CHRISTMAS

Christmas is a religious festivity celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ the 25th December, it is worldwide spread and it is perhaps the most popular festivity together with the pagan one of New Year’s Eve.

Though being such a crucial Christian recurrence, however, Christmas is nowadays celebrated by people of different religions and by pagans as well. Indeed beside the religious traditions, a series of commercial and social traditions have developed and spread.

What is typical of the religious tradition is going to the church on Christmas Eve night and on Christmas morning and having the Christmas lunch together with all the family and relatives. Also the values connected with this festivity are bound up with its spiritual aspects: peace, love, solidarity, generosity. The Nativity Scene has a strong religious connotation as well.

However, most of Christmas traditions have a pagan origin and they are linked to its commercial and social aspects. This doesn’t mean they’re negative, nor that they damage or alter the religious significance of Christmas. They’re just a matter of fact. They are the only traditions diffused among non Christian people, while they exist beside the religious costumes among Christians.

This paper is meant to evaluate some aspects of Italian culture that differ from those of the United States, but the costumes and traditions connected with Christmas are slightly different, there are more things in common than differences. Perhaps one of the biggest differences stands in the fact that, while in Italy most of people are Catholic, in the USA there is a melting pot of different cultures and religions. Thus in Italy Christmas has a strong religious connotation, while in the USA, beside that aspect, there is a strong social aspect. Even among non Christians, Christmas is a cultural event. Indeed, also non Christian people do something special for this recurrence: even though they don’t go to church nor do the Christmas tree, they exchange presents and decorate their houses with coloured lights. Obviously, a small part of non Christian people refuses even this social aspect of Christmas, but it is only a minority. According to a survey quoted by Stern’s article “Merry Christmas” no problem for most, 2006 (see sources below), only 10 percent among non Christians do not want to hear “Merry Christmas”. Among Jews in particular, 32 percent prefer not to hear it. Anyway a person, to avoid being wished a “Merry Christmas” in December, would have to not turn on the TV, not go to work and not go shopping.

Another difference between Italy and the United States stands in the name by which it is called the man with a long white beard wearing a red suit who brings presents from house to house on Christmas Eve night: in Italy he’s called ‘Babbo Natale’ (Father Christmas), while in the States he’s called ‘Santa Claus’. Children are told that Santa Claus brings them presents on Christmas Eve night, going from roof to roof with a sleigh towed by reindeers and coming down form the chimney.

In Italy it is very common that children write a letter to Babbo Natale some weeks before Christmas to tell him what presents they wish to receive.

Another difference stands in the fact that a lot of Italian families, beside the Christmas tree, are used to make the crib, while in the USA this tradition, though existing, is less common.

On the other hand, a tradition which is common all over the world, is that of the Christmas tree. Some time before Christmas each family decorates one o more trees, usually a pine, inside or/and outside the house. In villages’ and towns’ squares there are Christmas trees, too, and coloured lights hung up on the streets. The lights usually have the shape of a comet star, of Santa Claus, of a Christmas tree or of mistletoe. While the trees are decorated with coloured baubles, bows, festoons coloured lights and sometimes even candies and chocolates.

In Italy it is diffused the tradition of going to the Mass on Christmas Eve at midnight, after going to the church some people go back home and open the presents which have been put under the tree that same night, while some other people, especially the young, usually go out with friends.

Both in Italy and in the States there is the tradition of having a large typical meal with the family and relatives, usually on Christmas Day at lunch, but some families have the habit of having it on Christmas Eve at dinner.

A typical Italian Christmas meal consists of a first course (usually ‘pasticcio’ or ‘tortellini in brodo’), then a second course (usually roasted potatoes with roast pork or veal) and finally the typical Italian Christmas cakes, ‘Panettone’ and ‘Pandoro’. ‘Panettone’ is a cake containing candied orange and lemon zest, and raisins; while ‘Pandoro’ is usually plain or stuffed with chocolate or custard, and served dusted with vanilla scented icing sugar.

In America the traditional Christmas meal is roast turkey, goose, duck or ham with vegetables and sauces (the most typical is cranberry sauce). For dessert there is, usually, ‘Christmas pudding’ or ‘Pumpkin Pie’. ‘Christmas pudding’ is a steamed pudding, with dried fruit and nuts, and usually made with suet. It is very dark in appearance, and moist with brandy or other alcohol.

‘Pumpkin Pie’ consists of a pumpkin-based custard, rarely with a top crust, it is generally flavored with nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves and ginger and is traditionally served with whipped cream.

Another tradition, existing in both cultures, but more redicated in the States, is that of television broadcasting films, specials and episodes of television series generally set at Christmas.

Finally a typical Anglosaxon tradition is that of kissing each other under the mistletoe, as a sign of love and good luck.

Though there are some differences between Italy and the USA concerning the traditions bound up with Christmas, there are a lot of things in common, standing to demonstrate that the distances among different cultures are not so big.

Sources

American Christmas traditions in Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved December the 12th, 2006 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Christmas_traditions

Natale in Wikipedia. Retrieved December the 12th, 2006 from

http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natale

List of Christmas Dishes/ United States in Wikipedia. Retrieved December the 13th, 2006 from

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_dishes#United_States

List of Christmas Dishes/ Italy in Wikipedia. Retrieved December the 13th, 2006 from

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_dishes#Italy

Stern, G. (December the 11th, 2006). “Merry Christmas” no problem for most in Religion Blog Archive. Retrieved December the 19th, 2006 from

http://religion.lohudblogs.com/2006/12/11/merry-christmas-no-problem-for-most/

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