Page 8 - Italian-American Herald - December 2024

8 ITALIANAMERICANHERALD.COM | DECEMBER 2024 ITALIAN-AMERICAN HERALD
TRADITIONS
Christmas tree now became a central focus.
It was decorated with candles and small gifts
which could be small toys, sweets, good luck
charms and candied fruit hanging from its
branches. These were given out to guests
whose name was written on an attached tag.
Christmas carols, which became part of
the holiday in the 13th century, were sung
around a piano or outside homes where
participants were often offered a cup of cheer,
or a Christmas treat. It is generally recognized
that one of the fi rst carols ever to be recorded
by history was the 129 A.D. “Angels Hymn.”
One of the oldest printed carols is the “Boar’s
Head Carol,” which dates from 1521. It
was traditionally heard annually at Queen’s
College, Oxford as Christmas lunch was
carried** One of the fi rst documented
Christmas hymns in Italy is “Veni, Redemptor
Gentium,” (Come, Redeemer of the Gentiles)
composed by Saint Ambrose, bishop of
Milan.
It was also during this time that Santa
Claus, or Babbo Natale, became an important
fi gure of the holiday. In some areas of Italy,
mostly in the north, children received
presents from him on the night the saint is
celebrated on Dec. 6. However, in southern
regions it remained common for children to
receive gifts from La Befana on Jan. 6.
Il tronchetto di Natale,
or Yule log, is a cherished
part of Christmas for many.
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