Christmas in Italy has many traditions and symbols with ancient origins. Families decorate Christmas trees together and Santa leaves presents on Christmas night. Another tradition is the nativity scene, which depicts the birth of Jesus with figures like Mary, Joseph, the magi, and animals. On December 26th, people visit local nativity scenes and make donations. Christmas lunch on the 25th emphasizes family, food, and affection with rich, quality meals including roast meats and stuffed pastas. The Epiphany on January 6th is dedicated to children, as the Befana visits and fills their socks with sweets or coal depending on their behavior.

1. CHRISTMAS
IN ITALY
by Anna, Matilde, Giacomo,
Rachele

2. In the Christian tradition Christmas
celebrates the birth of Jesus in
Bethlehem: for the Christian
religion, God becomes man and
descends to earth to save
humanity. Many traditions and
symbols of Christmas have very
ancient origins.

3. There are many traditions, for
example decorate the Christmas
tree together with the family.
Generally it is decorated on 8th
December with coloured balls,
garlands, lights and a star at the top
of tree. Under it, on Christmas
night, Santa puts presents for
children. Santa Claus is welcomed
with a cup of milk and biscuits or a
piece of cake.

4. Another tradition is the crib. The crib is a
representation of the birth of Jesus.
The traditional nativity scene is a complex plastic
composition of the Nativity of Jesus Christ,
set up during the Christmas period; there are statues
made of various and arranged materials in a realistically
reconstructed environment. All the characters and
places of appearance tradition: the cave or hut, the
manger where Jesus is placed, the two parents,
Joseph and Mary, the magi, the shepherds, the sheep,
the ox , the donkey and the angels. The statue of the
baby Jesus is placed in the manger at midnight
between 24th and 25th December, while the figures of
the magi arrive to approach the adoration of Jesus on
the day of the Epiphany. The background can represent
the starry sky or can be a landscape setting.

5. “Il giorno di Santo Stefano” (or Saint
Stephen's day) on 26th December is an
important day in the Italian calendar. It’s a
day when people go out with friends or
family. Streets that the previous day lay
silent and empty are alive and bustling with
well-wishers, as it’s traditional for people to
visit the nativity scenes inside local
churches and make a small donation.
St. Stephen, one of the first deacons of the
Christian Church, also became the first
Christian martyr; his story can be found in
the sixth chapter of the Acts of the
Apostles; the chapter also recounts the plot
against him and the start of the trial that
resulted in his martyrdom.

6. Christmas lunch is one of the most
anticipated moments of the
holidays. And if the traditional
dinner is the moment of waiting,
surprise and mystery, lunch on
December 25th is dedicated to
family, conviviality, good food and
affections. Tradition has it that the
Christmas menu is mainly meat, as
opposed to the Christmas Eve
dinner which is instead "thin". Every
Italian region, every city, even every
family, have their own customs but
the one everyone agrees on is that
the Christmas lunch must be very
rich, quality and elegant.

7. For the Christmas lunch ravioli are ideal but if you
want to impress your guests, agnolotti with plin, a
type of stuffed pasta typical of Piedmont, made
with a meat and vegetable filling to taste with
butter and sage or with a good roast sauce. If you
like to bring the traditional risotto to the table,
choose the variant with duck breast and
pomegranate.
Secondly, a triumph of roasts and stuffed meats.
The capon stuffed with herbs and sparkling wine is
a classic of the Christmas period because on the
occasion of the feasts it appears, by ancient
tradition, on the menu of large lunches. But even a
simple and traditional second course such as veal
shank glazed with pomegranate or roast fillet of
beef are rich and tasty dishes that everyone loves
and are perfect for celebrating Christmas
If there is still space, dried and candied fruit, as
well as the inevitable desserts, with panettone and
pandoro

8. The last day of the Christmas festivities
is the Epiphany which, as the saying "all
parties goes away". It falls on January
6th and is a day mainly dedicated to
children. Tradition has it that the
Befana, a very old woman who flies on
a broom, visits the children on the night
between 5 and 6 January and fills socks
on the fireplace or near a window with
sweets or coal, left there on purpose by
the children of the house. Generally,
children who behaved well during the
year will receive sweets, candies, dried
fruit or small toys, while the more
pestiferous and misbehaving ones will
find socks full of coal.