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How to Celebrate Christmas Like the Italians
The Local ^ | 20 December 2016

Posted on 12/21/2016 7:10:22 PM PST by nickcarraway

How to celebrate Christmas like the Italians Milan's Cathedral. Photo: Giuseppe Cacace/AFP Christmas in Italy is a magical experience, but there are a few unique traditions you won't find in other countries. If you're hoping to have a truly Italian Christmas, make sure to incorporate at least some of the following.

1. Get the dates right

The Italian festive season starts on December 8th with the celebration of the Immaculate Conception, and continues until the Epithany on January 6th, when the Three Wise Men arrived in Bethlehem. The most important date of the celebrations is Christmas Eve.

2. Know your Novena

The nine-day period before Christmas, known as the Novena, is when we remember the journey of the shepherds to the baby Jesus' manger. In rural areas in particular, children go from house to house dressed as shepherds and performing Christmas songs or poems, often in exchange for money or sweets.

3. Keep an eye out for bagpipers

In southern Italy and Rome, bagpipe-playing shepherds, or zampognari as they are known, perform tunes in piazzas, normally dressed in traditional sheepskin and wool cloaks. The pipers usually travel in pairs down from their mountain homes - it's quite a spectacle.

4. Prepare the presepe

The tradition of presepi, or Christmas cribs, is widespread in Italy. Most churches, as well as other public areas and many Italian homes, will have at least one nativity scene on display. Styles vary and may depict just the holy family or a whole village, but the baby Jesus is usually added only on Christmas Eve. Sometimes, contemporary characters (such as ex-PM Renzi or Italian footballers) are included too.

In Rome, an annual exhibition displays 100 different cribs from all over the world, including miniscule versions carved into nuts, and all kinds of materials - even pasta.

5. Festive Francis

In Rome, crowds gather in St Peter's Square for the Pope's evening mass on Christmas Eve, and at noon on Christmas Day, he appears at the basilica's balcony to give his blessing. He'll also be the one to add the baby Jesus to the Vatican's life-size nativity on the 24th.

6. A feast of fish

Christmas Eve was traditionally a day of fasting before Christmas for Catholics, with festivities starting only after the evening mass. This is still observed in some families, and the evening meal, known as the 'Feast of Seven Fishes', is usually based on seafood rather than meat. Clams and oysters are often used as they are seen as luxurious.

7. Religious roots

Italian Christmas celebrations are still very much based on their religious roots. At midnight on Christmas Eve, churches ring their bells and cannons are fired from Rome's Castel Sant'Angelo to celebrate the birth of baby Jesus. If you're interested, there will be plenty of Christmassy services and carol concerts at your local church, and they are beautiful to watch even for the non-religious.

8. The big dinner

On Christmas Day, the food that makes up the Cenone (literally meaning 'big dinner') varies from region to region, but meat is normally back on the menu, often accompanied by pasta. The meal is followed by panettone, a sweet bread loaf originating from Milan, and other desserts filled with nuts, which were historically a symbol of fertility for the coming year.


TOPICS: Local News; Religion
KEYWORDS: christmastraditions; italy

1 posted on 12/21/2016 7:10:22 PM PST by nickcarraway
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To: nickcarraway

“On Christmas Day, the food that makes up the Cenone (literally meaning ‘big dinner’) varies from region to region, but meat is normally back on the menu, often accompanied by pasta. The meal is followed by panettone, a sweet bread loaf originating from Milan, and other desserts filled with nuts, which were historically a symbol of fertility for the coming year.”

****

Half right. Our Sicilian family sticks to timpano’ which is hard to make. Yeah, the same timpano’ in the Big Night’. Then we watch DIE HARD. best Christmas movie ever after Wonderful Life.


2 posted on 12/21/2016 7:17:13 PM PST by max americana (For the 9th time FIRED LIBERALS from our company at this election, and every election since 2008)
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To: nickcarraway

Nuts are a symbol of fertility? I don’t get it.


3 posted on 12/21/2016 7:19:41 PM PST by caddie
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To: caddie

It stands for the evil white patriarchy! silly! LOL


4 posted on 12/21/2016 7:40:20 PM PST by txnativegop (Socialism -- an evil created by ignorant a-holes!)
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To: nickcarraway

I thought for sure someone would have posted a link to “Dominick the Italian Christmas Donkey” from youtube.


