Today, we will learn about Italian Christmas traditions! First of all, Italians love Christmas and I noticed they put up their decorations very early. Christmas lights and trees that are up long before December are not uncommon sights! This might be because Italy doesn’t really celebrate Halloween or Thanksgiving, so people are ready to jump into the Christmas spirit sooner. Italian Christmas here in Palermo does not have any snow, so it is hard as an American who is used to a white (snowy) Christmas to get into the spirit. Luckily, Italians have many special sweets that denote Christmas time, like panettone (a sweet, light and fluffy bread with candied fruit inside) and torrone (a soft white nougat with different nuts inside).
Italy has two extra religious holidays around Christmas time that the U.S. does not have to mark the start and end of the holiday season. Both holidays are religious because many Italians are Catholic. The first holiday is on December 8th, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. It is a time to celebrate Mary, the mother of Jesus, and how, since the beginning, Mary was without sin. Catholics believe God gave her this gift because one day Mary would become the mother of Jesus. On this day, everybody has work off all throughout Italy, and generally people spend time with their family.
