POPULAR CHRISTMAS STORIES - Indire
POPULAR CHRISTMAS STORIES
The history of “il presepe”
The word presepe comes from a Latin word meaning stable, manger. It's a realistic reconstruction of the scene featuring the birth of Jesus.
The first Nativity Scene is thought to have been made by S. Francesco, in 1223.
The tradition of setting up “ presepi “ in churches dates back to 1400 and started in the Kingdom of Naples, from where later spreaded all over the South. Towards 1500, the tradition of the popular “presepe” was born thanks to S. Gaetano di Thiene, who added minor characters in vintage and modern clothes. The birth of the “Figurinaio”, the maker of figurines, dates back to king Charles III . The tradition of “i presepi”in Sicily highlights the use of potter as the typical material for “i presepi”, which are now considered authentic works of art.
The legend of “la Befana”
“La Befana” was an old, poor, ugly woman who lived alone and watched the sky. On a cold night of January 6th , she met three Wise Men on their way to Bethlehem . They had seen a special star signalling the birth of a king of kings and firmly believed they would find the Baby. They invited her to follow them in their quest. But she was afraid, and she disn't follow them. Then, a shepherd came to her house with the great news of the birth of an extraordinary Baby. He had heard about that from angels and he, too, bid her to go to see the newborn king. But she thought it was wiser to stay at home and didn't go with him. After he left, she saw the star in the sky and understood that the news of the birth of a special Baby was true and thought she would go. She chose carefully a gift for the very special newborn Baby and left. Unfortunately, she wasn't able to see the star anymore and didn't know how to find her way to the Baby. She wandered and wandered, and got lost. Nowadays, she's still wandering, carrying gifts to good children and coal to the naughty ones. She will wander for ever, looking for the King she will never meet.
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