Italians take very seriously three things: food, family, and faith. So, Christmas, which is all about these three, is super important in Italy. Every family has its own traditions, especially depending on where they live in Italy. Some traditions are specific to Southern Italy, but there are also some things that everyone does. Like, there are fun Christmas practices involving a witch and fish. Let's learn about the most famous Italian Christmas and New Year traditions so you can celebrate Christmas just like the locals do.
- How do they celebrate Christmas in Italy?
- Christmas gifts in Italy
- The Italian Christmas witch
- What is a traditional Christmas dinner in Italy?
- How do they celebrate the New Year in Italy?
- New year bingo
- What is Christmas called in Italy?
How do they celebrate Christmas in Italy?
Let's talk about something really familiar and classic at Christmas – the Christmas tree. In Italy, we got into the Christmas tree tradition in the late 1800s, all thanks to Queen Margherita of Savoy. She decorated one in Rome's Palazzo del Quirinale, and soon everyone in Italy started doing it too.
Tradition now has it that Christmastrees are put up in Italy on 8th December and taken down on 6th January each year, like clockwork.
Italian Christmas tree Pixnio
Another important part of Italian Christmas is the traditionalnativity scene. Displaying a manger and the birth scene of the baby Jesus is said to be the work of St. Francis of Assisi and dates back to the year 1223. On the night of Christmas Eve in 1223 in Greccio, Umbria, St. Francis of Assisi is said to have set up the first nativity scene in history, representing the birth of Jesus in his cradle in Bethlehem.
From that moment on, many artists have experimented with the creation of wooden or terracotta figurines for this purpose. The Tuscans started the trend, but it soon spread to the ancient Kingdom of Naples too. To this day, the masters of the nativity scene are the Neapolitans, and the symbol of this Neapolitan tradition are the shops of Via San Gregorio Armeno.
In Italy, you'll find lovely nativity scenes in lots of public spots, shops, and churches. But having one at home is a top Italian Christmas tradition, especially in this mostly Catholic country. People usually set up nativity scenes on December 8th, the same day as the Christmas tree. But here's a fun fact: the baby Jesus isn't placed in the manger until the evening of December 24th, following the tradition!
Christmas gifts in Italy
And what about the gifts? Is it Santa Claus, Santa Lucia or Jesus who brings the Christmas presents in Italy? Nowadays in Italy it’s Father Christmas that brings the presents, although in some areas of Northern Italy such as Brescia, Bergamo and Verona the tradition of St. Lucy is still holding on, a Saint who delivers the gifts to children at Christmas. At one time, in a less consumerist era, with less global influences, it was even Jesus Christ himself who traditionally brought presents to children in Italy.
The Italian Christmas witch
How does Christmas in Italy stand out? In Italy, the focus is often on the Nativity scene and Catholic traditions instead of the typical Santa Claus or gift-giving from Jesus or Santa Lucia. But here's something a bit different and even a little strange: an Italian tradition involving a witch. According to Italian folklore, a friendly witch named La Befana brings treats to well-behaved children on the morning of the Epiphany, which is on January 6th. This good witch is often pictured happily carrying a basket filled with goodies for Italian kids. The legend goes that La Befana initially set out to meet Baby Jesus but, in the end, couldn't find her way to Bethlehem.
What is a traditional Christmas dinner in Italy?
Now we come to one of the most important moments: Christmas Eve dinner or Christmas day lunch. Trust us, you really don't want to miss out when it comes to traditional Italian Christmas food.
Here, Italy is divided between those who put more importance on the dinner of Vigilia, an evening meal on the 24th December which is traditionally based around fish because the Catholic tradition forbids eating meaton the evening before a religious holiday, and those who prefer lunch on Christmas Day.
While there are many traditional Christmas dishes across the various regions of Italy, let's highlight some special ones. In Veneto, they savor polenta with cod and lesso with sauces. Over in Piedmont, it's agnolotti boiled and seasoned with sauces. Valle d'Aosta indulges in carbonade (beef cooked in red wine), while Trentino enjoys canederli and roe. Emilia-Romagna delights in tortellini and passatelli, and Tuscany goes for livers and roast guinea fowl or stuffed capon. Down in Campania, the Christmas table features spaghetti with clams, capon broth, or stuffed capon. Sardinia serves up colurgiones (stuffed ravioli) and malloreddus (gnocchetti), while Sicily enjoys pasta with sarde. Each region has its unique flavors to celebrate the festive season!
That said, one constant of all Italian Christmas meals is the dried fruit and desserts like panettone, torrone and pandoro that are enjoyed up and down the country. In addition to these classic Italian Christmas sweets, each region also has its own typical Christmas desserts and sweets.
Panettone fruit cake is the most widespread and traditional Xmas food Wikipedia
How do they celebrate the New Year in Italy?
Christmas and New Yearparties are perhaps among the most delicious occasions of the year in Italy. It is a well-established tradition to bring families together not only to exchange gifts, but to rediscover the joy of meeting at the table together. This is becoming more and more valued, especially since in recent years celebrations, celebrations have been somewhat smaller than usual thanks to the pandemic.
The New Year's Eve Gala Dinner is a feast with various tasty treats, and the menu can vary across regions. However, two dishes almost always make an appearance on every table, whether you're in Aosta or Trapani: the zampone and the cotechino, usually served with lentils. The lentils have a special meaning – they symbolize money that will pile up during the upcoming year. The belief is that the more lentils you eat, the more money you'll earn!
The meal ends with dried fruit and grapes. According to tradition, it is important to have grapes on the table on New Year's Day because those who eat grapes for New Year's Day count their money all year round.
New Year's in Italy is a lively celebration with firecrackers and various fireworks lighting up the sky to welcome the 1st of January. It's a tradition for many to toss out old things from windows, as if letting go of all the negative stuff from the past year, hoping for a brighter future. At the stroke of midnight, people exchange good wishes and raise a toast with the finest Italian sparkling wine! Cheers to a new beginning!
The colour red plays an important role. So, if you want tobe more lucky in 2024, then it is essential to wear something of this colour.
New year bingo
At Italian New Year's parties, guests often enjoy a game called 'Tombola,' which is basically bingo. What makes this game unique is that each number has a special symbol assigned to it. Instead of calling out the numbers, players use the traditional symbols to identify them. For instance, the number 90 is linked to "the fear," and 47 is associated with "the speaking dead," adding a fun twist to the usual bingo experience.
Playing 'tombola' bingo is traditional at New Year in Italy Flickr
What is Christmas called in Italy?
Last but not least, if you plan to spend Christmas and the New Year like the Italians, then you'll also need to brush up on your Italian greetings. If you want to wish somone a Happy Christmas in Italian, then you can say"Buon Natale",while in Sicilian it's "Bon Natali"and in Ladin (a language spoken in some parts of the South Tyrolregion) you can wish people a"Bon/Bun Nadèl".And let's not forget about the new year, when you can wish your family and friends a "Buon anno" or "Felice Anno Nuovo".
