The Christmas and New Year's
holidays in Italy are marked
with the spirit of celebration and
reverence for which Italians are
famous. Since 98% of Italians are
Catholic, as the holidays approach, it
may seem like the entire country is
going through the same motions of
eager preparation. Yet,
although rituals may be
similar throughout the
country, they vary from
region to region as well
as house to house.
Food plays a central
role in each.
 A zampognaro plays a bagpipe in Rome's Piazza Navona. |
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national holiday on December 8th,
marking the Feast of the Immaculate
Conception. Churches all over the
country unveil their presepi, elaborate
nativity scenes. Hundreds of presepi
can be seen in Rome's Piazza del
Popolo and a life-size nativity scene
resides for the season in St. Peter's
Square. The tradition of displaying
mangers originated in the 13th century
when St. Francis of Assisi erected the
first manger in Greccio. Other noteworthy
presepi are on show in the
Museum of St. Martino and
Church of St. Chiara, both
in Naples, and the King's
Palace in Caserta
(Campania).
On the streets of Rome,
one of the most festive
places to experience Italian
Christmas traditions, zampognari, shepherds
from the Abruzzo region, dress
in native costumes and play Christmas
tunes on their bagpipes. The Piazza
Navona transforms into a giant
Christmas fair with booths selling
candy, toys, gifts and roasted nuts.
Lights and music flow through the
square.
Twinkling lights, red ribbons,
Christmas trees (Italians started putting
them up after World War II) and
the likeness of Babbo Natale (Father
Christmas) begin to appear in storefronts
and homes throughout Italy.
Almost all employers give their
employees la tredicesima, a Christmas
bonus the equivalent of a 13th month
of pay.
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Christmas Eve
Italians eat very little on the day of
Christmas Eve. They are preparing
their stomachs for the massive meal to
be consumed that night.
The meal centers on fish, in the
Catholic tradition to abstain from meat
the night before a major holiday. La
Vigilia di Natale (the vigil) is also called
The Feast of the Seven Fishes. The origin
of the "seven" is somewhat of a
mystery. Some say it comes from the
number of sacraments; others say it
relates to the phase of the moon (seven
days). Some families even serve 13 fish
dishes, one for Jesus and one for each
of the 12 apostles.
Popular offerings include linguini with
clam sauce, spaghetti with mussels,
grilled lobster, salt cod and shrimp.
Romans traditionally eat capitone, a
long, fat female eel that is grilled and
seasoned.
Families attend midnight mass together
and return home for panettone (the
dome-shaped fruit cake that originated
in Milan) and prosecco (sparkling wine).
Buon Natale!
Christmas Day
While Italian parents often tell their
children that Gesu Bambino (Baby Jesus)
brought them presents overnight, the
real gift-giving takes place on January
6th, the Epiphany.
Many Italians watch the Pope's
Christmas message broadcast live at
noon as they prepare yet another feast.
They eat tacchino (turkey), which
arrived in Europe in the mid-16th century,
or fagiano (pheasant). Dessert consists
of countless cakes and cookies such as pandoro (a light, golden cake
from Verona) and rococco (crisp almond
rings).
There's no problem eating to excess on
Christmas, because the next day is yet
another holiday.
St. Stephen's Day
As in many other European countries,
La Festa di Santo Stefano, the day
marking the announcement of the birth
of Jesus and the arrival of the Three
Wise Men, is an official holiday in Italy.
Almost all businesses and most restaurants
(even ones that were open on
Christmas) are closed. For tourists in
the big cities, a few museums remain
open.
New Year's Eve
There's an Italian expression that
sums up this holiday -- "Natale con I
tuoi, Capodanno con chi vuoi"--
Christmas with the family, New Year's
with whom you want. Since many
Italian companies are closed between
Christmas and New Year's, this is an
opportunity for Italians to travel or visit
friends to mark the end of the year.
The evening meal may include cotecchino
con lenticchie, sausage and lentils,
whose round shapes symbolize coins,
promising riches for the year ahead.
Another traditional dish is zampone,
stuffed pig's foot. The meal may end
with struffoli (Neapolitan honey balls)
which represent sweet promises for the
new year.
Italians love fireworks and many cities
have displays at midnight. There's also
an Italian tradition of throwing old
dishes and pots out windows to clean
out the old and prepare for the new.
Buon Anno Nuovo!
Epiphany
For Italians, La Festa dell'Epifania on
January 6th is as significant a
holiday as Christmas Day;
especially for Italian
children! According to
the Italian legend, La
Befana, a witch-like
woman riding on a
broom, refused to join
the Wise Men on their
journey to see the baby Jesus. When
she regrets her decision, she sets out to
bring gifts to the Child but never finds
him. Instead, she leaves gifts for other
children. Italian children leave out
their shoes or put up stockings for the
Befana to fill on January 6th.
In honor of the Three Wise Men,
Italians go to church and spend the
day with family.
Following the Epiphany, the long, festive
Italian holiday season comes to a
close.
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