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Christmas in Naples

Christmas in Naples is lights, sounds, colours and carols. The illuminations make the air merry, the Christmas carols of young choirs underline the particular aspect of Christmas, which find fixed in the crib scene its eternal meaning beyond all time.

In the churches, in the houses are created crib scenes of different styles and dimensions. They can be simple with just a few statuettes of simple terracotta or of compressed paper, to those more complex with elaborate scenes, reproducing ancient corners of cities, authentic works of art with shepherds dressed in damask and brocade, real treasures of the 17th and 18th centuries of the Neapolitan capital city. The crib is created in cork or with the use of bronze wires, as a structure, on which paper is glued and painted. Made with great simplicity or with artistic learned knowledge, the crib scenes are intent in presenting, always in the foremost, the scene of the Nativity with Mary and Joseph, who watch over the Baby Jesus who lies in a manger, in a cold stable, warmed only by the ox and the ass.

The Festival of Christmas is also a unique occasion in which the family really comes into being, in the old fashioned sense. Parents, brothers and sisters, grandchildren, relatives are around the festive table together.
The table one could say, is almost the emblem of Christmas, which will always be rich and full of every good thing that God has given us, in spite of and everywhere, in order to shake off any eventual ghost of ancient misery and poverty.

For the main meal of Christmas Day one should eat: chicory soup, boiled mixed meats, eel (capone) in the pot, giblets of chicken, wild boar in sweet and sour, roasted filet of pork from Sorrento and cauliflower salad.
As one can understand simple dishes which enhance the genuine and fragrant tastes of this land.

A separate volume merits the traditional cakes and sweet meats of Christmas.
They are sweetmeats which originally were baked mainly at home or were purchased in the convents of the closed order of nuns, who were specialised in their production. To-day one goes to a bakery. Times have changed!
Some names: Roccoc�, Mustaccioli, Susamielli(wheat flour, honey and dried fruits) Pasta Reale cotta o cruda (marzipan baked or unbaked), Raffiuoli, Zeppole (fries and with candied fruits).
Struffoli, typical fried pastry dish consisting of small hardballs, covered with honey candied fruit and tiny coloured sugared balls. They appear to be of ancient tradition. They were supposed to have been brought to Naples by the ancient Greeks, if the story is true! The name derives from Struggolos which means "a globe", their form and colour is just like chickpeas, besides being good to eat, they are considered as for lentil beans good luck symbols. Whoever eats them is assured plenty of profitable earnings for the coming year!