Christmas in Naples
Author: SerenaChristmas traditions are still very important in Naples being represented by some fundamental elements like the nativity-set construction and the traditional Christmas food. Celebrations start on the 8th of December (the Feast of the Immaculate Conception) when people start making their nativity-set that will be undo on the 6th of January (the Feast of the Epiphany). This is one of the most important symbols of Christmas in Naples because the nativity-set is here the place where the sacred and the profane, spirituality and materiality, pray and irony are mixed together. This is something typical of Naples, the city of contradictions.
A typical Naples Nativity-set
In order to enrich the nativity-set it is necessary to go in San Gregorio Armeno street where you can find a multitude of stands and shops where artisans sell their unique and beautiful creations.
A shop in the San Gregorio Armeno street
The Naples nativity-sets tradition, in fact, is a real art mostly appreciable admiring the famous Cuciniello nativity-set and the other XVIII century creations preserved in the San Martino Museum.
Another element of the Christmas period in Naples is represented by the pipers that every year arrive in this city playing famous Christmas songs throughout all the urban streets.
The pipers
The traditional Naples Christmas game is the “Tombola” (internationally known as “Bingo”): it is made up by 90 numbers and many cards of 5 X 5 grids containing some written numbers. A caller uses Tombola balls to call out each number and the other participants have to cover the called numbers on their cards if they are present on them.
You can play making little bets and then all the amount of money is divided in different prizes that should be matched to the different winnings: a player can win getting two, three, four or five horizontal consecutive numbers being rewarded with different sums of money. After having get five numbers in a row the lucky player shouts out “Tombola!” winning the most important prize.
The "Tombola" game
During the whole Christmas period many cultural and religious events are organized in Naples and in the surrounding cities of its coast.
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