How do Italians celebrate Christmas and New Year?
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The Christmas holiday season is a special time to take some rest and spend quality time with friends and family. Christmas in Italy is just magical.
Christmas lights, decorations and seasonal events appear during the weeks leading up to Christmas. Their timing varies by town and household.
Christmas is widely celebrated in Italy, with customs that vary between regions, families and religious traditions. This guide introduces holiday vocabulary, food and familiar customs.
Let’s start with some vocabulary.
Italian Christmas Vocabulary
Here are useful Italian words for the Christmas season.
| Natale | Christmas |
| Buon Natale! | Merry Christmas! |
| Buone Feste! | Happy Holidays! |
| Auguri! | Best Wishes! |
| Vigilia di Natale | Christmas Eve |
| 8 dicembre: il giorno dell’Immacolata Concezione or simply l’Immacolata | December 8th: the Day of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary |
| Addobbi natalizi | Christmas decorations |
| Albero di Natale | Christmas tree |
| Presepe (pre-sè-pe) | Nativity scene |
| Gesù Bambino | Baby Jesus |
| Giuseppe e Maria | Joseph and Mary |
| Il bue e l’asinello | The ox and the little donkey |
| Babbo Natale | Father Christmas, Santa Claus |
| Regali di Natale | Christmas presents |
| 26 dicembre: Santo Stefano | 26th December: Saint Stephen’s Day |
| Epifania | Epiphany |
| Befana | folkloric elderly woman who brings sweets or gifts at Epiphany |
| Calza della Befana | Epiphany stocking (similar to Christmas stocking) |
Christmas in Italy
If you are hoping to have a truly Italian Christmas, make sure to incorporate at least some of the following traditions, which probably differ from those to which you might be accustomed.
Here are some Italian Christmas traditions you should know.
Christmas decorations
December 8, the feast of the Immaculate Conception, is a public holiday in Italy and a traditional date for putting up a Christmas tree and decorations. Many people decorate earlier or later; it is not an official starting date for every celebration.
Presepe
Presepe means a nativity scene. It is a familiar Christmas tradition, displayed in homes, churches and public spaces. Some Neapolitan displays include contemporary figures alongside the traditional characters. A presepe vivente is a living nativity with people portraying the scene; these events can take place outdoors or in historic villages as well as at churches.
Another very popular Christmas tradition in Italy is that of the presepe vivente (living nativity scene), which is a recreation of the nativity scene with real people, held in Catholic churches throughout the country.
Bagpipers
Zampognari are traditional bagpipers associated particularly with central and southern Italian Christmas customs. They may be accompanied by a player of the ciaramella, a double-reed wind instrument. Performances are a regional tradition, rather than something found everywhere in Italy.
Christmas presents
Gift-giving customs vary. Babbo Natale or Gesù Bambino may be associated with presents on Christmas Eve or Christmas morning. In some places children also receive gifts for San Nicola, whose feast is December 6, or Santa Lucia, whose feast is December 13, often delivered on the preceding night. These customs are local, rather than uniform across all of Apulia or Veneto.
In Apulia, a region in Southern Italy, presents are brought by San Nicola (Saint Nicholas) on December 5th. In the northeastern region of Veneto it’s Santa Lucia (Saint Lucy) to bring presents to children, on the night of December 12th.
Midnight Mass
Some people attend Messa di mezzanotte, Midnight Mass, on Christmas Eve. Other Christmas services may be held earlier in the evening or on Christmas Day. Participation varies with personal and family traditions.
Italian Christmas feast
For many families, Christmas meals are an occasion to gather with loved ones. The menu and size of the meal depend on local and family customs.
A Christmas Eve cenone, or large dinner, often features fish or seafood in families that follow a meat-free tradition. Menus vary. In Italian, scampi are langoustines, rather than simply another word for shrimp.
Christmas Day lunch often includes several courses, which may feature meat, filled pasta or other family favourites. There is no single national menu.
The dishes below are examples you may encounter at festive meals, rather than a checklist every family follows.
Lasagne alla Bolognese
Lasagne alla bolognese layers pasta sheets with ragù, béchamel and grated Parmigiano Reggiano. Recipes and pasta preparations vary; green egg pasta is a traditional Bolognese choice.
Cannelloni ricotta e spinaci
Cannelloni ricotta e spinaci are pasta tubes or rolled pasta sheets filled with ricotta and spinach, often finished with sauce and cheese. Some fillings include egg and nutmeg. Check ingredients if you need a vegetarian meal, since cheeses and preparations can vary.
Crostini
Crostini are small pieces of toasted bread topped with a variety of flavorful toppings, such as pâté, ham or salmon. They generally make an appearance on the Christmas table as an appetizer.
Rolled-up turkey breast with mushroom stuffing
Arrosto di tacchino ai funghi is roast turkey with mushrooms. A rolled turkey breast may have a filling that includes mushrooms, cheese or ham. It is one possible festive dish, rather than a standard throughout northern Italy.
Veal
Veal appears in some festive menus. Ossobuco alla milanese, for example, is traditionally a cross-cut veal shank slowly braised with ingredients such as vegetables, broth and white wine.
Panettone
Panettone is a tall, dome-shaped, enriched yeast-raised Christmas bread associated with Milan. The classic version contains raisins and candied citrus, while contemporary variations may contain chocolate or other fillings. It is widely enjoyed during the festive season.
