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| DECEMBER 2000 | JOURNAL OF THE ABRUZZO WORLD CLUB |
Year I No. 2 |
Festivals in December8 December Immaculate Conception: Atri, the "Faugni"Some time before dawn, when the bells of the Cathedral start tolling, from all hamlets and quarters of the town goups of Atriani move to wands the Cathedral carrying huge burning bunches of canes. Then they attend early morning mass after which they exchange wishes of peace and prosperity. The tradition of bonfires is this period of the year is connected to ancient solstice rites.
10 Dec. Madonna di Loreto: - Torino di Sangro, Mattinata del Viso AdornoThe Virgin of Loreto, protector of Torino Di Sangro, is celebrated with a very moving ceremony. In the early hors of 10 December, when it's still night, the population gathers along the shore, at a place called Le morgie, then follows slowly in the light of torches the ancient tratturo towards the church of the Madonna di Loreto. About 4 in the morning the Statue of Virgin mary is richly decorated in gold and precious clothes, and placed in the square before the church, where the Mattinata starts. It's a duo by two singers, reciting rhyming couplets with musical interludes. The Mattinata proceeds to the Mayor's house, people or friends, wellcomed everywhere with wine and cakes.
CribThe Crib tradition took origin in Greccio, the small village now in the Province of Rieti, Latium, on the Chrismas Night of the year 1223, when St. Francis wanted to show to the local people what the nativity was truly like. In a cave with a ox and donkey, in a poor crib, he recreated a small hut of Bethlehem. After that Christmas, artists and artisans proposed their cribs, and in Naples a very rich tradition of making cribs originated. In the 15th century the crib was in all houses, and each church staged its own.
MistletoeIt's a gift you can do on the first day of the year as a charmer for your parents and friends. The tradition of kissing under the mistletoe is a Scandinavian tradition, but spread all over the world. The plant is the triumph of life: it grows miraculously on such trees as fir trees or apple trees. It's the symbol of strength and eternity, and as such was already used by the Druids 1000 years before Christ.
Zampognari (Bagpipes players)Small groups of bagpipes players, most of them coming from Abruzzo, for centuries used to go to Rome on the 25th November to create a Christmas atmosphere and making money. They were called by rich families to play night and day, so much so that Pope Leo XII didn't allow them to play during the night until 4 a.m. At the end of the XIX century the tradition lost its importance.
Christmas CuisineThe Italian Christmas cuisine tradition requires that while fishfood should be consumed on Christmas Eve, the new year should be celebrated with Lentils and Cotechino, in order to wish prosperities to all the participants to the "cenone".The "Panettone"
Christmas is the day of family reunion and of the bread is a great symbol of togetherness. Ancient special breads are on the Christmas table; in Venice the "Fugassa", in Emilia Romagna the "spongata", in Siena the "panforte", in Latium the "pane giallo" and the "panpepato". But the most typical Italian bread of the Christmas period is the famous "Panettone". Its ancestor is a cake from Florence called "pan co Santi" dated 1300. During the XV century the "panaton de daneda" (of Christmas) appears and then the "pan Grand". At the end of the 19th century bakers from Switzerland and Austria introduced the use of the raising powder into Italy and the panettone became the cake we know.The "Pandoro", another Italian Christmas cake, comes from Venice; it's the old "Nadalin" eaten in the rich Venice of the Renaissance. It became the "gold bread" because they used to cover the cake with very thin foils of sequin gold.
Lenticchie and cotechino
(this is one version, there are many recipes) The Italian Christmas cuisine tradition requires that while fishfood should be consumed on Chrismas Eve, the new year should be celebrated with Lenticchie and Cotechino, in order to wish financial prosperity to all the participants of the "cenone".If you use dried lentils (those from Santo Stefano di Sessanio are extremely tasty), place them in cold water some hours before, after removing impurities and broken lentils. Then wash thoroughly and put to boil but do not cook completely, then drain. While the lentils were boiling, you should have prepared a tomato sauce with small pieces of carrots, celery, onion (either frying these before in olive oil or putting everything together "a crudo") and tomato sauce - use salt very sparingly, or nothing at all. The cotechino or zampone is usually nowadays bought ready made, but you can have your butcher prepare it (both preparations are typical from Romagna, the region of prosciutto dolce, parmesan and tortellini). The cotechino is made with the least expensive pieces of pork - most Italians prefer the "zampone" which is a pork leg filled with thin red pork meat. In case neither can be found, pork sausages will be fine all the same. The cotechino, zampone or sausages are boiled separately in water, piercing here and there with a fork to let the fat out. The sausages, after a few minutes in the hot water, should be taken out, let cool and deprived of their peel. The cotechino or zampone too are to be unpeeled after cooking and cut into slices. The slices, or the peeled sausages, are then put into the tomato sauce with the lentils, to finish cooking - The final touch is some laurel leaves in the pot. If necessary add some salt. The preparation should not be to watery, but if the sause is too thick you can add some broth.
