Monday,
November 27, 2006
Christmas in
The
ANNOTICO Report
With
thanks to... "Italians R Us" at http://www.italiansrus.com/
Christmas
in
Italians might not go all out with the decorations, but the holiday spirit
is alive and well in the Motherland
by Francesa
DiMeglio
I cried for days
the first time I went to
My cousins in
You probably
already understood that the Italian feste or holidays
do not have as much bling as we Americans have come
to expect. Few houses put out lawn displays or light shows. And not everyone
has a Christmas tree. Instead, Catholic families construct a nativity scene or presepio. Some of these presepio
are fairly elaborate and depict not only baby Jesus' manger but entire towns
filled with statues, houses and sometimes even plant life.
My father, a
landscaper, builds one annually that takes up an entire room in our house and
features music, lights, real trees and flowers, and a waterfall. Many Italians,
especially in the South, do the same. They're like giant, interactive pieces of
art. During the holidays, many people go from town to town and house to house
to see the various nativity scenes. You might also stumble upon a live nativity
scene - with real people - in one of the country's many piazza.
On every street
corner, you'll likely hear ?Tu Scendi
Dalle Stelle?. It's THE classic
Italian carol. That will put you in the mood for a celebration, where food is
the centerpiece. And Christmas Eve is the tastiest day of the year - at least
for me and anyone who is a lover of fish.
Italians fast or
eat only a very small portion of fish at lunch and feast in the evening. But
meat is not served on the Vigilia or Eve. Many
southern Italians serve seven fish dishes that symbolize either the seven
sacraments of the Catholic Church or the seven days of creation, depending on
who you are talking to. Some of the fish you're likely to find on the table are
baccala, eel, clams and other shellfish, shrimp,
calamari, scungilli (conch), and octopus. Freid calamari, octopus bathed in lemon, oil and parsley,
and linguini with clam sauce are my Christmas Eve favorites.
In
After you've
stuffed yourself like an American turkey at Thanksgiving, you must wait for the
clock to strike midnight, when you'll either go to the nearby church for Mass
or watch the pope on TV. While waiting, little children often recite poems they
learned in school as gifts for their parents and other relatives. And the
adults then play tombola or bingo. Tombola Napoletana is the most
popular - at least among my family and friends. It's just like bingo but every
number has a corresponding image, which can be naughty or nice. Thirteen, for
instance, corresponds to Sant' Antonio while 28
corresponds to a private part of the woman's anatomy. You'll get a kick out of
playing this kind of bingo with your nonni. And
afterward, you'll head to midnight
In recent years,
Santa Claus or Babbo Natale
has been visiting the homes of good Italian boys and girls, too. But January 6,
or the epiphany, is the real day for giving gifts to children in Italy, who
wait for the arrival of goodies from La Befana or the
Christmas Witch. Christmas Day is characterized by more eating and perhaps
another Mass. Overall, the holidays in
For more
information on Di Meglio, visit www.francescadimeglio.com.
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