Italian Christmas Starts on 8 December and Ends When the Befana Says So
In Italy, Christmas does not arrive on the 25th of December. It arrives on the 8th — the Feast of the Immaculate Conception — when decorations go up and the presepe is assembled. It lasts until the 6th of January — l'Epifania, the Feast of the Befana — when a witch on a broomstick brings sweets to good children and coal to naughty ones. In between: weeks of family lunches, midnight masses, markets, panettone, and a warmth quite unlike Christmas anywhere else in the world. Learning the vocabulary means understanding why Italians genuinely believe this is the best time of year — and it's hard to argue.
Italian Christmas traditions are deeply regional. In the south, the Vigilia di Natale — Christmas Eve — centres on the Feast of the Seven Fishes: a long, magnificent meal of seven seafood dishes. In the north, families gather around tortellini in brodo. In Naples, artisans still carve terracotta figurines by hand for the famous presepe stalls of Via San Gregorio Armeno. The unifying thread — in every region, every family — is the same: la famiglia, and the food eaten around a shared table.
Christmas Vocabulary
Buon Natale! — Merry Christmas!
La Vigilia si festeggia con il cenone di pesce. — Christmas Eve is celebrated with a fish feast.
Abbiamo fatto il presepe con il muschio e le statuette. — We set up the nativity with moss and figurines.
I bambini aspettano Babbo Natale la notte del 24. — Children wait for Santa on the night of the 24th.
La Befana porta le caramelle ai bambini buoni. — The Befana brings sweets to good children.
Il panettone con lo zabaione è irresistibile. — Panettone with zabaione cream is irresistible.
Pandoro o panettone? È la grande domanda di Natale. — Pandoro or panettone? It's the great Christmas debate.
Il cenone di Capodanno dura fino all'alba. — New Year's Eve dinner lasts until dawn.
Apriamo i regali a Natale mattina. — We open gifts on Christmas morning.
Abbiamo decorato l'albero con le luci e le palline. — We decorated the tree with lights and baubles.
Andiamo alla messa di mezzanotte ogni anno. — We go to midnight mass every year.
A Capodanno ci sono i fuochi d'artificio dappertutto. — At New Year there are fireworks everywhere.
Buon Anno Nuovo! — Happy New Year!
Le lenticchie a Capodanno portano fortuna. — Lentils on New Year's Eve bring good luck.
Cotechino e lenticchie: il cenone di San Silvestro. — Cotechino and lentils: the New Year's Eve feast.
More Christmas and Winter Vocabulary
Le stelle di Natale decorano le finestre di tutta la città. — Poinsettias decorate the windows all across the city.
Il mercatino di Natale di Bolzano è il più famoso d'Italia. — The Bolzano Christmas market is the most famous in Italy.
I bambini appendono la calza la sera del 5 gennaio. — Children hang the stocking on the evening of 5 January.
Il torrone di Cremona è il migliore d'Italia. — Cremona nougat is the best in Italy.
Un bicchiere di vin brulé al mercatino è perfetto. — A glass of mulled wine at the Christmas market is perfect.
Buone feste a tutti! — Happy holidays to everyone!
Il presepe vivente del paese è una tradizione secolare. — The village's living nativity is a centuries-old tradition.
The Italian Christmas Calendar
| Date | Occasion | Italian name | Tradition |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 December | Immaculate Conception | Immacolata Concezione | Decorations go up; presepe assembled |
| 24 December | Christmas Eve | Vigilia di Natale | Feast of the Seven Fishes (south); tortellini in brodo (north) |
| 25 December | Christmas Day | Natale | Lunch with family; opening of some gifts |
| 26 December | St Stephen's Day | Santo Stefano | Public holiday; more family meals |
| 31 December | New Year's Eve | San Silvestro / Capodanno | Cotechino with lentils; fireworks at midnight |
| 6 January | Epiphany / Befana | Epifania / Festa della Befana | Befana brings sweets; Christmas officially ends |
The Befana is one of Italy's most distinctive and beloved traditions. On the night of 5 January, this old woman riding a broomstick descends chimneys to fill stockings with sweets and small gifts — or carbone, coal, if the child has been naughty. The word Befana is itself a corruption of Epifania — Epiphany. The tradition predates Santa Claus in Italy and remains cherished today. An Italian folk saying puts it perfectly: 'L'Epifania tutte le feste porta via' — Epiphany carries all the holidays away. When the Befana has come and gone, Christmas is truly, finally over.
Christmas Greetings and Phrases
Buon Natale e Felice Anno Nuovo!
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Tanti auguri di buone feste!
Best wishes for a happy holiday season!
Cosa fai a Natale?
What are you doing at Christmas?
Torniamo dalla famiglia per le feste.
We're going back to family for the holidays.
Preferisci il panettone o il pandoro?
Do you prefer panettone or pandoro?
Cin cin! Buon anno!
Cheers! Happy New Year!
Hai già fatto l'albero di Natale?
Have you already put up the Christmas tree?
La Befana viene la notte del cinque.
The Befana comes on the night of the fifth.
<em>Panettone</em> — the dome-shaped bread cake from Milan, studded with candied fruit and raisins — has been made since the 15th century. <em>Pandoro</em> — the golden, star-shaped cake from Verona, dusted with icing sugar, blessedly free of fruit — is its great rival. Every Italian family has an opinion. The debate rages every Christmas with genuine passion. <strong>Most modern Italians solve the problem by eating both.</strong> There is also a correct way to serve panettone: cut vertically in wedges — never horizontal slices — and always offer it with a glass of Moscato d'Asti or a rich <em>zabaione</em> cream.
Christmas markets in Italy — mercatini di Natale — are particularly spectacular in the north, especially in the German-speaking regions of Trentino-Alto Adige. The Bolzano market, held in the historic central piazza since 1991, draws visitors from across Europe: wooden stalls, mulled wine, roasted chestnuts, handmade decorations, and the smell of cinnamon in cold mountain air. Further south, the markets become more distinctly Italian — presepi on sale, torrone, and panettone in every flavour imaginable. Different aesthetic. Same warmth. Entirely Italian.
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