November 27

24 comments

Christmas in Italy

By Rick

November 27, 2017


Well, it’s that time of year again, and I figured some seasonally relevant information would be appropriate, reexamining a few Italian and Italian-American holiday traditions.

My team of crack researchers has been on the case for weeks now, working to come up with the very best content for this particular post. (OK, the truth is that I don’t really have a “crack” team. Or any team at all, for that matter. It’s just me, Google, and a bottle of grappa. You’ll have to forgive me if I wander off topic now and then.)

UPDATE: I recently recorded a podcast episode about Italian Christmas traditions on my Eat Like an Italian website.

Pandoro, Panettone, and Other Italian Christmas Traditions

One thing you notice in Italy is that the holiday season arrives later and with much less intensity than it does in the US. While not completely immune to commercialism, Italians are less enslaved by it than we Americans.

Rather than commencing with the onslaught of annoying Christmas carols the day after Halloween, Italians ease into the season on December 8 with the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. Indeed, it’s worth mentioning that Christmas in Italy still very much revolves around religious traditions rather than unbridled consumerism, talking snowmen, mutant reindeer, and a creepy little elf on every shelf.

il presepio
Il Museo del Presepio

Christmas decorations, lights, and trees are becoming more popular in Italy, and the center of Rome is lit up beautifully this time of year. But the main focus of decorations continues to be the Nativity scenes, or presepi. Almost every church has a presepio, and they are also found in the piazzas and public areas.

If you want to really enjoy this holiday tradition, go check out the Museo del Presepio, which is located near Via Cavour and Via dei Fori Imperiali.

Museo del Presepio—Via Tor Dè Conti, 31/A

Eating with the Fishes

Then there is the so-called “Feast of the Seven Fishes,” which is the traditional Christmas Eve dinner in many Italian-American households. However, it is not really a known tradition in most parts of Italy, despite the claims that it began in the Southern regions of the Old Country.

In fact, one theory suggests that the Feast started with the first Southern-Italian immigrants to America. The original Italian tradition of observing a meatless Christmas Eve dinner was expanded upon by these immigrants who wanted to celebrate the prosperity they had found in the New World with a more elaborate meal, indulging in the seafood bounty that they could now afford.

The significance of the number seven is said to be derived from the number of Sacraments in the Roman Catholic Church. There is also a certain numerical perfection associated with the number seven and it happens to be the number most often cited in the Bible.

Others think it could come from “the seven days to create the world,” “the seven hills of Rome,” or “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.” (This last one is my own contribution to the historical debate. It seems that the grappa is starting to kick in already.)

Risotto alle Seppie

In any case, the number can vary according to regions and even from family to family. Some families celebrate with 9, 11 or 13 seafood dishes, denoting other numbers of biblical significance.

Personally I think most nonne (grandmas) just prepare the meal as they like, count the dishes when they’re finished, and then invent some cockamamie story to go along with it.

Several years ago, I was in Sicily for the holidays. For Christmas Eve, we celebrated the “Feast of Twelve Alien Sea Creatures Scraped Off the Ocean Floor.” In other words, there was no set menu; it was made up from whatever was alive and squirming at the local fish market that particular day.

Some of these dishes looked like they came from a lost episode of Jacques Cousteau. I actually teach Marine Biology, and I swear that one or two of the species that I ate for Christmas Eve dinner that year have not yet found their way into the textbooks.

But once again I’m getting off topic and once again I blame the grappa. The fact is that there was so much food, you couldn’t even count the number of dishes (I mean fishes)—much less eat them all. So the number is beside the point. The point is that…wait, what exactly is the point? Never mind, let’s move on…

Christmas in Italy

Here is the Italian calendar for the Holiday Season that I found on about.com (my “research team” is lazy, not to mention half-drunk by now):

December 8: L’Immacolata Concezione – celebration of the Immaculate Conception

December 13: La Festa di Santa Lucia – St. Lucy’s Day

December 24: La Vigilia di Natale – Christmas Eve

December 25: Natale – Christmas Day

December 26: La Festa di Santo Stefano – St. Stephen’s Day marks the announcement of the birth of Jesus and the arrival of the Three Wise Men.

December 31: La Festa di San Silvestro – New Year’s Eve

January 1: Il Capodanno – New Year’s Day

January 6: La Festa dell’Epifania – The Epiphany

Beware of Witches bearing Gifts

While Babbo Natale (Santa Claus) and exchanging presents on Christmas Day in now common in Italy, the traditional day for gift giving is the Epiphany, which is the 12th day of Christmas.

It represents the day when the three Wise Men gave Baby Jesus their gifts. (Of course, historians have now confirmed that Mary returned all their bizarre gifts at the mall the next day in exchange for more practical items. Let’s be honest, gold makes a nice present, but what the hell do you do with Myrrh?)

So instead of Jolly Ole’ Saint Nick, in Italy, the gifts are brought by La Befana, the old witch. She arrives on her broomstick during the night of January 5th and fills the stockings with toys and sweets for the good little bambini—and lumps of coal for the bad ones.

Here’s the rest of the story, mostly “borrowed” from other websites:

According to the legend, the night before the Wise Men arrived at the manger, they stopped at the shack of an old woman to ask directions. They invited her to come along, but she replied that she was too busy. Then a shepherd asked her to join him but again she refused.

Later that night, she saw a great light in the sky and decided to join them after all. She brought with her toys and gifts that had once belonged to her own child, who had died. But sadly, she got lost and never found the manger.

So now La Befana flies around on her broomstick each year on the 11th night, bringing her gifts to all the children in hopes that she might eventually find the Baby Jesus. Sad but sweet, no?

labefana
La befana

The origins of La Befana actually go back farther, to the Roman pagan festival of Saturnalia, a celebration of the winter solstice. At the end of Saturnalia, Romans would go to the Temple of Juno on the Capitoline Hill to have their augers read by an old crone.

