Nativity Scenes, or presepi, are as central to an Italian Christmas as panettone. While pictorial versions of the Nativity go back to the earliest Christian period, the first nativity scene with human actors is said to have been created by St Francis in the 13th Century, and quickly spread throughout western Christendom. Did the tradition of building model presepi arise from that? I have not found anything definitive, although this Wikipedia article seems to imply that it might have.
Including a nativity scene – presepe in Italian, the word for manger – among the other decorations is now firmly embedded in Italian Christmas tradition. The proper day to set it up is the 8th of December, and some people take it further by leaving the crib empty until Christmas night, when they add the infant Jesus. Sticklers for tradition wait until the 6th of January (Epiphany or Twelfth Night) to add the Three Kings.
Despite its notionally Umbrian origin courtesy of St Francis, it is in Naples where the tradition has taken root most strongly and indeed exuberantly.
Here the canonical cast – the Holy Family, the angels, the shepherds, the Magi – has been augmented with characters that not even a close reading of St Luke will reveal. Butchers, innkeepers, shopkeepers, peasants and others can be found, often not even taking part in the main Christmas story but appearing in unrelated scenes, like a butcher chasing a dog who has stolen some sausages, or an innkeeper tossing an unruly customer out into the street. And of course there is always Pulcinella, the masked jester from the Commedia dell’Arte.
Meanwhile, at the site of the Nativity itself, the stable might have become a Roman ruin, or a shop in a town.
At this time of year Christmas markets all over Italy will sell the figurines for presepi, but in Naples there is a street where they sell them all year round – Via San Gregorio Armeno. Some shops and stalls also sell non-Christmas figurines and the ubiquitous painted tambourines, but if you are after material for your presepe, this is the place to come.
Going by what is on sale some people feel moved to add even more characters: if you want to, the supporting cast in your presepe could feature Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin, various popes and the entire Italian football team.
You will also see a chap in a black suit and bowler hat who looks a bit like Stan Laurel. This is a much-loved comic actor from the 40s and 50s called Totò, whose mixture of naivete and guile is felt to be particularly Neapolitan – a bit like Pulcinella I suppose. And of course there is always Diego Maradona, Naples’s favourite Argentinian and a secular saint even before his recent death.
One of the most elaborate presepi we saw in Naples was in the Cloister of Santa Chiara which I wrote about previously. Unfortunately I had to photograph it through glass and at a very high ISO setting, both of which reduced the image quality, but you will get the general idea.
As you can see, while the actual nativity is central to the arrangement, there are plenty of other things going on. Below are some enlarged details.
It’s all very Italian – a venerable and pious tradition, faithfully observed, but with a dash of knowing humour mixed into the reverence.
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