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| Christmas Carnivals » Christmas Around The World » Christmas In Italy |
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Christmas In Italy |
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Christmas in Italy is for three weeks, and starts eight days before Christmas known as the Novena. During this period, children go from house to house reciting Christmas poems and singing. In some parts of Italy, shepherds bring musical instruments into the villages, play and sing Christmas songs.
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In the week before Christmas day children go from house to house dressed as shepherds, playing pipes, singing and reciting Christmas poems. They are given money to buy presents.
Nativity scenes are extremely popular in Christmas in Italy. St. Francis of Assisi asked a man named Giovanni Vellita of the village of Greccio to create a manger scene and performed a Mass in front of it. A strict fast is observed for twenty four hours before Christmas Eve, and is followed by a celebration meal, in which a light Milanese cake called Panettone features as well as chocolate. Presents and empty boxes are drawn from the Urn of Fate - lucky dip, which always contains one gift per person. By twilight, candles are lighted around the nativity scene known as the Presepio, prayers are said, and children recite poems. Christmas in Italy sees a large gathering of crowd in the huge Vatican square where the Pope gives his blessings to the people. In Rome, cannons are fired from Castel St. Angelo to announce the beginning of the holiday season.
Christmas in Italy has another interesting custom. The children wait until Epiphany, January 6, for their Christmas presents. According to tradition, the presents are delivered by a kind ugly witch called Befana on a broomstick. Christmas lunch is Tortellini in Brodo which is filled pasta parcels in broth. Cappone (boiled capon) or roasts are served in central Italy. Connect to
Christmas Carnivals to know more.
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