Posts Tagged With: Merry Christmas

Valentino and his fellow Italians celebrated the Christmas holidays during the 1920’s. The 1920’s was a time where globally everyone was still recovering from a world war that took many lives and reeked devastation everywhere. Yet a new century was in full swing and it was still a time where the traditional family unit gathered around the table each night and observed the Sabbath each Sunday. Holidays were a time in life where relatives gathered together during the holiday season to remember and reflect on the true meaning of Christmas and celebrate together with joy. People from all walks of life coming as one upholding traditions passed down thru the generations.

Hollywood a community globally looked on with awe and the Christmas holidays, comes to a city filled with flaming red poinsettias, manicured green lawns, electric lighted Christmas trees. Beautifully decorated streetlamp posts with tinsel decorations and glitter festooned store fronts to let visitors and local citizens alike the holiday season has arrived. Major movie film studio cars, chauffeured town cars, and taxi cabs alike rushing around delivering flowers, baskets of food, beautifully wrapped packages from address to another. These same movie film studios are sending Christmas cards from their favourite star to the fans and newspaper writers who support the industry, all year long. Also, there are the industries workers to consider from the prop boy, hairdresser, tailor, secretaries, grip boys whose valuable contribution to the film making industry. Silent film stars like Lila Lee, Leatrice Joy, Nita Naldi, Buster Keaton, Monte Blue, Gloria Swanson, Mary Miles Minter, Ricardo Cortez, Harold Lloyd, Rudolph Valentino and his wife, Ramon Navarro, Lupe Velez, will gather with their respective family and friends to celebrate in a most festive way. Rudolph Valentino’s family and Natacha Rambova’s family are in Europe wrapped up cozy warm in front of the respective fires celebrating in their own ways. While our couple are remaining in California due to film commitments and a wave of homesickness in the air. They felt Christmas should traditionally be spent where they would put a fire in the fireplace to roast nuts and cook a meal together. Rudy would thoughtfully present Natacha with a new jewel or another dog to add to their growing menagerie. The day would end with them reading poetry to each other and discuss their plans for the upcoming year. However, Rudy would often think about his family back home and miss the wintry weather, mulled wine, and the rich dinner. This was a time of celebrating and the evening would see the churches packed with people looking forward to altars bathed in candlelight and voices joyously singing songs willed with meaning. Sometimes Rudy would take a drive down to Palm Springs dessert where the nights were genuinely like those near Bethlehem where once upon a time, three Wise Men would follow a star. On the other side of the world, Italians would celebrate the Christmas season starting with 8 December with the feast of Immaculate Conception and end on 6 January with the feast of Epiphany. Their trees would be quietly decorated with cherished ornaments passed down through the family and the base of the tree would feature a nativity scene. Italians are a traditional people, and their Christmas eve meal would not have meat and of course a lavish dessert of Christmas cake or Panettone is served. An old saying goes “Christmas with your family and Easter with anyone you wish.” The most characteristic Italian Christmas sound is the one of bagpipes, played by pipers called zampognari. Stockings would be filled with fruit and simply carved toys for children and the adults would exchange home-made gifts. Times with family had special meaning and there was a festive spirit that was in everyone. A courteous greeting was extended to all while the New Year was looked upon with a certain relief it was a simple time where family and friends were more important.