CHRISTMAS IN OUR COUNTRY

Decorations.Typical events.Typical foods.

Presented by Gianluca & Nicola

DECORATIONSIn almost every place in Italy, people use to decorate their home and their town with some amazing ornaments. For example, we can find a lot types of coloured lights , that we can see around in the streets and on the balconies of the buildings.

In italian homes, people usually build wonderfoul

Christmas trees and make some very big cribs (presepi).

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CHRISTMAS “PRESEPI”“Presepe” is often prepared by all familiy’s components at the beginning of December.

“Presepe” represents the scene when Jesus was born about two thousands years ago and in particoular we can find Maria, Giuseppe and their son just born, in that cold and dark stable.

But sometimes presepi could be bigger than this and are composed by lots of other characters like pastors, merchants and the Three Wise Men.

In the oldest and biggest streets of italian cities there are some shows where these presepi are exhibited and sold. There are also presepi that are composed by real people who act their role on Christmas day.

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CHRISTMAS TREESThe tradition of preparing Christmas came from America together with the figure of Santa Claus, that we call “Babbo Natale”.Originally Santa Claus was a shop, Saint Nicolas from Turkey. On Christmas day, he gave presents to the poor. Now in many towns of Italy, children write a letter to ‘’Babbo Natale’’ where they speak about what they wish for Christmas.Legend tells that in the night of 24th December, Saint Nicolas came from the houses’ chimneys and gives presents to people who have written to him. In the next morning they open the presents left by Santa Klaus under the Christmas trees.

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TIPICAL EVENTS: IMMACOLATA The first event that introduce

Christmas is Immacolata day when, on 7th December, at lunch, women prepare frittelle, fried baccalà and rape. In the evening, men in Barletta collect everything that is made of wood and in the middle of open spaces they make a bonfire called falò. At the end they used to sing a folk song “Fanova” that tells about bread and frittelle(a tipical food made of oil, flour and yeast). next

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24° AND 25° DECEMBER-24th and 25th December:

On the eve of 24th December all components of family stay togheter to eat, drink and make some toasts waiting for midnight.

At midnight, they go in procession around the house singing Christmas carols and putting Baby Christ's doll in the presepe's stable between Giuseppe and Maria.

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After, some people go to church for the Midnight Cermony.

Next day families stay all together at table for a lot of hours. Later, they play and enjoy their time playing some typical games like Bingo called "Tombola" and "Picozzo" or "Mediatore" (that are played with cards), until the late night.

NEW YEAR’S NIGHTThere are no significant differences between Christmas Days, because here to, people really love eating, joking and singing all together.At midnight on New Year’s Eve, people eat lenticchie and cotechino and melagrana, because, they say, …you’ll make money! There are fireworks and, in the past, they threw old objects from the windows.They say that if a woman or, worse, an old woman visit you on the first morning of the new year, it is a bad wish for the family. The worst thing is when a gobblin woman is the first person you see on that day! It’ll be an unlucky year!Today the habit to meet people in squares and wait midnight with crowds is becoming usual, mostly among the young.It is usual to give “vischio” on the first day of the new year

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TIPICAL FOODS: SWEETSThis period is great for woman to prepare good starters,side dishes and sweets like Cartellate, Torrone, Mostaccioli, Pastarelle, and Limoncello a traditional spirit liqueur.

To celebrate Christmas, people eat Panettone and drink Spumante.next

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STARTERS AND SIDE DISHES

Lenticchie and Cotechino, frittelle, Capitone, Baccalà, Spaghetti

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