Many pagan traditions were incorporated into Christmas celebrations when Christianity became mainstream and La Befana was a clever substitute for the old woman who read the augers. Saying “auguri” to your friends and family originated from this practice, as it was polite to wish your fellow Romans “good augers.”

La Befana is celebrated throughout Italy, but some towns really go all out. One of the biggest celebrations is in the town of Urbania in Le Marche region, which holds a 4-day festival for La Befana from January 2-6. Children can meet La Befana in La Casa della Befana. There are also boat races, Regata delle Bafane, that are held in Venice on January 6. Men dressed up as La Befana race their boats along the Grand Canal.

Christmas in Italy
Buone Feste!

So as you can see, there are some Christmas traditions that are common to both the US and Italy, while there are many more that make absolutely no sense at all. But who cares? It’s the holidays, which is the time of year when we should enthusiastically embrace any excuse to celebrate and wear ugly sweaters (well, in America).

Let’s forget our differences and just enjoy each other’s company. Peace, love, and fruitcake! Gifts of Myrrh for all my friends! (OK, it’s now obvious that  the grappa is in complete control. Time to go to bed.)

Merry Christmas, Buon Natale, and Tanti Auguri to everyone–and thank you all for reading my blog.

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About the author

Living in the Caput Mundi and trying to decipher Italian culture for the English speaking world.

  • Great read, as always! I really do like that Christmas in Italy feels more like a religious event than a commercial, how-many-gifts-will-I-get-today kind of holiday. I know things are gradually shifting toward consumerism, but the Christmas season in Italy is a truly religious and emotional occasion.

    Buon Natale, Buon Anno, e tanti auguri anche a te!

  • I’m Anglo-Italian (Anglo-Neapolitan, to be precise) and spent part of the Sixties and Seventies in Naples.
    The music of the zampogna (bagpipe) is the soundtrack to my memories of Christmas time in Naples.
    The zampgnari would come into town from the Matese mountains to play a novena during the nine days before Christmas, walking the streets in their shepherd’s clothes and playing their bagpipes. Like so many other people, we would invite them into our home, where they played the traditional tune, ‘Tu scendi dalle stelle’ in front of our presepe. You can hear it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&feature=endscreen&v=R2UjOyrUYEQ
    Our simple crib (which had travelled round the world with us) was nothing like the traditional Neapolitan rich Baroque creations.
    Neapolitans buy the sets and figurines for their elaborate presepi in the famous Via Gregorio Armeno – read about it here: http://www.portanapoli.com/Ita/luoghi/via-san-gregorio-armeno.html where business thrives all year round.

    • Sorry I had corrected the typo but somehow it didn’t work: should be ‘zampognari’ (first line of 3rd paragraph). E.S.

    • Ciao Ernestine! Yes, I’ve seen all the shops in Napoli where they sell all the figurines for the presepi…they’re great. Some are beautiful and some are hilarious! But I didn’t know about the bagpipe music–shame on me! Thank you so much for sharing that, I’m sure many Italians and Italian families abroad have those same memories. Really special, grazie e buone feste! Rick

  • Well done Rick, My suggestion is….the best Museo del presepe are Roman churches….usually many Romans take real tours of churches for admiring them in these Xmas weeks….
    As for Befana, many antropologists studied this character….She collects several traditions (deep ancestrial traditions) in some way she represents as well the old year meeting the new one….so the reason of gifts to children (just like in Saturnalia)…..how simple and complicated are our traditions here!

    • Simple and complicated…yes, that’s perfect Federico. And maybe for an American like me, I could use those adjectives together to also describe Italy in general. Simple, complicated, beautiful, chaotic…and NEVER boring! Buone Feste!

  • I wait for your new posts as a child waits for Babbo Natale… so so nice!
    I come from a Southern family, but I was born and live in the North of Italy. At the 24th dinner we always eat fish, but I didn’t know about its origin. I just knew that the “Cenone” should be made of fish. Thanks for your research!
    As far as Babbo Natale is concerned, I can say that he’s still the main toys supplier, while the Befana brings the traditional calza. Check out under your pillow and you’ll see!

    Buone feste, prof!

    • Great input, grazie! And I’ll certainly check under my pillow, but I’m not sure that I’m on Babbo Natale’s “good” list this year. Speriamo…
      Buone feste anche a te!!!

  • Rick,

    I visited Il Museo del Presepe and met the proprietor/custodian. I had a specal interest since I collect presepi from all over the world ( I have about 190….lost count lately) and I was disappointed on the number, the quality and variety of the presepi….I was tempted to donate some of of the ones I have, but I did not like how they were presented ….I did enjoy meeting him and we talked “shop” on how to obtain unique ones…..I dicovered the “museum” purely by accident in 1999 as I was walking around the area with my wife and daughter….enjoyable afternoon….Buon Natale…
    Vincent

    • Hi Vincent, how have you been? Thanks for the feedback, I appreciate such an informed opinion. You should open your own museum because I think you do, in fact, have more presepi than the museum in Rome! I stopped there in 2010 and I enjoyed it. Yes, it’s sort of small, but for someone like me who didn’t know much about presepi, it was a good introduction. Since then, I prefer to just visit the individual ones inside the churches and out in the piazze. But the holiday season isn’t long enough to see all of them in Rome! Buon Natale anche a te! Rick

  • I believe that Santa is the “main toys delivery guy” in Italy as well, right now. During Befana, people, kids especially, now mainly exchange sweets and candies — as if they hadn’t had enough during the season.

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