Show and Tell Friday~Fun Foto Friday!!

I am joining Cindy from Romantic Home for Show and Tell Friday and Debbie at Debbiedoos for Fun Foto Friday parties today. While my husband was in the military, we had the pleasure of living overseas for three years in Sicily. We were young and fortunate enough to travel around a little while there,too. One of the first gifts I received was the chicken pitcher....

I was told they were for good luck here is the history on them:

The origin of the chicken pitcher dates back to early Renaissance period in the Republic of Florence. The leading family in the republic was the Medici family. Its patriarch was the famous Lorenzo the Magnificent who had one brother, Giuliano. The Medicis were the wealthiest and most powerful family in the republic. Their only serious rival for power was the Pazzis family.The Pazzis were trying to take power by the normal method used at that time..assassination.

The Medicis' wealth was partly based upon their large land holdings, which their peasants in the nearby villiage worked on. Occasionally, the Medicis would throw large festivals in these villages for the peasants. Giuliano, especially, liked to this and would do so on the slightest suggestion.

Knowing this, the Pazzis had someone suggest to Giualiano that he throw a festival in the small village of Gallina, where one had never been held before. Giuliano agreed, and the Pazzis plotted to kill him and his guards the night after the festival when they would be most vlunerable. (Due to the amounts of wine drunk.)

In the fall of 1478, Giuliano and his enourage including guards, cooks and craftsmen went to Gallina(which no longer exist today) to throw the festival. The Pazzis hired assasins to sneak into town late at night after the festival to kill him. They would have succeeded except they had to cross a yard full of chickens. The chickens started cackling in a great frenzy and woke Giuliano and his guards. The assassins were so startled they froze. They were caught and executed.

Giuliano was so thrilled that the chickens had warned him, that he threw another festival the following night. He ordered his artisans to create ceramic copies of chickens to be used as wine pitchers. These he gave to the peasants and their friends for good luck in warding off assassins. It is now an Italian tradition to give a chicken pitcher to friends and family to protect them from trespassers and danger.

There you have it,  the history of the Italian chicken pitcher. Included with the chicken is always a history print out tucked inside them.

The above picture is the family of them that I have. Another friend of mine, while there, gave me the rest of the chicken pitchers,saying we needed to have one represent each one of our family members. What a nice friend! A lucky chicken pitcher for each one of us! I love the little baby one!!

You know, its funny, maybe they ARE really lucky, none of them have chipped or broke in all our military moves...hhmmmmmm. Thank you to Cindy at Romantic Home for having her Show and Tell party. This is my first time for this party!!  Thank you to Debbie for hosting her Fun Foto Friday at Debbiedoos!! Find your fun photos and join the party!!.....Michelle