Happy birthday Italy
Vita gazette – Today, the Feast of National Unity, the Constitution, the Anthem and the Italian flag are celebrated.
On March 17, 1861, the birth of the Kingdom of Italy was officially proclaimed, after a long and difficult process of national unification, marking the beginning of our common history. And it is no coincidence that symbols that intend to strengthen the sense of belonging of an entire community have been joined to this anniversary: the Constitution, a fundamental law of the State, not only a political document but also an essential point of reference in the expression of the essential principles for community life; the flag, the green, white and red tricolour, born in Reggio Emilia in 1797, as the banner of the Cispadana Republic, which later became the symbol of the patriots of the Risorgimento, and finally of the Unification of Italy.
The hymn written by Goffredo Mameli and set to music by Michele Novaro, “The Song of the Italians” composed in 1847, was sung in the squares and battlefields by men and women fighting for independence and national unity. banned during the Fascist period. Returned to being a national anthem in 1946, it continues to be played and sung on all official occasions.
Numerous events throughout the country, starting with Turin, the city where 161 years ago, in 1861, the unity of the nation was proclaimed. The official name given to the celebrations, as reported on the government website, is “National Unity, Constitution, Anthem and Flag Day”.
The process of unity of the country, the culmination of the Risorgimento, was long and complicated. And it didn’t end, of course, in a single day. So why was 17 March chosen as the day to celebrate the tricolour reunification? March 17, 1861, is the day when Vittorio Emanuele II of Savoy, king of Sardinia and Piedmont, became the first king of Italy.
These are the words used in parliament to announce the turning point: “The Senate and the Chamber of Deputies have approved; we have sanctioned and promulgated the following: King Vittorio Emanuele II assumes for himself and his successors the title of King of Italy. We order that this present, bearing the seal of the State, be included in the collection of Government Acts, sending anyone in charge to observe it and have it observed as State Law.” It was the beginning of the constitutional monarchy in Italy, a form of government that it was replaced in 1946 by the parliamentary republic, following the referendum.