Starting with the first Sunday of Advent, which this year started on Nov. 27, and running through Epiphany on Jan. 6, Italy’s winter holiday season has numerous minor and major holidays peppered throughout the period. The church officially prepares for the celebration of Christ’s birth on the first day of Advent. Dec. 8, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, (l’Immacolata Concezione) is the day that commercially the season gets fully under way and throughout Italy the whole country welcomes in the Christmas season, much like America’s day of Thanksgiving. However, it is also a major Catholic holy day and is a national Italian holiday, with all public offices and schools closed.
The second most popular day for welcoming in the Christmas season’s in Italy is the Feast of St. Nicholas (La Festa di San Nicola). In areas where he is venerated, it is Dec. 6 when age-old traditions are played out to honor him and ring in the season. The best-known is the eve of St. Nicholas Day, when children place their shoes in a by a fireplace (vicino il focolare), or under their bed (sotto il letto). The next morning the children find their shoes filled with little presents from the great saint.
From the season’s onset to the last day of the season Jan. 6, the Epiphany (l’Epifania) other Christmas-related holidays take place Dec. 13, Festa di Santa Lucia; Dec. 24, La Vigilia di Natale; Dec.26, Festa di Santo Stefano; Dec. 28, Festa degl’Innocenti and Dec. 31, La Festa di San Silvestro or La Vigilia di Capo d’Anno. Some Italians still hold the tradition of the Festa del Candelora on Feb. 2 when they take down the presepio. Another day, though not a holiday per se, is Dec. 16, known as La Novena di Natale. Novena, Latin for the ordinal number, ninth, indicates the nine-day period prior to Christmas Day. Visits to the presepi by the zampognari to serenade il Bambino Gesu begin in full force on first novena day.
Let’s look at some ways to greet at this season:
Buon Natale: Merry Christmas
Buon Capo d’Anno or Buon Anno Nuovo: Happy New Year
Buone Feste: Happy Holidays
Vocabulary with religious significance:
I Re Magi: The Three Wise Men
La Sacra Famiglia: The Holy Family
Presepio or presepe: Nativity scene
I Pastori: The Shepherds
Special seasonal days:
Festa di Santa Lucia: Feast of St. Lucy
La Vigilia di Natale: Christmas Eve
La Festa di Santo Stefano: St. Stephan’s Day aka Boxer Day
La Vigilia di Capo d’Anno or Festa di San Silvestro: New Year’s Eve or St. Silvester Day
Festa degl’Innocenti: Feast of the Holy Innocents
Festa del Candelora: Candlemas
General seasonal terms:
Babbo Natale: Santa Claus or Father Christmas
Zampognari: Bagpipers
Pupazzodi neve: Snowman
L’Albero di Natale: Christmas Tree
Tradtional Foods:
Il cenone: The Christmas Eve Dinner
L’anquilla: Eel
Il polpo: Octopus
Il pesce: Fish
Torrone: Traditional nougat candy
Il panettone: A traditional style raisin bread