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Italy and the Christmas traditions

In modern crib is the place to be represented are all the characters of the Nativity. This practice became popular since statues and religious representations became increasingly numerous in Italian churches. An Italian tradition is the live nativity scene, one of the most famous is the nativity scene in Piazza di Spagna in Rome. But if we go back in history, the first nativity scene was created by San Francis of Assisi in 1223 in Greccio.

One of the Italian cities where it's rooted in the tradition of the nativity scene is Naples. The statues, made of wood and dressed in clothes of cloth, are real works of art. The traditional techniques of craftsmanship dating back to the fifteenth century.

As for the 'Christmas tree , its origin is associated with many legends, some linked to other pagan and Christian worship. In pagan religions of northern Europe, the fir tree was worshiped as a symbol of long life. The custom of exposing it at home from Germany and only later diffuse in tutta Europa. Entrò nelle case italiane solo alla fine del XIX secolo, quando la moglie di Umberto I decise di allestirlo nel Quirinale. Da qui divenne un costume popolare. La tradizione italiana vuole che venga allestito l'8 dicembre, il giorno dell'Immacolata, e smontato il 6, giorno dell'Epifania.

Due sono le figure folkloristiche legate al Natale: Babbo Natale e la Befana . La prima ha la stessa origine in tutto il mondo cristiano: deriva da un personaggio storico, il vescovo San Nicola da Mira. Si dice che il vescovo, durante il periodo natalizio, facesse doni ai più poveri. La rappresentazione moderna di Babbo Natale, dressed in red and with the reindeer, but is fairly recent, dating from the nineteenth century. The figure of the Befana is instead linked to a legend: after the birth of Jesus, chose not to follow the Magi , but soon repented. Since then, it is said that on the night of Epiphany brings gifts to children, hoping that one of them is precisely Jesus

In Italy, the tradition, the Christmas Eve dinner is based fish. The Latin word "vigil" means waking, characterized by fasting. In almost all recipes of Christmas dinner is the eel, fish that is found in many religious fasts.

Via Natale.it