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Traditional events for the winter season a Florentine Christmas
[Susan Glasspool]
Christmas in Florence is unique for anyone who decides to visit the city at this time of year.Certainly the lights are nothing like as splendid as those in London or New York, but medieval and Renaissance Florence doesn’t really need a huge amount of glitter, when every street, every corner and every house reflects ancient festivities, some long forgotten, some utterly transformed, while others that have survived intact. Even so, hanging strings of glittering lights, snow flakes and garlands illuminate the boulevards until everything is adazzle with light, from the trees and the facades of the great houses to the windows and the squares.
The silent candle-lit churches, the lovingly arranged Nativity scenes, the deeply religious services and concerts contrast with the gay and bustling streets outside, where every shop window offers tempting and captivating wares that are impossible to resist. One particularly interesting service is held on December 21st every year at the Badia Fiorentina to commemorate Ugo of Tuscany, considered historically to have been the founder of Tuscany, who died in Pistoia in 1001 but is buried here in the Badia with a tomb by Mino da Fiesole (1481). Some of you might like to take part in the Christmas Vigil chanted by the monks of the Fraternity of Jerusalem again at the Badia on December 24th at 10.30pm.
The Christmas atmosphere continues outside in the streets, perfumed with the smell of hot roasted chestnuts (real heartwarmers on a cold winter’s day), blended with the haunting sounds of the bagpipes played by wandering street musicians. Drop in to admire the beautiful Nativity scenes set up every year in the Churches of Santa Maria de’ Ricci and of Santa Margherita de’ Cerchi or of Dante (both in Via Santa Margherita).
Larger churches, like the Cathedral, San Lorenzo and Santa Croce, usually have Nativity scenes of course, while a fascinating mechanised scene can be found at the Don Orione Institute in Via Capo di Mondo, 34.
If you happen to be in Florence at the right time you can watch the procession of the traditional Florentine football teams. In historic costume, it is held just before Christmas to celebrate the historic game, following a route from Piazza San Giovanni to Piazza della Signoria.
Another delightful procession, organised by the Florence Canoe Society, is held with Father Christmas travelling by boat down the River Arno to wish everyone a very happy Christmas (December 23rd). Like most other cities in the world, the Christmas festivities in Tuscany’s capital city start spreading their wings from as early as October, but things only get truly frenetic in the last few days. Working Florentines suddenly realise the celebrations are upon them and frantically try and find “that special present” at the last minute. All this combines to make the atmosphere even more stimulatingly festive!
Food becomes almost a pagan rite. The restaurants and wine bars offer exotic meals and wines, the stores sell beautifully wrapped food baskets, containing anything from a complete meal to gastronomic treats (after all, diets start after the New Year)! Every family organises a series of magnificent spreads to entertain friends and relations and perhaps outdo their hospitality of the previous year.
The old-fashioned Christmases that many Italians remember are rare nowadays, like the huge log fire that had to be kept alight from Christmas Eve to Christmas Day, the storytelling, accompanied by roast chestnuts, nuts and oranges beside the flames, recalling the country vigils of the past, and the carol singing and collecting of alms. It is easier to keep these old customs alive in country areas, where more people have fireplaces, to start with!
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