December 8#: Immaculate Conception in Italy

For many Italians the Christmas season begins on this day, with the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, traditionally the day on which they decorate the tree, build the crib, and start shopping for Christmas presents.

Actually, it is, above all, a religious holiday.
The Immaculate Conception is a Catholic dogma proclaimed on 8 December 1854 by Pope Pius IX with the bull “Ineffabilis Deus”.
On this day, it was established that Virgin Mary was preserved from original sin from the moment of her conception.
It is no coincidence that 8 December was chosen as the date nine months before the day of Mary’s birth, 8 September.
Although it is a religious holiday, it is also a national holiday in Italy, as well as the perfect opportunity wander around the traditional Christmas markets.

For example, If you are in Basilicata, more precisely in Matera, on this day, you must try the famous “Tarallo dell’Immacolata”, also called “pan di tarallo” or “Ficcilatidd” in dialect, from Latin “fiscus”, literally means “basket”, a term to indicate the basket in which loaves of bread were placed in the past.
It is a ritual that has been handed down for centuries and, still today, on 7 December, many local families observe the “Vigil fast” and prepare for the feast on the following day.
For lunch on 8 December, the elderly are excluded from this fast and appease their appetites with these biscuit-shaped taralli with fennel seeds, while adults eat it by dipping it in red wine, a ritual that is just a preparation for the Immaculate Conception dinner.
Traditional menu includes cod, a fish that was once considered less expensive, cooked in a stew or fried, and preceded, today, by a delicious portion of spaghetti with garlic, oil and chilli pepper.

Also Puglia has always guarded many solid traditions, and the Feast of the Immaculate Conception is a much-awaited occasion, celebrated by lighting a huge bonfire as one of the oldest traditions of the region.
The fire takes on different meanings, with some believing the Madonna used it to dry the clothes of the baby Jesus, and others seeing fire as a symbol of the elimination of original sin, to be burnt as a propitiatory rite wishing fertility to the land.
The tradition of celebrating with fire is also kept alive in Abruzzo and Marche.
Not by chance the fire has always meant family unity, the so-called “home hearth”, so these large bonfires can only be traditionally accompanied by tastings of typical Apulian dishes and wines.
Either way, every respecting Apulian family fries “pettole” or “pittule”, cakes made of well-leavened bread dough, which in the past were cooked in the fireplace, traditionally filled with ricotta cheese, tuna, capers and tomato, accompanied by an excellent vin cotto made by grapes or figs.
Another delicacy is the typical Apulian “Puccia” on Immaculate Conception Day, a small bread roll filled with breadcrumbs and served with tuna and cheese.

Either way the Feast of the Immaculate Conception is particularly popular in southern Italy, mainly because the Immaculate Conception was the patron saint of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies.
Also Campania is deeply linked to the celebrations in honour of the Virgin Mary.
It is said, in fact, that at the end of the 19th century, a heavy storm broke out at sea in Naples.
Only one man on his fishing boat saved himself by floating out to sea, clinging to a wooden log and praying to the Virgin Mary and, once safe, he felt miraculous and told everyone that the Immaculate Conception had saved him.
Every year on 8 December, firefighters, civil and religious authorities pay homage to the Virgin Mary with a bundle of flowers carried to the Obelisk of the Immaculate Conception in Piazza del Gesù, an imposing monument of Marian devotion in the centre of the city.
Moreover, traditionally Naples dresses up for the festivities, with lights and the traditional fairs of San Biagio dei Librai and San Gregorio Armeno.
Also a sweet tradition has taken root on 8 December, whose protagonist is the “Roccocò” in this atmosphere, a cake that traditionally closes the Immacolata lunch of Neapolitan families, typically baked and filled with almonds and spices.
It was the nuns of the Real Convento Della Maddalena who, in 1320, came up with the recipe for this typical Neapolitan Christmas cake.
Roccocò come from the French “Rocaille” and refers to its shape, which resembles a rounded shell. It is a hard biscuit, so it should be soaked in vermouth or accompanied by a good Passito wine!

In Sicily, numerous processions are dedicated to the Immaculate Conception.
The celebrations begin at night with the “Mattutino” or “call of the Immaculate”, a procession through the streets of the town in which all the confraternity members are called with songs and prayers to participate in the parade and to venerate the Immaculate, drinking tea and coffee and eating biscuits or other sweets prepared by the wives of the brethren.
The morning concludes in church with mass, and after the religious ceremony, “vastedde”, typical flatbreads seasoned with salt, oil, pepper, caciocavallo or ricotta cheese.
And to close the celebration also the fireworks!
In the province of Palermo, we also can taste the “maffuletta”, a loaf of wheat bread seasoned in various ways, while those who love sweets can enjoy “Sfincette” dell’Immacolata, warm fritters of leavened dough covered with cinnamon and sugar, but also “Petrafennula”, a sweet made with almonds, honey, orange and citron peels, cinnamon and sugared almonds, while in Messina, in north-eastern Sicily, locals make “Nipitidda”, a puff pastry cake filled with walnuts, almonds, dried figs, chocolate and jam.

Also Rome, the Eternal City, is illuminated with lights, stars and, above all, trees.
In the capital, on 8 December, traditionally, the most awaited moment was the veneration of the statue of the Virgin in Piazza Mignanelli at the presence of the Pope and authorities and the flood of believers.
Also fascinating is the tree in Piazza San Pietro, a marvellous fir tree that will light up St Peter’s and add charm to this eternally beautiful square during the festive season.
Next to the tree in St. Peter’s Square is the famous nativity scene, with life-size statues from a different part of the world each year.
But these are just some of the traditions that each region of Italy holds for the Feast of Immaculate Conception, and all that remains is to experience them in person!