Christmas in italy

1. Christmas is the Christian feast
that is celebrated on December 25
all over the world, even by "non-
Christians", to remember and
renew the birth of Jesus Christ.
Now this date is synonymous with
peace, family, brotherhood,
goodness, candor in every place.
In Italy, in addition to the nativity
scene, there is another symbol
that represents the tradition of Christmas: the Christmas tree.
The Christmas tree is generally decorated on December 8, the day of the
Immaculate Conception. It is a time when the whole family comes together and
everyone makes their own contribution.
The decorations, mainly composed of balls and lights, are created at home or
purchased ready-made. Today mainly artificial trees are used, which have the
advantage of being able to be reused over the years.
A little story: the balls are used because the legend tells of a poor juggler, who
went through the streets of Bethlehem during the birth of Jesus. The poor man
was sad, because he could not afford to bring a gift to the Child Jesus. Taking
advantage of his artistic skills, he made a show just for him, snatching a smile from
the Child with his colored balls.
At the top of the tree, it is customary to put a comet, another classic symbol of
Christmas.
Christmas Days
The days 24, 25 and 26 December
are also characterized by the
many dishes that are prepared.
Each region of Italy (and family)
has their own preferences in
cooking for Christmas. Traditional
dishes vary throughout Italy, but
there are elements that cannot be
missing, even if borrowed from
other regions: pandoro and
panettone.
On 24 December, or Christmas
Eve, in most of the houses in the South in the evening a great dinner is prepared,
exclusively with fish dishes.

2. In some families, at midnight, typical Christmas carols are sung; others instead go
to church for the traditional Christmas mass and then hang around, or meet in the
square to exchange greetings.
On December 25, some children find the gifts under the tree, left by Santa Claus.
A very important lunch is prepared, full of courses (the recipes are mainly based
on meat), desserts (especially with honey) and dried fruit. The table is well
decorated, in keeping with the recurring holiday. The colors that are mainly used
are red and white.
The Italian dishes linked to the Christmas tradition are really many and vary from
one region to another: for example in Friuli Venezia Giulia the turnip and
cotechino soup (brovada and muset) is prepared, in Sicily the sfincione.
December 26th is Saint Stephan (in England is the Boxing Day), in Italy this day
became a holiday on the calendar since 1949. During this day, food left over from
the previous days is eaten, or soups are prepared.
Christmas Traditions in Italy
In central and southern Italy
the figure of the bagpipe
player is widespread, that is, a
musician who wanders
through the streets of the
villages playing the bagpipe,
an ancient wind instrument.
Sometimes he even knocks on
the doors of houses, playing
music in exchange for an offer.
In Valle d'Aosta, living nativity
scenes are very common in
the cities. Children represent
the main characters, while adults play the roles of the craftsmen of the past and
offer food and drink to visitors. In Sicily, in some mountain villages, bonfires are
lit on the night of the 24th to warm the Child Jesus. On the evening of Christmas
Eve in some families legends and fairy tales are told to children, to entertain them
before the birth of Jesus ... or the arrival of Santa Claus.
During these holidays, people gather at home with friends and family to play cards
or bingo. The traditions related to Christmas are many and vary from family to
family. It is precisely in these days that customs and traditions rooted in their
origins are rediscovered, so that they can remain alive over time.
By students
Cristian
Fabiana
Tiffany