Saying goodbye is one of the
most natural things in the world, isn’t it? It is universal, something common
to every culture. We all say goodbye in the same way, don’t we?
In Britain a goodbye usually goes
something like this:
‘Bye!’
‘Bye!’
At
this point the participants go their separate ways.
In Italy however, saying
goodbye is a little bit more complicated. When you say goodbye you are inviting
someone to a dance. At first, I didn’t know how to do this dance. I didn’t know
the moves. I had to learn that the first ‘Bye’ is not the real goodbye at all.
It is merely the beginning of a complex and sophisticated dance routine. Now I
know this dance, and I happily join in. But at the beginning, I was a hopeless
and confused beginner.
When a Goodbye is not a Goodbye.
This is what usually happens
in Italy.
‘Bye!’
‘Bye!’
The group then shuffles two or
three metres towards the door. Then someone says:
‘Did you hear about my
neighbour?’
‘No what happened?’
‘He had a fall last Sunday, now
he’s in hospital. I don’t know how his wife is coping.’
A conversation that lasts from
ten to thirty minutes follows. The group then shuffle another two metres towards
the door. Then someone says:
‘Oh, I forgot, you have to
give me that recipe for apple crumble.’ The conversation turns fruity:
‘Here it is!’
‘What apples should I use?’
‘Any apple will do, but I
prefer Granny Smiths’
‘Granny Smith’s? Where can I
get them?’
‘Well, there is a new
supermarket on Corso Cavour that has them, have you been there?’
‘No, but a new supermarket
seems to spring up every week these days.’
‘You’re right. I don’t know
how they survive………
Then there are a series of
smaller shuffles, as the door gets nearer. The dance routine gets more and more
complex. Shuffle-Stop-Talk-Talk-Shuffle-Talk-Stop-Shuffle-Stop-Talk,
until finally, two hours after the first ‘bye’, we arrive at the penultimate
goodbye.
The door is open. It is minus
five degrees outside. But someone, for some reason, thinks that now is the
perfect time to speak about her mothers’ ‘cervicale.’
When this gets sorted out, and
doctors’ names are exchanged, there is the last goodbye.
I personally like this dance
now. The message behind the dance is, ‘I don’t really want you to go.’ It is a
wonderful dance. It reflects the original meaning of the word goodbye. God-Be-With-You. It is a dance of
friendship.
But sometimes I wonder.
Wouldn’t it be more efficient if we all said goodbye at the beginning of the
evening? Then we could spend the whole evening doing this dance and saying
goodbye in this wonderful way.
Great story, Michael!
ReplyDeleteLove it! It is great to give it a name the 'dance'...
ReplyDeleteI agree :)I have modified the title.
DeleteBellissimo e commuovente
ReplyDeleteThank you Carla. It written from the heart.
DeleteItaly has not only given me dancing lessons. :D . It has also taught me many other things. Hopefully I will get a chance to share these things with you on the blog.