December in Rural Italy: Pigs, Witches and the Moving Nativity Scene
Christmas in Italy, called Natale, is a hoot for the tourist. You should go and see it. There are many elements not found in American Christmas like La Befana, the Christmas witch. La Befana arrives on her broomstick during the night of January 5 bearing gifts of toys and sweets for the good children and lumps of coal or heads of garlic for the ne'er do wells.
Yes, that's right, in America we load garlic into the pasta sauce thinking it's an Italian tradition. The Italians use it very sparingly in the kitchen and save the left-overs as a present for the kid who bugs them the most.
Then there are the nativity scenes. In America mom puts up the background, the manger, the swaddled baby Jesus and his parents, the wise men, an angel or two and that's it. It's always the same unless Uncle Bob has one eggnog too many and knocks Joseph clear outta the barn and both of Joseph's arms break off and you have to find a new figurine to replace him.
In Italy, all that biblical stuff is just the basics, shoved to a corner. Surrounding it are other little scenes featuring more or less modern people drinking, twirling spaghetti, fishing, sharpening knives and doing other things, many related to food preparation. Among the working people are famous people the purchasers wish to make fun of, usually politicians. They don't work, of course, they just stand there looking like they are waiting for la Befana to leave them a garlic braid. The Italians call their nativity scenes presepe, which rhymes with Guiseppe.
Every year Italians hit the presepe trail to get new figures. Expansion of the presepe is a major part of Christmas for some folks. Naples is the most famous place to buy figurines. Follow the crowds down Via San Gregorio Armeno, a famous street of artisans that is as full of locals looking to part with their money during the season as it is with bewildered tourists.
The presepe the Italians build not only grows to monumental proportions over time, eventually they get elector-mechanicised and stuff starts moving, lights go on and off, and music plays. But even that's not enough. Some villages host presepe vivente, live nativity scenes. Village people don costumes and play out biblical scenes in the winter chill. You see them around Christmas and the whole deal is repeated for Epiphany.
If you've read along so far, you'll have surmised that much of the celebration around Christmas hinges on the preparation and consumption of large quantities of special food. Consider the well-known Feast of the Seven Fishes held on the evening of Christmas eve. Its origins are murky, but the fish mongers certainly aren't complaining. Seven dishes--all fishes? No problem for the Italian mother. They can do it in their sleep.
If you think this seasonal food is just about celebrating a special religious holiday, remember that in rural areas the time before Christmas is the time pigs are slaughtered and the intestines hosed out so they can be stuffed with meat, fat and secret spices to make the various salumi the family might hang from the rafters during the winter so they'll be ready for the warmer part of the year, no refrigeration needed. Yes, Italian citizens are allowed two animals without paying the fees and taxes that come with real farming--and one of our neighbors made prize winning salami out of his.
I've been busy sticking holiday scenes together from the marble town of Carrara and the village of Fivizzano to give you an idea of a little rural holiday cheer. It's different than you'll find in Peoria.
Right in the heart of Pallerone, our shopping town, iis what they call the Presepe Artistico. It shows you one whole day full of animated little people, which lasts 7 1/2 minutes. there is also a little museum which shows you how they made the figures. It's very interesting, and there's yet another video. See: Presepe Artistico di Pallerone.
Happy Holidays. Why not plan a December trip to rural Italy? Your friends and neighbors will think you quite mad. Don't listen to them.
