Presepe

Church Presepe frequently take up a whole wall

The Nativity scenes in Sicily are a much bigger deal then they are in the U.S. From what I've seen of the U.S. Nativity scenes, there's usually just a basic stable with the most fundamental biblical characters: Jesus, Mary, Joseph, Animals, and the three Kings, occasionally joined by Angels and Shepherds.

The Italian Presepe meanwhile is less a Nativity Scene than it is a Nativity City, filled with biblical and non-biblical characters alike. Shoemakers, Pizzaioli, figures playing cards, women doing laundry... And in the churches the Presepe gets even bigger. Not just little villages, but entire mountains and rivers with real running water and moving figures: men waving fruit in the market, blacksmiths pounding horseshoes, little boys tossing fishing lines in the river, etc.

As Christmas approaches, most families will take a day to visit each major Presepe in the city. Obviously each church has it's own impressive display, but equally elaborate ones can also be found at shopping malls, main squares, the airport, and in nearly every public meeting place.

Caltagirone, a city already famous for it's ceramic art, becomes a veritable mecca for those making the Presepe pilgrimage. Each street in it's city center can contain several different Presepe, each with it's own unique interpretation of the famous biblical scene. Most traditionally display scenes reminiscent of Italian culture during the Middle Ages, which comes from the very first recorded Presepe constructed by San Francesco d'Assisi in 1223.

In Caltagirone however, one might find a toy train running past the manger, or a recreation of the Amazon forest, or Obama waving to the crowds next to a smiling Pope John Paul II, or entirely made of cut glass and illuminated by bright blue LED lights, or ceramic statues of various Disney characters. Be sure to take plenty of change with you though, because each of these Presepe will expect a "donation" of 1 or 2 euro, some of the more elaborate ones can even charge up to 5 euro a person... unless you happen to have friends on the inside.

Another popular attraction is the Presepe Vivente, the Living Nativity Scenes, one of the largest of which can be found in Sutera. Local residents will dress in peasant garments, and take over part of the ancient city center to recreate Medieval Italy. Donkeys turn chalk mills, small shops display linens and lace, cramped workshops leave their doors open so you can watch them repair wicker chairs and broken china, a jolly man wearing the traditional coppola stirs away at a giant pot of ricotta over an open fire.

Then there's the most important part: the food. Throughout your stroll around medieval Italy, wooden booths are strategically placed to nourish you with the simple food of Italian peasants. Bread smeared with oil, boiled eggs, chickpea soup, house wine, chunks of parmigiano, small cups of fresh ricotta... the humble beginnings of one of the greatest cuisines on earth.

Then of course there is the main attraction of baby Jesus in the manger. However, if you visit a Presepe before the 25th, you're unlikely to find him. Since Jesus isn't born until Christmas Day, the manger is left empty, or hidden by a small cloth, to symbolize our anticipation. Only at midnight on Christmas Eve does everyone pop open their spumante with cries of "Auguri!", and baby Jesus is finally revealed in his manger.