1. CHRISTMAS
At Christmas, people remember when Jesus Christ was born and the Christian religion started.
Today, Christmas is a very important time in the Christian year, but it is also very important to
those who do not go to church. It is a time for buying and giving presents, having parties, and being
with family.
People start get ready for Christmas in November. Shop-keepers
decorate their shops with lights, trees and other decorations, and
shoppers start to look for presents. Shops get very busy and stay
open later. People with family and friends in other countries often
send them cards and presents, and everyone begins to make plans for
the coming holidays.
An interesting theory connects the tradition of exchanging gifts to an ancient Roman festivity in
honour of Ianus and Strenia (in Italian a Christmas gift is called strenna), celebrated at the
beginning of the year, when Romans were used to giving each other presents.
In the middle of December, most families buy a Christmas tree and make the Presepe, and put them
inside the house, adding colourful decorations.
2. CHRISTMAS NATIVITY SCENES
Christmas crib remembers where Jesus Christ was born.
It is one of the oldest and most beloved Christmas tradition in Italy.
In 1223, in Greccio, a village in Umbria (Central Italy), St. Francis from
Assisi made the 1st living nativity scene, in Italy.
Today the crib is an important Christmas tradition for Italian people.
Some days before Christmas we start to build the crib.
At first we build the landscape: the mountains, in the background and
a green meadow in front of them. A river goes across the meadow, but,
in some cribs, the landscape is a desert and there isn’t a river.
Sometimes there is a little pond or a waterfall and some trees are next
to them.
The sky is dark blue, full of shining stars.
The landscape is made of paper and the water is made of silver foil, but
sometimes there are real water and musk.
Mary and Joseph are in the crib, an ox and a donkey are behind them and the
comet and many singing angels are on the roof of the crib.
Since December 25th Jesus sleeps on a bed of straw, between his mum and his
dad.
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A lot of people goes to Jesus: farmers, shepherds, fishermen, joiners, hunters, smiths, cooks, water
carriers, laundresses and children. They give presents to him
There are many animals: cows, sheep, horses, chickens, ducks, geese, fish in the river, etc…
The characters are made of plastic or clay.
In Italy there are many famous nativity scenes :
• the historical nativity scenes, some of them are more than 300 years old,
• the mechanical nativity scenes, some of them are more 100 years old,
• the living nativity scenes, where costumed people act out the parts of the nativity,
often at the night before Christmas.
In Torino there are:
• the mechanical nativity scene, in St. Annunziata church
www.presepiomeccanico.com
• some historical nativity scenes in some churches,
• a huge illuminated nativity scene, created for Christmas 1997, by
the artist and scenographer Emanuele Luzzati .
3. SANTA CLAUS
Santa Claus, ( Saint Nicholas, Father Christmas, or simply "Santa"), is the
legendary figure who brings gifts to the good children during the" evening of
Christmas Eve, December 24.
Saint Nicholas of Myral ,(now in Turkey) is the primary inspiration for the
Christian figure of Santa Claus. Nicholas was famous for his generous gifts to
the poor.
Santa Claus is generally depicted as a white-bearded man wearing a red coat
with white collar and cuffs, red trousers, a black belt and boots.
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4. CHRISTMAS TREE
The Christmas tree is a decorated artificial Christmas tree or natural Christmas
tree that is brought into a home or used in the open during the days around
Christmas.
A Christmas tree is decorated with Christmas Iights, colourful ornaments and
tinsel.
An angel or star is often placed at the top of the tree.
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5. THE WISE MEN
Epiphany, January 6, is the day we celebrate the visit of the Magi, or
the Three Wise Men: Balthazar, Caspar (or Gaspar), and Melchior.
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They bring three gifts : gold, frankincense and myrrh.
6. LA BEFANA
In Italy, Babbo Natale acts as Santa Claus, while La Befana is the bringer of gifts and arrives on the
eve of the Epiphany. It is said that La Befana set out to bring the baby Jesus gifts, but got lost along
the way. Now, she brings gifts to all children.
La Befana is a character in Italian Folklore who delivers presents to children throughout Italy, in a
similar way to Santa Claus. The character may have originated in Rome, then
spread as a tradition to the rest of Italy. Many people believe that the name
Befana is derived from the Italians' mispronunciation of the Greek word
epifania or epiphaneia (Greek, επιφάνεια = appearance, surface, English:
epiphany).
