by Erin Gage
Finals week quickly approaches, but luckily it coincides with rising holiday cheer! While some students may be feeling a bit glum as they’re missing the start to the holiday season with their families, there are lots of vibrant events hosted around Florence this time of year providing the perfect relief from studying and homesickness. Alongside many of the Christmas markets mentioned in the Weekly Highlights newsletters over the past weeks, find other holiday traditions central to Florence described down below.
Immaculate Conception and the Tree Lighting Ceremony
December 8th (The Feast of the Immaculate) marks the Italian countdown to Christmas, with most families using this day to set up their holiday decorations and get into the Christmas spirit. Florence as a city celebrates with a tree lighting ceremony across four locations in the city– in Piazza Michelangelo, Piazza della Republica, Palazzo Vecchio, and of course in front of the Duomo where you’ll also find the nativity scene. The nativity scene is made up of life-size terracotta statues, with the baby Jesus placed in the scene on Christmas Day. The nativity scene remains up until January 6th, (the day of the Epiphany, or Epifania).
The Feast of the Immaculate is a relatively “new” religious holiday, only being instated on December 8th in 1854 by Pope Pius IX. The day itself marks an element of faith that says God preserved Mary from the first moment of her conception, leaving her unmarked from the original sin– an element that had been debated, as it took centuries to officially become dogma. Today, the day marks the official beginning of the Christmas season as the people of Florence gather around in a show of community (image source).
Christmas Celebration
Let’s talk about how the Florentines celebrate Christmas. Often, there are no big outings, and the main event to look forward to is Christmas lunch with one’s family. Some traditional Christmas foods are tortellini in brodo, or cappelletti (a ring-shaped pasta bigger than tortellini with a tricorn appearance pictured below). And of course, you have your pandoro (originating in Verona, served with powdered sugar) and panettone (originating in Milan, a sweet bread with candied fruit), or panforte (a spiced fruitcake). These are easily purchased in any grocery store, but consider visiting a bakery if you’re looking to take it up a notch!
Regarding religious celebrations, for practicing students, the Cathedral of Florence holds the traditional Christmas Eve Mass at midnight, with vigil prayers starting at 11:00 p.m, with Mass on Christmas Morning celebrated at 10:30 a.m.
Festival of the Lights
From December 7th through January 7th, there will be beautiful projects on many buildings and monuments in the city center for the annual Festival of Lights, which officially starts with the lighting of the Christmas trees across the city. There’s an added layer of holiday magic seeing these beautiful light shows on the likes of Palazzo Vecchio, Ponte Vecchio, and in Piazza Santa Maria Novella.
Events to Check Out:
- Teatro Verdi Christmas Concert – Taking place on Christmas Eve, the Orchestra della Toscana performs a program of classical music. This year, the program features Gioachino Rossini (Il signor Bruschino, ouverture), Pëtr Il’ič Čajkovskij (Andante cantabile for Cello & Strings) Igor’ Fëdorovič Stravinskij (Suite italienne No. 1, for Cello & Strings (trascription by B. Wallfisch), and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Symphony n. 41 K 551 ‘Jupite). Check out this lovely annual event!
- Time: Wednesday Dec 24, 5:00 pm
- Ticket cost and link: €5.00 for students, purchase here!
Read more:
https://www.visitflorence.com/what-to-do-in-florence/christmas-in-florence.html
https://duomo.firenze.it/en/opera-magazine/post/5222/immacolata-concezione https://www.thelazyitalian.com/panettone-pandoro/
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