Traditional Christmas Greeting: "Buon Natale"
Location: Southern Europe
Tree Type: Cultural

Italy never adopted the Christmas tree as a symbol of the Christmas season. The Nativity set or créche is the focal point of the Italian Christmas celebration. The créche display denotes the true meaning of Christmas.

People in Italy often see the first signs of the Christmas season in the nativity scenes, or cribs, being set up in churches, homes, and stores. In addition to the Holy Family, Italian cribs always include an ox and a donkey, since their breath is said to have warmed the baby Jesus on the night of his birth. Nativity scenes are a source of pride in Italy, and come communities hold competitions to see who can present the best one.

As Christmas draws nearer, the sound of bagpipes comes down from the mountains playing holiday melodies. The shepherds who play the bagpipes, called Piferari (fifers) or Zampognari, parade through the streets, entertain crowds in market squares, and stop before every nativity scene they cross.

Some families fast the day before Christmas Eve so that when it arrives everybody is prepared for the feast that comes with it. Pork, turkey, or fish tend to provide the main courses. Lentils, thought to symbolize money and plenty, often accompany them along with a large baked or roasted eel called Capitone. Three types of desserts are traditional to conclude Italian Christmas dinners: Panettone (a firm cake filled with candied fruit and sultanas), Panforte (sweet star-shaped gingerbread cake), and Torrone (nougat with hazelnuts, honey, and sugar). After dinner many families go to church for midnight mass.

Most children receive their holiday presents only on Epiphany on January 6 when the Christmas season officially concludes. Their stockings are filled during the night by a kind witch named La Befana, who flies from house to house on a broomstick. According to Italian legend, La Befana gave the Three Wise Men directions to Bethlehem, but declined to go with them to see the Christ child. When she changed her mind they had already gone, and La Befana leaves treats for children as she continues her search for the baby Jesus to this day.