She is usually portrayed as an old lady riding a broomstick through the air
wearing a black shawl and is covered in soot because she enters the children's
houses through the chimney. She is often smiling and carries a bag or hamper
filled with candy, gifts, or both.
In popular folklore Befana visits all the children of Italy on the eve
of the 6th of January to fill their socks with candy and presents if
they are good or a lump of coal or dark candy if they are bad. Being
a good housekeeper, many say she will sweep the floor before she
leaves. The child's family typically leaves a small glass of wine and
a plate with a few morsels of food, often regional or local, for the
Befana.
Traditionally, all Italian children may expect to find a lump of "coal" in their stockings (actually
rock candy made black with caramel coloring), as every child has been at least occasionally bad
during the year.
7. CHRISTMAS CAKES
Pandoro
Pandoro (pan d'oro) is a traditional Italian sweet yeast bread, most popular
around Christmas and New year. Typically a Veronese product, pandoro is
traditionally shaped like a frustum with an 8 pointed-star section.
It is often served dusted with vanilla scented icing sugar made to resemble the
snowy peaks during Christmas.
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Modern taste sometimes calls for Pandoro to have a hole cut into its bottom and a part of the soft
interior to be removed, the cavity is then filled with chantilly cream or vanilla ice-cream. Cream or
ice-cream can be served as a garnish to pandoro slices.
Panettone
Panettone (Milanese: panetton classical orthography, panetùn other orthography) is
a typical bread of Milan, usually prepared and enjoyed for Christmas and New Year
around Italy, and one of the symbols of the city.
It has a cupola shape which extends from a cylindrical base and is usually about 1215 cm high for a 1 kg panettone. Other bases may be used, such as an octagon, or a
frustum with star section shape more common to pandoro. It is made during a long
process which involves the curing of the dough, which is acidic, similar to sourdough. The proofing
process alone takes several days, giving the cake its distinctive fluffy characteristics. It contains
candied orange, citron and lemon zest, as well as raisins, which are added dry and not soaked. Many
other variations are available such as plain or with chocolate . It is served in slices, vertically cut,
accompanied with sweet hot beverages or a sweet wine, such as Asti or Moscato. In some regions
of Italy, it is served with Crema di Mascarpone, a cream made from mascarpone cheese, eggs,
dried or crystallised fruits and typically a sweet liqueur such as Amaretto; if mascarpone cheese is
unavailable, zabaglione is sometimes used as a substitute to Crema di Mascarpone.
The most famous producers were Motta, Bauli, Alemagna, Vergani and Tre Marie.
Torrone
Torrone (Italian) is a nougat confection, typically made of honey, sugar, and
egg white, with toasted almonds or other nuts, and usually shaped into either a
rectangular tablet or a round cake. It is frequently consumed as a traditional
Christmas dessert in Spain and Italy.
Types
Turrón itself can take on a variety of consistencies and appearances, however they traditionally
consisted of the same ingredients; the final product may be either hard and crunchy, or soft and
chewy. Thirty years ago almost all turrón recipes followed the same specifications, but since the
diversification of products there are currently dozens of varieties: chocolate with puffed rice or
whole almonds; all kinds of chocolate pralines, with or without liquor, candied fruits or whole nuts;
fruit pralines; and even sugarless variations (sweetened with fructose or artificial sweeteners).
Italian Torrone
Torrone is a popular winter and Christmas dessert in Italy and many varieties exist. Commercial
versions are more likely to diverge from the traditional recipe and may include flavorings, such as
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orange, lemon, vanilla, etc. Others, such as Torrone di Cremona (Italy) have protected status by (but
not limited to) the country that produces it.
8. LUCI D’ARTISTA (ARTIST'S LIGHTS)
From November 9th to January 10th Luci d’Artista (Artist's Lights) lights up the streets of the city of
Turin with an array of patterns and colours.
People could experience the emotion of contemporary art walking through the streets of Turino.
Protagonists of the 2009 edition are 15 international artists which for the 12th consecutive year
place Turin at the centre of international attention.
http://www.comune.torino.it/cultura/luci_artista.pdf
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