| Natale di Roma | |
|---|---|
 TheCapitoline Wolf, now illustrating the legend that ashe-wolf nursed and shelteredRomulus and Remus aftertheir mother's imprisonment inAlba Longa | |
| Observed by | Rome, Italy |
| Type | Festival celebrating thefounding of Rome |
| Date | 21 April |
Natale di Roma (lit. 'Birthday of Rome') is an annual festival held inRome on April 21 to celebrate the legendaryfounding of the city.[1] According tolegend,Romulus is said to have founded the city of Rome on April 21, 753 BC. A Roman chronology derived its system, known by theLatin phraseAb urbe condita, meaning 'from the founding of the City', from this date and counted the years from this presumed foundation. The dominant method of identifying years in Roman times, though, was to name the twoconsuls who held office that year.[2]
The celebration of the anniversary of the Urbe as an element ofimperial propaganda ultimately assigned fundamental importance to the question of the year of foundation.
Starting from EmperorClaudius, the method of calculating the City's age, proposed byMarcus Terentius Varro, prevailed over others. Claudius was the first to have the anniversary of Rome celebrated in 47,[3][4] eight hundred years after the presumed date of foundation.[5] In 147–148,Antoninus Pius initiated a similar celebration,[6] and in 248,Philip the Arab celebrated the first millennium of Rome, along with theLudi Saeculares (celebrated every hundred years), as Rome reached ten centuries.[7] Coins have survived that celebrate the event. On a coin of the claimant to the thronePacatianus, the number "1001" explicitly appears, indicating how the citizens of the Roman Empire understood they were at the beginning of a new era,Saeculum Novum. When the Roman Empire becameChristian, in the following centuries, this millenary image was utilized in a moremetaphysical sense.
During theimperial age, the feast ofSaint Caesarius of Terracina (whose nameKaisarios probably predestined him to become the patron saint of Caesars[8]) was established for the day April 21,[9] the date of the foundation of Rome: this date acquired significant meaning, especially for the imperial propaganda it served; a pretext to celebrate the figure of the emperor and his patron saint.
With the earlier spread and later adoption of Christianity as the state religion, along with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and the subsequent invasions, migrations, and conquests bybarbarian populations, Rome, like everything that was its empire, saw the disappearance of many of its customs and traditions, including many of its festivals.
The Roman Academy ofPomponio Leto (a student of the pagan theologianGemistus Pletho) soon became a circle of literati devoted to classical antiquity, even aiming to restore theancient Roman religion (a unique project in the context of 15th-centuryhumanism, indicating a certain subversive inclination). This seems to have taken place within the Academy itself, where they ritually celebrated the birthday ofRome (April 21) and where Leto had restored thePontifex Maximus.
This is also seemingly confirmed by some inscriptions discovered in the 19th century in the Roman catacombs, where the names of the members of the Roman Academy are found alongside inscriptions encouraging debauchery. Pomponio Leto is called Pontifex Maximus and Pantagathus, meaning priest.[10]
Some of these were recovered byHumanism, but it was with the advent of theRisorgimento that the celebration of Natale di Roma was restored as a "tradition". The most revolutionary among the Mazzinians, Garibaldians, and some liberals celebrated the event, for instance, in the spring of 1849, when Rome, having recently become a free Republic that had overthrown the temporal power of the Pope, fought for survival.[11] It is said that a meal was held in the Forums with toasts for the presumed foundation of the Urbe by Romulus and the refounding (liberation) by the revolutionaries themselves. Francesco Sturbinetti delivered one of the most heartfelt speeches.[12]
On April 3, 1921, during a speech inBologna, the then leader of theItalian Fascist Movement,Benito Mussolini, proclaimed the anniversary of the founding of Rome as an official holiday offascism. This decision was commented on byAntonio Gramsci as the fascism's attempt to naturalize its role in Italian history, through the claim to Roman origins.[13] In the document that sanctioned the national-fascist fusion between theItalian Nationalist Association and theNational Fascist Party, signed on March 16, 1923, representatives of the two political forces established to celebrate the unifying agreement with a manifesto containing an appeal for national unity, to be posted in all Italian cities on the evening of April 20, the eve of Natale di Roma, a day "signifying the occurred rebirth of Roman greatness".[14]
On the same April 19, a draft decree-law proposed by President Benito Mussolini was approved by the Council of Ministers, abolishing the holiday on May 1 and fixing the celebration of Labor Day on April 21, Natale di Roma.[15] It was the first celebration instituted by Mussolini's government, which, starting from April 21, 1924, became a national holiday, named "Natale di Roma - Labor Day". This decree was repealed in 1945, restoringLabor Day to May 1.
In the years of the Italian Republic, "Natale di Roma" has been celebrated with conferences and historical reenactments. In recent years, this event has regained significance, leading Italian institutions to recognize it more. Associations such as the "Gruppo Storico Romano" (GSR) andPietas Comunita Gentile have contributed to organizing the event through historical reenactments and religious events with the affiliated associations involved in themodern Roman religion. The Gruppo Storico Romano annually organizes a parade with participants in period costumes and representations of scenes from ancient life and celebrations that echo the religious rites of ancient Rome.[16]
In 2024, the 2777th "Natale di Roma" was held, with the participation of Italian institutional representatives. During the event, a plan was announced to increase funding for historical reenactments and possible legislation aimed at regulating such celebrations to preserve and enhance cultural traditions. Additionally, the band of the Italian Army participated in the celebrations.[17] Every year, organizations from across Europe come to celebrate this date, demonstrating the importance and international appeal of the event.[18]
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