Of Christmas trees and more

Wouldn't you know it, I've been living in Italy for years with a misconception about the immaculate conception. It is celebrated with a holiday here on the 8th December.

For years I thought it celebrated the conception of Jesus. Silly. I was confusing it with the Virginal Conception which took place on a 25th March a long time ago, exactly nine months to the day before Xmas.


The immaculate conception was the conception of Mary's mother, St Anne. In Italy the 8th of December kick-starts the Christmas season which concludes on the 6th December, the Epiphany or as it is known here: the day of the Befana. The Befana is a witch who brings sweets for good kids and charcoal for naughty ones. 




She reminds me of St Nicholas  (the night of 6th December) which my brother and I used to celebrate when we were children. St Nicholas would come down the chimney and bring us gifts. His nasty side-kick, known as Père Fouettard (Father Whipper), and in those un-PC times usually depicted as a scantily-clad (in Winter!) dark-skinned fellow bearing a tall wooden staff in one hand and an elaborate leather horse-whip in the other, would come to punish naughty children. He would give them charcoal or even flog the really naughty ones.

 The Christmas season began in shops a while back. Mountains of Pandoro and Panettone, over-sized spongey buns some with raisins and candied fruit, some plain, others with chocolate chips, have been clogging up supermarket aisles since the last weeks of November. Each week more Christmas and New Year delights have been added to the shelves: long bars of nougat, bars of nut filled chocolate, candied nut cakes, bottles of Prosecco, lentils from Norcia, tortellini etc.... Yet all these products really high-light how simple traditional Christmas fare in Italy is. 

And then there's THE TREE. This year's Christmas tree on Piazza Venezia is a sad dying creature with lacklustre fronds that drag downwards. Last year already the tree had caused consternation and the city council had argued that it was a tree of austerity (what fun for Christmas) in keeping with the Pope's jubilee. In contrast, the Pope's tree all the way from Norway is a glorious pagan symbol with up-tilted furry fronds and merry baubles. In Galleria Alberto Sordi  the ecological tree all bio-degradable and environment friendly is a testimony to what private funds can achieve. It's also elegant and tasteful. In fact just about any Christmas tree looks nicer than the sad tree on Piazza Venezia.

Galleria Alberto Sordi

This year the tree has outdone its predecessor. No amount of baubles, tinsel and fairy lights can save it. For weeks the M5S led city council has protested that the tree is fine, until eventually the tree was declared dead. A cold uncovered trip from its native Dolomites and a harsh tearing of its root contributed to the trees demise. It also cost the city of Rome close on 50,000euros.

Old mangy after dark

It has been nicknamed spelacchio (baldy or mangy) and likened to a toilet brush. For many it is a symbol of the city's current state of decay and disorder. Che tristezza!

The pope's tree