Borgo Santa Lucia

Borgo Santa Lucia (or, more simply, Santa Lucia) is an historical rione of Naples, Italy. The area rises around the street of the same name and takes that name from the parish sanctuary of Santa Lucia a mare, of which the presence is attested since the 9th century, on the river of the sea, in spite of legend that would have it founded by a granddaughter of Constantine I.

Territory

The territory of the ward coincides with that of the Parish and extends along via (street) Santa Lucia and Orsini and their cross streets, the Islet of Megaride with the Borgo Marinari, the Castel dell'Ovo, and via Chiatamone, all features of the Partenope promenade. It extends to the offices of the newspaper Il Mattino, the so-called “Pallonetto of Santa Lucia” and the slopes of Mount Echia nearly to Monte di Dio. The area is bounded on the north and east by the Royal Palace, the Molosiglio and via Cesario Console, anciently famous as "Rua of the Provenzali".

History

Santa Lucia has been identified with the history of Naples ever since the Greeks from Cumae landed here to found the small market harbour of Falero, which later gave rise — between the beach, the islet of Megaride and the Pizzofalcone hill — to the polis Partenope (from the siren who tried to enchant Ulysses); later that town would be known as Palepoli (“old city”).

Santa Lucia

"Santa Lucia" (Italian: [ˈsanta luˈtʃiːa], Neapolitan: [ˈsandə luˈʃiːə]) is a traditional Neapolitan song. It was transcribed by Teodoro Cottrau (1827–1879) and published by the Cottrau firm, as a "barcarolla", at Naples in 1849. Cottrau translated it from Neapolitan into Italian during the first stage of the Risorgimento, the first Neapolitan song to be given Italian lyrics. Its transcriber, who is very often credited as its composer, was the son of the French-born Italian composer and collector of songs Guillaume Louis Cottrau (1797–1847).

Various sources credit A. Longo with the music, 1835.

The original lyrics of "Santa Lucia" celebrate the picturesque waterfront district, Borgo Santa Lucia, in the Bay of Naples, in the invitation of a boatman to take a turn in his boat, to better enjoy the cool of the evening.

In the United States, an early edition of the song, with an English translation by Thomas Oliphant, was published by M. McCaffrey, Baltimore. Perhaps the definitive 20th century recording of the song was that of Enrico Caruso, the great Neapolitan opera singer.

Santa Claus

Santa Claus, Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Father Christmas, Kris Kringle, Santy, or simply Santa is a mythical figure with historical origins who, in many Western cultures, brings gifts to the homes of well-behaved, "good" children on Christmas Eve (24 December) and the early morning hours of Christmas Day (25 December). The modern Santa Claus is derived from the British figure of Father Christmas, the Dutch figure of Sinterklaas, and Saint Nicholas, the historical Greek bishop and gift-giver of Myra. During the Christianization of Germanic Europe, this figure may also have absorbed elements of the god Odin, who was associated with the Germanic pagan midwinter event of Yule and led the Wild Hunt, a ghostly procession through the sky.

Santa Claus is generally depicted as a portly, joyous, white-bearded man—sometimes with spectacles—wearing a red coat with white collar and cuffs, white-cuffed red trousers, and black leather belt and boots and who carries a bag full of gifts for children. Images of him rarely have a beard with no moustache. This image became popular in the United States and Canada in the 19th century due to the significant influence of the 1823 poem "A Visit From St. Nicholas" and of caricaturist and political cartoonist Thomas Nast. This image has been maintained and reinforced through song, radio, television, children's books and films.

Lucia

Lucia may refer to:

Arts and culture

Other uses

See also

Borgo

Borgo is an Italian word (plural borghi), cognate with English borough, German Burg, French bourg, that now usually means the new town outside the walls of an old town (the paese). Very often the borgo is a distinct frazione from the paese, and its name is that of the town with Borgo added, either before or after: for example, the lower town of Trevi is Borgo Trevi; the lower town of Cerreto di Spoleto is Cerreto Borgo. The diminutive form of the word is borghetto ("little borgo"), from which the contracted term ghetto derived.

The word is part of the name of a number of places: