Christmas in Palermo mixes tradition and modernity: there are moments of liturgy, feast and food. On the 8th of December, the city starts to get the christmas atmosphere that will go on for the rest of the month. Shops, streets, squares and houses are decorated with lights and flowers, and christmas markets and fairs turn the city into a joyful environment.

The nativity scene

In the city center, many living cribs take place, which are life-size nativity scenes, which make you feel like you’re living in one. Everything is joyful thanks to novene, which are songs played by zampognari: people dressed as shepherds play the zampogna, a medieval instrument, and go to every house and every square.

In addition to that, the main churches in Palermo show the traditional cribs, which are very ancient and represent artworks with a high historical value. The most famous crib is the one in the cathedral, which is exhibited near the “Cuffia di Costanza d’Aragona”. It involves characters from all over the world and it creates a unique game of lights and shadows.

The lights and the flowers

During Christmas time, the city is enriched with lights and flowers. Walking along the streets of the historical center, from Teatro Politeama to Teatro Massimo, you can admire the beautiful lights that make Palermo shine. Furthermore, the city becomes a garden, as it is decorated with traditional Christmas flowers, the stella di Natale, with a burning red color.
Squares and fountains are decorated with many vases full of those flowers, making the city a big red carpet.

Fairs and christmas markets

During december, in particular in the week of Christmas day, in the streets of Palermo there are a lot of fairs and christmas markets, where you can buy typical products, taste traditional food and surround yourself with the magic of this celebration. Perfumes, music, colors: everything expresses joy.
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Traditional christmas food

In Palermo, people take food seriously, which is why at Christmas it is important to keep traditions alive and prepare typical food, eaten with the people you love. In particular, a traditional lunch or dinner involves sfincione, thistles and artichokes, and fried stockfish.
But, everything revolves around dessert: the mustazzola is surely the most important one, which is made with sugar, flour and honey, with an image of a child sleeping, representing Jesus Christ. In addition, there are also u cuccidatu, a donut with dried figs, and a cubbaita, which is made with almonds and dried figs.

The games

While waiting for a meal course, young and adult people usually play traditional games, such as dice, tombola and paru e sparu. Meanwhile, they eat dried fruit such as nuts and almonds. Before the Christmas Mass, people exchange gifts, in a moment of sharing and joy.

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November 11th, 2020
In relation to the health emergency, please verify the events are actually taking place.