_italy #siculamenteDoc #sicily_tricolors #ig_visitsicily #Sicilia_PhotoGroup #smallgrouptours #traveltogether #authenticsicily #sicilytour #whatsicilyis #sicilytravel #viverelasicilia (at Salemi) https://www.instagram.com/p/CbG9ErDs6Bi/?utm_medium=tumblr
“Coffa” means basket in Sicilian. It is a basket that comes from the Sicilian rural tradition made from straw used by farmers to feed horses and donkeys. The original Coffa is made from straw that comes originally from Palma nana or from embroidered fabric thread.
Perfect for the summer, a day at the beach or a chic evening. The handle and body of the Coffa is embellished with decorations such as jewelry, flowers, feathers, small mirrors, glitter, pompoms and more. The basic color is that of the straw while the decorations must be multicolored. The most used colors are inspired by the Sicilian flag, yellow and red.
Most of the time, the original Coffa is painted by hand representing a Sicilian cart or puppets called Pupi.
All my original coffa is handmade and each piece is sewn individually.
