sign in sign up
<<
Home , Befana, Christmas in Italy

1.

At Christmas, people remember when Christ was born and the Christian religion started. Today, Christmas is a very important time in the Christian year, but it is also very important to those who do not go to church. It is a time for buying and giving presents, having parties, and being with family. People start get ready for Christmas in November. Shop-keepers decorate their shops with lights, trees and other decorations, and shoppers start to look for presents. Shops get very busy and stay open later. People with family and friends in other countries often send them cards and presents, and everyone begins to make plans for the coming holidays.

An interesting theory connects the tradition of exchanging gifts to an ancient Roman festivity in honour of Ianus and Strenia (in Italian a is called strenna ), celebrated at the beginning of the year, when Romans were used to giving each other presents.

In the middle of December, most families buy a and make the Presepe, and put them inside the house, adding colourful decorations.

2. CHRISTMAS NATIVITY SCENES

Christmas crib remembers where Jesus Christ was born. It is one of the oldest and most beloved Christmas tradition in . In 1223, in Greccio, a village in (Central Italy), St. Francis from Assisi made the 1st living , in Italy. Today the crib is an important Christmas tradition for Italian people. Some days before Christmas we start to build the crib. At first we build the landscape: the mountains, in the background and a green meadow in front of them. A river goes across the meadow, but, in some cribs, the landscape is a desert and there isn’t a river. Sometimes there is a little pond or a waterfall and some trees are next to them. The sky is dark blue, full of shining stars. The landscape is made of paper and the water is made of silver foil, but sometimes there are real water and musk. Mary and Joseph are in the crib, an ox and a donkey are behind them and the comet and many singing angels are on the roof of the crib. Since December 25 th Jesus sleeps on a bed of straw, between his mum and his dad.

1 A lot of people goes to Jesus: farmers, shepherds, fishermen, joiners, hunters, smiths, cooks, water carriers, laundresses and children. They give presents to him There are many animals: cows, sheep, horses, chickens, ducks, geese, fish in the river, etc… The characters are made of plastic or clay. In Italy there are many famous nativity scenes : • the historical nativity scenes, some of them are more than 300 years old, • the mechanical nativity scenes, some of them are more 100 years old, • the living nativity scenes, where costumed people act out the parts of the nativity, often at the night before Christmas. In Torino there are: • the mechanical nativity scene, in St. Annunziata church www.presepiomeccanico.com • some historical nativity scenes in some churches, • a huge illuminated nativity scene, created for Christmas 1997, by the artist and scenographer Emanuele Luzzati .

3.

Santa Claus, ( , , or simply "Santa"), is the legendary figure who brings gifts to the good children during the" evening of , December 24. Saint Nicholas of Myral ,(now in Turkey) is the primary inspiration for the Christian figure of Santa Claus. Nicholas was famous for his generous gifts to the poor. Santa Claus is generally depicted as a white-bearded man wearing a red coat with white collar and cuffs, red trousers, a black belt and boots. .

4. CHRISTMAS TREE

The Christmas tree is a decorated artificial Christmas tree or natural Christmas tree that is brought into a home or used in the open during the days around Christmas. A Christmas tree is decorated with Christmas Iights, colourful ornaments and . An angel or star is often placed at the top of the tree.

2 5. THE WISE MEN

Epiphany, 6, is the day we celebrate the visit of the Magi, or the Three Wise Men: , (or Gaspar), and . , They bring three gifts : gold, frankincense and myrrh.

6. LA

In Italy, Babbo Natale acts as Santa Claus, while La Befana is the bringer of gifts and arrives on the eve of the . It is said that La Befana set out to bring the baby Jesus gifts, but got lost along the way. Now, she brings gifts to all children.

La Befana is a character in Italian Folklore who delivers presents to children throughout Italy, in a similar way to Santa Claus. The character may have originated in , then spread as a tradition to the rest of Italy. Many people believe that the name Befana is derived from the ' mispronunciation of the Greek word epifania or epiphaneia (Greek, επιφάνεια = appearance, surface, English: epiphany).

