Today we’ll tell you about Piedmont and its Christmas traditions that have marked the life of rural people for centuries.
Piedmont is a northwestern region, on the border with Switzerland and France, and as the name indicates it is the land of the mountains. “At the foot of the mountains”. The Alps surround three sides of the region with the highest peaks and largest glaciers in Italy.
One of the oldest Christmas traditions and stories of Piedmont is the myth of talking animals. In our research we discovered a curious legend that enthralled us by its charm. The legend says that every year, on the night of Christmas Eve, all the animals get the gift of speech for just one night. They then confront each other on humans, their behavior and commenting on their actions. An unrepeatable magic, never to be revealed to men. It is said that any man listening that night can become deaf and blind in a matter of moments!
The most famous traditional figures in Piedmont are the “pastour”, the dialect for shepherds.
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