WHAZHOT · MADE IN FLO' · ONLY IN FLO' · DISCOUNT COUPONS
sections
Booking
.
culture
.
Italian and Florentine Christmas traditions Nativity scenes rather than trees
[Susan Glasspool]
Christmas trees are a relatively recent introduction to Italy, a tradition that has gradually crept in from Northern Europe. The more traditional Nativity scenes, composed of the Holy Family, the ox and the donkey, the shepherds and of course Baby Jesus, instead range from very simple family-made arrangements to more complex ones usually to be found in churches. Some of the most fascinating Nativity scenes have some sort of mechanical movement and are normally visitable throughout the year. Apart from the Holy Family, they are made up of a series of scenes of daily life in movement. Baby Jesus is reverently placed in the crib on Christmas Eve, while the Three Kings arrive for the Epiphany. Other Nativity Scenes are re-enacted live.
The tradition of setting up a Nativity Scene is thought to originate from Christmas 1223 when St. Francis of Assisi set one up at Greccio, near Rieti. They may date from earlier but this was the first to be mentioned in documents and they soon became very popular, gradually developing into a real art form.
Look out for the Nativity scenes in the Florentine churches (the Cathedral, Sant’Ambrogio, St. Mark’s, Santa Croce, Santa Maria de’Ricci and the Church of Dante, to name but a few) and in the surrounding countryside.
A set of Nativity figurines (or even just one) could therefore make a very original Christmas gift to take home, as we very much doubt that you can find their counterparts - or at least such fine ones - anywhere else in the world.
MORE