The Christmas Season in the Italian Language

 

la stagione natalizia

the Christmas season

To celebrate la stagione natalizia in Italy, I am dedicating a month of blog posts to the sights, sounds, tastes, and traditions of Natale.  Buone feste! (Happy Holidays!)

In ancient times the Romans celebrated Saturnalia, a winter solstice festival with religious rites and drunken feasts. The early Christian church decreed December 25 — then the feast of the sun god Mithras -- as the birthday of Gesù bambino (Baby Jesus), the “true light” who came to dispel darkness in the world.

Modern Italian holidays blend religious and pagan festivities that create un’atmosfera natalizia that lasts from weeks before to weeks after December 25. Children in Italy, as elsewhere, often count down the days with a calendario dell’avvento (advent calendar).  

Although you can find more extravagant decorations (decorazioni) in the United States, Christmas lights (illuminazioni natalizie) and alberi di Natale are becoming more popular in Italy. In Torino lighting artists illuminate more than twelve miles of streets and squares. An 875-yard-tall Christmas tree—the world’s tallest, according to the Guiness Book of Records--made up of 450 lights stands near the top of Monte Ingino, above Gubbio in Umbria. Its bright star can be seen from as far away as Perugia. 

Here are the key dates in a season of celebrations:

*December 6, La festa di San Nicola, patron saint of shepherds and of Bari--and the inspiration for the American "Santa Claus."

*December 8, La festa dell'Immacolata, the feast of the Immaculate Conception, a Catholic holy day honoring Mary, the virgin mother of Jesus. In Rome the Pope comes to the Piazza di Spagna to drop a garland of flowers around the statue of the Madonna. (Since she tops a high column, firemen on ladders do the actual placement.)

*December 13: La festa di Santa Lucia, the festival of lights.

*December 24: La vigilia di Natale, the vigil or eve of Christmas.

*December 25: Natale,  the “birthday” of Gesù bambino.

*December 26: La festa di Santo Stefano, Saint Steven’s day.

*December 31: La festa di San Silvestro, Saint Sylvester’s day or New Year’s Eve (la vigilia di Capodanno).

*January 1: Il Capodanno, literally the top of the year.

*January 6: L’Epifania, Epiphany, which marks the arrival of the Re Magi, the three wise men, who brought gifts to the infant Jesus from afar.

Words and Expressions

addobbi natalizi or decorazioni natalizie –- Christmas decorations

palline dell’albero di natale -- Christmas tree ornaments

ghirlanda natalizia –- Christmas wreath

luci dell’albero di natale –- Christmas tree lights

Dianne Hales is the author of LA BELLA LINGUA, My Love Affair with the World's Most Enchanting Language -- an ideal Christmas gift for lovers of Italy and its language. 

Here is a classic Italian canzone di Natale, accompanied by images of la stagione natalizia:

Comments

[Dianne Hales]

Thanks for noticing, but I assure you it is only a temporary lapse. I will be doing a post on la Befana in the coming weeks. She's one of my favorites too.

[Laurent Beaulieu]

I note that you missed La Befana, which is an important tradition in Italy more so than Santa Claus, since she brings gifts to children.

[Rcaifano]

Buon Natale a tutti voi!

[Louise]

Fascinating! I've lived here at Lago Maggiore for 7 years now. I have two children, aged 6 and 4 - both now far better Italian speakers than I am, and it is they who have really brought Italian Christmas to life for me. Buone feste! I'll be reading from now on.