5 posted on 12/21/2016 7:45:56 PM PST by refreshed
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To: caddie

“In Rome, an annual exhibition displays 100 different cribs from all over the world, including miniscule versions carved into nuts...”

Cribs. Nuts. The Italians are inscrutable.

Freegards


6 posted on 12/21/2016 7:54:36 PM PST by Ransomed
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To: nickcarraway

Christmas Eve in Grandma’s basement in Brooklyn, as I remember it:

I was given a shot of blackberry brandy to warm up when I got inside, and then some roasted chestnuts (which were disgusting.) And there were cheese balls from the blue Planters container. There were always cheese balls at her house.

Dinner was a fish fiesta. Scungilli/calamari/other yucky fish. At the kid’s table we waited for Aunt Marie to bring us the big raviolis (Silver Star brand, best brand. I can picture the box with the wax paper inside.)

When dinner was over, the women cleaned the table. Grandma was in charge of washing, and me, my mom, my aunts and cousins dried.

After that the adults played cards. They all smoked but I forget which brand.

We fell asleep in the car on the way home.

Grandma will be 99 at the end of December:)


7 posted on 12/21/2016 8:03:56 PM PST by ToastedHead
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To: nickcarraway

My wife is pureblooded Italian, her mother being an immigrant. Her father was the son of immigrants.

For the 50 years I have known her, they have fish on Christmas eve. In the old days with more people, they probably had all seven types of fish.


8 posted on 12/21/2016 8:07:55 PM PST by truth_seeker
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To: truth_seeker
...all seven types of fish.

Can you please enlighten me - what are the 7 types? thanks.

9 posted on 12/21/2016 8:29:02 PM PST by nwrep
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To: nwrep

It’s not defined. There are seven seafood courses corresponding to the seven Catholic sacraments. Personally I think octopus must be one course.


10 posted on 12/21/2016 8:46:51 PM PST by Vision (Best Radio Station Ever: www.MartiniInTheMorning.com)
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To: max americana
Here's a recipe for Timpano, for those that don't know.
11 posted on 12/21/2016 9:42:36 PM PST by Trillian
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To: nickcarraway

I spent 2 Christmases in Southern Italy and still remember the special pastries and cakes that were only sold for the holiday.....regular dining in “hole-in-the-wall” Mom and Pop ristorantes was always a special treat - they know how to take their time over the evening meal.


12 posted on 12/22/2016 3:39:07 AM PST by trebb (Where in the the hell has my country gone?)
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To: ToastedHead

That made me smile, thanks!


13 posted on 12/22/2016 3:49:55 AM PST by workerbee (America finally has an American president again.)
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To: nwrep

Number 6 in the article. “Feast of Seven Fishes”

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feast_of_the_Seven_Fishes

My mother-in-law, nearing 90, would say the authenticity is giving way to American tastes.

There will not be 7 types. But there will be fish Saturday night.

When I met my wife to be 50 years ago, I was impressed by the closeness of family and the food.


14 posted on 12/22/2016 6:56:01 AM PST by truth_seeker
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To: nickcarraway
3. Keep an eye out for bagpipers
In southern Italy and Rome, bagpipe-playing shepherds, or zampognari...perform tunes in piazzas, normally dressed in traditional sheepskin and wool cloaks... usually travel in pairs down from their mountain homes...


15 posted on 12/22/2016 10:15:55 AM PST by Albion Wilde ("Americanism, not globalism, will be our credo."--Donald Trump)
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To: nickcarraway
4. Prepare the presepe
The tradition of presepi, or Christmas cribs, is widespread in Italy. Most churches, as well as other public areas and many Italian homes, will have at least one nativity scene on display. Styles vary and may depict just the holy family or a whole village, but the baby Jesus is usually added only on Christmas Eve.


16 posted on 12/22/2016 10:20:10 AM PST by Albion Wilde ("Americanism, not globalism, will be our credo."--Donald Trump)
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To: ToastedHead

For us it was always manicotti...trays and trays....and meatballs....best memories ever.....afterwards it was cannoli and provolone with bread and wine....us kids had ginger ale...god i miss them dearly


17 posted on 12/22/2016 11:49:20 AM PST by Revelation 911 (clean up is a breeze)
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