Italian Christmas Traditions – the presepio
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As it’s getting closer to the official start of the Christmas season, we’ve decided to write a little something on the various different Christmas traditions in Italy, to complement our growing list of Christmas recipes (Italy doesn’t have one particular ‘Turkey Dinner’ equivalent).
While every region, and often different cities within those regions, has its own particular set of traditions and meals surrounding Christmas, there are some that are shared nationally. Christmas is, in effect, more than just the feast on the 25th of December – so, for example, the whole country celebrates the feast of the immaculate conception on the 8th of December, which is taken by most towns as the official start to the Christmas season, when cribs (presepe) will be set up and christmas lights lit.
The Presepe
The tradition of making a crib or presepio is one that is alive and well throughout Italy. Most cities and towns will have an official crib on display – often in the comune or town council. Churches obviously have them, but so too do many shops, public spaces, and homes.
The tradition of building a crib dates back, it’s thought, to the Etruscans and Romans, and the tradition of the sigillum. Families would make small terracotta figures (laris) of their departed loved ones. In December, before the solstice, families would create a type of crib where these figures would be put on display, in order to be remembered and to give their blessing on the family home for the coming new year.
With the introduction of Christianity the tradition underwent subtle shifts replacing a families ancestors with the holy family of Joseph, Mary, and Jesus. The modern crib, though, mixes the sacred and the profane up and will invariably have many other figures. In the weeks leading up to Christmas there is always a news item on the markets in Napoli, and the most popular crib figures on sale. Diego Maradona has remained a stalwart favourite in the city after his succesful stint at Napoli football club in the ’80s and early ’90s.
The modern tradition of the sacred crib, though, is often ascribed to Saint Francis, who in 1223 fashioned a living crib with animals in Greccio (in the province of Rieti, Lazio). Throughout the middle ages, not least thanks to the repeated treatment of the nativity in art, crib building became popular throughout the country. In the mid-1500s the tradition got a boost from the Council of Trent, which approved it as asimple and popular tool for teaching the faith.
Nowadays its one of those traditions that is still strongly held, even if many Italians you meet may not be practicing catholics or know of its historical origins.
Some interesting variations on the Presepe theme:
- the sand presepio built each year in Rimini on the beach
- The floating presepio in Cesenatico
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