Page 7 - Italian-American Herald - December 2024

ITALIAN-AMERICAN HERALD
TRADITIONS
beasts who kept him warm. By the end of the
Middle Ages the fi gures of Mary and Joseph
were introduced, and gradually the Nativity
scene became more complex by adding the
adoration of the shepherds, making some of
the fi gures moveable and adding music.
During the period of 1558-1603 in the
Elizabethan era, holy days became the main
focus of the Christmas season, but other
non-religious mores came into place. While
advent had once been a period of fasting
prior to Christmas it now became more of
a period of waiting. With more children
attending school, the two weeks they had off
offered a time of celebration and anticipation.
Food had now become a main focus of
the holiday and required much more time
to prepare. Because of this, the start of the
holiday season was moved to Dec. 24 and
Christmas had now replaced the 12th night
as the most important as far as celebrations.
By the Victorian era, between 1837 and
1901, holy days were still prominent as
part of the season, but people also began
to show great nostalgia for the more festive
non-religious activities of the Middle Ages.
Christmas morning mass was important but
great feasts, games, gifts, musical shows and
plays also came back into vogue. Mistletoe
was still an important decoration, but the La Piramide Natalizie Fiorentino.
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