She is usually portrayed as an old lady riding a broomstick through the air wearing a black shawl and is covered in soot because she enters the children's houses through the chimney. She is often smiling and carries a bag or hamper filled with candy, gifts, or both.

In popular folklore Befana visits all the children of Italy on the eve of the 6th of January to fill their socks with candy and presents if they are good or a lump of coal or dark candy if they are bad. Being a good housekeeper, many say she will sweep the floor before she leaves. The child's family typically leaves a small glass of wine and a plate with a few morsels of food, often regional or local, for the Befana.

Traditionally, all Italian children may expect to find a lump of "coal" in their stockings (actually rock candy made black with caramel coloring), as every child has been at least occasionally bad during the year.

7. CHRISTMAS CAKES

Pandoro

Pandoro ( pan d'oro ) is a traditional Italian sweet yeast bread, most popular around Christmas and . Typically a Veronese product, pandoro is traditionally shaped like a frustum with an 8 pointed-star section.

It is often served dusted with vanilla scented icing sugar made to resemble the snowy peaks during Christmas.

3 Modern taste sometimes calls for Pandoro to have a hole cut into its bottom and a part of the soft interior to be removed, the cavity is then filled with chantilly cream or vanilla ice-cream. Cream or ice-cream can be served as a garnish to pandoro slices.

Panettone

Panettone (Milanese: panetton classical orthography, panetùn other orthography) is a typical bread of , usually prepared and enjoyed for Christmas and New Year around Italy, and one of the symbols of the city.

It has a cupola shape which extends from a cylindrical base and is usually about 12- 15 cm high for a 1 kg panettone. Other bases may be used, such as an octagon, or a frustum with star section shape more common to pandoro. It is made during a long process which involves the curing of the dough, which is acidic, similar to sourdough. The proofing process alone takes several days, giving the cake its distinctive fluffy characteristics. It contains candied orange, citron and lemon zest, as well as raisins, which are added dry and not soaked. Many other variations are available such as plain or with chocolate . It is served in slices, vertically cut, accompanied with sweet hot beverages or a sweet wine, such as Asti or Moscato. In some regions of Italy, it is served with Crema di Mascarpone , a cream made from mascarpone cheese, eggs, dried or crystallised fruits and typically a sweet liqueur such as Amaretto; if mascarpone cheese is unavailable, zabaglione is sometimes used as a substitute to Crema di Mascarpone.

The most famous producers were Motta, Bauli, Alemagna, Vergani and Tre Marie.

Torrone

Torrone (Italian) is a confection, typically made of honey, sugar, and egg white, with toasted almonds or other nuts, and usually shaped into either a rectangular tablet or a round cake. It is frequently consumed as a traditional Christmas dessert in Spain and Italy.

Types

Turrón itself can take on a variety of consistencies and appearances, however they traditionally consisted of the same ingredients; the final product may be either hard and crunchy, or soft and chewy. Thirty years ago almost all turrón recipes followed the same specifications, but since the diversification of products there are currently dozens of varieties: chocolate with puffed rice or whole almonds; all kinds of chocolate pralines, with or without liquor, candied fruits or whole nuts; fruit pralines; and even sugarless variations (sweetened with fructose or artificial sweeteners).

Italian Torrone

Torrone is a popular winter and Christmas dessert in Italy and many varieties exist. Commercial versions are more likely to diverge from the traditional recipe and may include flavorings, such as

4 orange, lemon, vanilla, etc. Others, such as Torrone di (Italy) have protected status by (but not limited to) the country that produces it.

8. LUCI D’ARTISTA (ARTIST'S LIGHTS) From November 9 th to January 10 th Luci d’Artista (Artist's Lights) lights up the streets of the city of Turin with an array of patterns and colours. People could experience the emotion of contemporary art walking through the streets of Turino. Protagonists of the 2009 edition are 15 international artists which for the 12 th consecutive year place Turin at the centre of international attention. http://www.comune.torino.it/cultura/luci_artista.pdf

5