Christmas tree.
And here we are in Lazio! Christmas season here is special for the presence of the Pope in Rome. But also for the traditional folk celebration of Befana everywhere in the region.
Lazio fill in of Christmas events and with Rome and the Vatican city become the centre of the Christian Christmas festivities.
Let’s start with Rome. It dresses up and all the monuments are even more striking under the Christmas lights.
The Vatican city draws big crowds of pilgrims in the city.
And we finally arrive to the east border, in Friuli Venezia Giulia! Where Christmas traditions and stories find their origin long time ago.
Friuli Venezia Giulia is Italy’s most North-Eastern region. It borders Austria to the north and Slovenia to the east. While to the south it faces the Adriatic Sea. The major transport routes between the east and west of southern Europe pass through this region. And that’s why Friuli Venezia Giulia’s history is a mix of cultures and traditions.
Friuli Venezia Giulia’s Christmas traditions come from cultural mosaic. From December to January, from the sea to the mountains, a Central European mixture of ancient legends and folklore live on the streets and the most picturesque corners.
The Christmas spirit is more intense in the small towns “guarded” by the Eastern Alps. The rural sacredness and simplicity reign in a frame of snow and mountains.
On Christmas Eve, if a girl looks in the mirror with her hair down at midnight, she will see the image of the predestined groom.
Once in Friuli in fact the Christmas traditions were linked to magical beliefs. And still today you can feel the atmosphere.
A very common practice in the region is the setting on fire of the Nadalin (also called “zòc”) on the night of Christmas Eve. It has pagan origins but in Christian times has taken on a symbolic meaning. The Nadalin is a big log generally beech, oak or mulberry tree that is lit in the fireplace. According to the tradition, the Nadalin had to remain lighted on until the New Year, but if you could keep it burning until Epiphany, this would bring good fortune to the whole house. Once the festivity ended the coals of “zòc” were carefully preserved and used to light the fire when threatened by bad weather.
Together with the splinters of the Yule log, blessed olive tree leaves and some juniper branches were also burned deeming this practice a powerful talisman against witchcrafts and, generally, against bad luck.
Continue reading Friuli Venezia Giulia and its Christmas with fire and magic
Today, December 8, is the Feast of The Immaculate Conception. In Italy schools are closed and mommies and daddies don’t go to work. Like every year, since I was born, me and my family decorate home and, within a few hours, the magic of Christmas is on.
Like me, many Italians today prepare the Christmas tree and decorate their houses with Christmas lights and ornaments. In Milan, on the other hand, this tradition is set on December 7, in the day of Saint Ambrose – the patron saint of the city.
Continue reading Christmas Special: the Feast of the Immaculate Conception
