A Message from the State 1st Vice President

Ken and I wish you all Buon Natale e Felice Anno Nuovo!

Your Vice-Presidents have been sending emails to your Lodge Presidents telling them what other Lodges are doing during this time. I am so impressed with the ingenious ways they are keeping in touch with you, the members. Some are having Zoom meetings, hybrid Zoom meetings, Zoom dinners, Drive through dinners and celebrations are just a few. Perhaps this is the time to reach out to some of the members of your Lodge. I’m sure they would love to hear from you.

Here are some interesting facts about Christmas celebrations in Italy. Some you may already know but some may be new:

Italians kick off the Christmas season (and start decorating) on the Day of the Immaculate Conception, December 8. Decorations and huge Christmas trees can be found in main piazzas, like in front of the Colosseum or in Milan’s Piazza Duomo, and Babbo Natale (Father Christmas, the Italian version of Santa Claus) spreads holiday cheer.

The eight days before Christmas, also known as the Novena, are filled with carolers singing traditional songs around the neighborhood. If you’re in Rome, southern Italy or Sicily, keep an eye out for the zampognari, or bagpipe players—they travel from the nearby mountains to play their merry folklore carols.

Along with the fancy lights, wreaths and trees, presepi (nativity scenes) are displayed in many churches and piazzas. Crafting these ornate works of art by hand remains an artisanal tradition in many parts of the country. If you want to go to the source, head to Naples; the southern Italian city is world-famous for their hand-made presepi. It still has whole streets with one workshop after another devoted to the craft.

To prepare and purify their bodies for Christmas Day, Italians avoid meat on la Vigilia (Christmas Eve). Although the idea is to eat lean, most indulge on multiple courses of fish… sometimes as many as seven!

After the family dinner, many Italians head to midnight Mass at their local church to celebrate. (Some Romans even head to the Vatican for Mass with the Pope!).

But traditions vary from city to city: Up north, in Cortina d’Ampezzo in the Dolomite Mountains, thrill-seekers ski down the slopes with torches at midnight to welcome Christmas.

After the “light” Christmas Eve dinner, on Christmas Day, Italians invite their family and friends for a large lunch that usually goes on all day. Many save up to have the most lavish celebration possible, serving up traditional dishes like pasta in brodo (pasta in broth), roasts and traditional desserts like panettone.

Celebrations often extend into December 26 with the national holiday of Santo Stefano; families get together and eat leftover Christmas dishes and sweets.

The official end of the Christmas season, though, isn’t until January 6—the Day of the Epiphany, and the twelfth day of Christmas. On the eve of the Epiphany, families usually prepare a large dinner to mark the end of the holiday season; children are given candy or coal (usually made of black sugar), depending on if they were naughty or nice. After January 6, you’ll see Christmas markets close and decorations start to come down. 

Ask an Italian when her family opens gifts, and it might give you a clue to where she’s from! Gifts are commonly exchanged on Christmas Day after lunch— sometimes with the belief that Jesus has delivered them – take that, Santa!

But some smaller, northern Italian cities believe that the blind Saint Lucia brings gifts for children on December 13, so they open them that morning.

Other families may wait until January 6. The Epiphany is when la befana – a kind of “good witch” who is believed to have followed the wise men, but got lost— drops off presents. La befana is a particular tradition in Rome and Bologna, where the main piazzas often host Praying for peace and harmony throughout the world! Merry Christmas to all!! fun activities for children; in Venice, locals believe that la befana arrives every year by boat!

I hope, one day, to go back to Italy, perhaps during the Christmas celebration. I would love to experience this wonderful time.

Let’s all hope for a blessed New Year and a time to get back together again.

Till next month
Fraternally
Barbara