Image by Décio Guanabarino Silveira from Pixabay
Pandoro
Pandoro, associated with Verona, is a star-shaped, enriched yeast-raised cake with a golden interior, commonly served with icing sugar. Its name evokes pan d’oro, “golden bread”. The classic version contains neither raisins nor candied fruit.
Credits: loleta.es
Struffoli
Struffoli are small pieces of fried dough coated in honey and often decorated with sprinkles. They are a familiar Neapolitan Christmas sweet, though individual families may choose other desserts.
Torrone
Torrone is a nougat-style confection commonly made with honey, sugar, egg white and nuts such as almonds or hazelnuts. Hard and soft varieties exist. The name is not simply a literal translation of “big tower”; its etymology is disputed.
Vin Brûlé
Vin brûlé is mulled wine, especially associated with winter markets and festivities. Wine is heated with sugar and spices such as cinnamon and cloves, often with citrus. Recipes vary; not every version contains ginger, vanilla, nutmeg or pepper.
New Year’s Eve in Italy
December 31 is New Year’s Eve, called la notte di San Silvestro or l’ultimo dell’anno. Capodanno properly refers to New Year’s Day, January 1, but can also refer more broadly to the celebrations around the change of year.
- San Silvestro — Saint Sylvester’s Day, December 31
- L’ultimo dell’anno — the last day of the year
- La notte di Capodanno — the night of the New Year celebrations
Pronounce Capodanno with the stress on dan and a held double n: /kapoˈdanno/. In conversation, the context makes clear whether somebody means the evening celebrations or January 1.
Here is how to ask about someone’s New Year’s Eve plans:
Cosa fai a Capodanno?/ Cosa fai per San Silvestro? – What are you doing for New Year’s Eve?
If you want to wish someone all the best, simply say:
Buon anno! / Felice anno nuovo! – Happy New Year!
New Year’s Eve Italian traditions
Some New Year customs are associated with wishes for good fortune. They are folklore, not guarantees of luck or practices everyone follows.
New Year’s food traditions
A New Year’s Eve cenone may be shared with family or friends. Foods such as lentils have symbolic associations, but menus differ and there is no required dinner.
Lentils
Lenticchie, lentils, are a familiar New Year food. Their coin-like shape is traditionally associated with a wish for prosperity.
Eating lentils does not determine your finances. Their symbolic meaning is part of the celebration, and recipes vary.
Cotechino
Cotechino is a seasoned pork sausage containing meat, fat and rind. Cotechino Modena IGP is a protected regional product, and cotechino is often served with lentils or mashed potatoes at New Year.
Zampone
Zampone uses the skin of a pig’s foreleg as a casing for a seasoned pork mixture. Like cotechino, it is cooked and sliced, and often served with lentils. Availability of fresh or packaged products varies.
Cappelletti in brodo
Cappelletti, “little hats”, are filled pasta associated with several regional traditions. They may be served in brodo, in broth, during the Christmas season. Fillings vary: some contain meat, while others are cheese-based. They are not always a beef-pork-chicken mixture.
Panettone and/or Pandoro
Panettone or pandoro may finish a festive meal, on their own or with cream. Some people serve sparkling wine; there is no required dessert or drink pairing.
Grapes
Eating grapes around midnight is a local good-luck tradition in some places, often described as twelve grapes for the months of the coming year. It is particularly familiar as a Spanish custom and is not a universal Italian practice.
Claims that eating grapes on New Year’s Day guarantees health or prudent spending are folklore rather than health or financial facts.
New Year’s Eve superstitions and rituals
As mentioned previously, there are a number of superstitions and rituals surrounding New Year’s Eve in Italy. Here they are.
Giving and wearing red underwear to ring in luck
Red underwear is a familiar New Year good-luck symbol. Stories differ about whether it should be new, received as a gift or discarded afterwards. These are playful beliefs, rather than rules you must follow or evidence of increased fertility.
Fireworks
Fireworks and noisy celebrations mark New Year in many places, but events and local restrictions differ. Check the municipality’s announced programme rather than assuming every town has a public display.
Pop the spumante to ring in the New Year
A midnight toast is a common celebration. Spumante means sparkling wine; Prosecco is one familiar option. You can toast with a non-alcoholic drink as well: Buon anno!
When to say Buon anno
Some people save their New Year greetings until midnight; others offer wishes beforehand. Saying Buon anno! in advance is not generally forbidden.
Out with the old and in with the new
Discarding old possessions appears in some New Year stories as a symbol of renewal. Accounts of throwing objects from windows should not be presented as a normal practice to copy.
Throwing objects from a window can injure people. A safe way to mark a fresh start is to sort unwanted items for reuse or recycling.
Breaking dishes is also mentioned in some folklore, but it is not a uniform northern Italian custom or a necessary way to celebrate.
Playing Tombola and card games
Tombola, a number-drawing game similar to bingo, and card games are familiar ways for some families and friends to spend time together during the festive season. Veglione di Capodanno means a New Year’s Eve party.
The feast of the Epiphany
Epiphany, Epifania, falls on January 6 and traditionally marks the end of the Christmas season. In Christian tradition it commemorates the visit of the Magi to the infant Jesus.
The folkloric Befana is pictured as an elderly woman riding a broom. In the story, she fills children’s stockings with sweets, gifts or symbolic coal on the night before January 6. Her origins have several interpretations; a single pagan origin should not be treated as established fact.
Buon Natale e felice anno nuovo! — “Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!” These words are useful whatever traditions your family follows.
Sources for further reading: Italia.it on New Year traditions, the history of pandoro and panettone, and Treccani on torrone.
