Christmas in Italy

The Christmas season in Italy goes for three weeks, starting 8 days before Christmas known as the "Novena". During this period, children go from house to house reciting Christmas poems and singing.

In some parts shepherds bring musical instruments into the villages, play and sing Christmas songs.

In the week before Christmas children go from house to house dressed as shepherds, playing pipes, singing and reciting Christmas poems. They are given money to buy presents.

A strict feast is observed for 24 hours before Christmas Eve, and is followed by a celebration meal, in which a light Milanese cake called "panettone" features as well as chocolate.

Presents and empty boxes, are drawn from the "Urn of Fate" - lucky dip, which always contains one gift per person. By twilight, candles are lighted around the family crib known as the Presepe, prayers are said, and children recite poems.

At noon on Christmas Day the pope gives his blessing to crowds gathered in the huge Vatican square.

In Italy the children wait until "Epiphany", January 6, for their presents. According to tradition, the presents are delivered by a kind ugly witch called Befana on a broomstick. It was said that she was told by the three kings that the baby Jesus was born, she was busy and delayed visiting the baby.

She missed the Star lost her way and has been flying around ever since, leaving presents at every house with children in case he is there. She slides down chimneys, and fills stockings and shoes with good things for good children and it is said leaves Consequently, Christmas fairs, merry-making and torch processions, honor not only the birth of Christ, but also the birth of the "Unconquered Sun."   "Natale," the Italian word for Christmas, is literally the translation for "birthday."

Of Special Note...

On Christmas Eve, Italian children set out their shoes for the female Santa Claus, La Befana, to fill with gifts of all kinds like toys, candies and fruit. If the children were good, their shoes would be filled on Christmas morning. If they were bad, they would find their shoes filled with coal. La Befana is the best-known legend in Italy.

Countless foreigners travel to Italy during the Christmas season, and while they thrill to midnight mass in St. Peter's Square, they often complain that Italy is "not very Christmasy." This is certainly true if you're looking for brightly-lit fir trees, red and green window dressings or plaster reindeer. And although Epiphany, celebrated on January 6th, may actually be a more important holiday than December 25th, the Italians love this season so much that they commemorate it for an entire month, beginning on December 8th.

The period between mid-December and early January was one constant celebration even in pagan Rome. It began with the Saturnalia, a winter solstice festival, and ended with the Roman New Year, the Calends. After Emperor Constantine adopted Christianity, instead of ending the holiday at the New Year, the celebration extended to January 6 when the Three Kings were believed to have reached the infant Jesus, and so the Romans, too, began to exchange presents on the Epiphany.

Today in Italy, Christmas trees are decorated, but the focal point of decoration is the Nativity scene. Italians take great pride in the creation of the manger, created in 1223 by St. Francis of Assisi. The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City possesses a presepio from Naples that contains figurines carved from wood, dressed in garments of satin, framed with majestic columns, and 30 angels of the Magi trimmed with gold.

Bagpipes are the most common Italian Christmas sound. The zampognari, the shepherds who play the bagpipes, come down from their mountain homes at Christmas time and perform in the market squares. The playing of bagpipes is popular in the regions of Calabria and Abruzzo, and in the piazzas of Rome. The melodies played are adapted from old hill tunes. Modern zampognari wear the traditional outfits of sheepskin vests, leather breeches, and a woolen cloak. The tradition of bagpipes goes back to ancient Roman times. Legend says that the shepherds entertained the Virgin Mary in Bethlehem. During the holiday season. Today, the zampognari stop before every shrine to the Madonna and every Nativity scene.