(Brought to you by Honda of Staten Island)
“Buon Natale e Felice Anno Nuovo!” declared Lauren Lombardo, wishing the crew of Life-Wire News Service a merry Christmas and happy New Year.
After graduating from the College of Staten Island, Lombardo moved to Naples to paint and ended up living there for the next eight years. While there, she taught painting, wrote two children’s books and became immersed in the local culture.
“I was very lucky to spend a couple of winters with friends who invited me into their home to celebrate Christmas,” the Grasmere resident said. “So I got to see how real Italian family living in Italy celebrates. And I have to say it’s very, very beautiful and different from Staten Island tradition.”
Lombardo is now owner of Art with Lauren, hosting public painting socials, and Betty&Bradley, an outlet for a travel accessory she has invented.
Each town has their own local traditions, pasta, and music, she noted. From the Adriatic Sea to Sicily, the Italian bagpipers - zampogna - are associated with Christmas and can be heard in the carol: "Tu scendi dalle stelle."
Naples is known for its presepe or crèche, the traditional nativity scene.
“You could take a ride along the Amalfi coast, and you’ll see these little Christmas towns that are built into the side of the mountain,” Lombardo said. “Where this historic workmanship comes from is the center of Naples where they have the craftsmen and the artisans. They make all different sorts of figurines to complete the nativity scene.”
Staten Island has its own excellent example of the workmanship in a Naples’ creche on display at the Italian Cultural Center at Casa Belvedere. See details below.
‘A TON OF PANETTONE’
Lombardo recalls walking into her host’s home on Christmas Eve.
“When I first walked in, there was a ton of panettone in the hallway ready to be opened. Christmas Eve dinner, they had everything for appetizers that was fried. I’m talking fried calamari, fried baccala -- which is salted cod,” said Lombardo. “The table was set beautifully. There might have been at least 25 people in the house.”
Lombardo observed “they have a different set of priorities … which is actually a lot healthier. They get up at a decent hour and they get dressed properly, and they leave the house. Then, they take their time for lunch and they sit down and they eat it.”
“Now this doesn’t go for everybody, but they do take a ‘pisolino,’ which is a little nap,” she continued. “It is slower. It’s a different pace. I wouldn’t call it slower, because compared to New York, everything is slow.”
The second course, or primo, was spaghetti and clams and then out came mussels.
“It was just a lot of seafood because it was a holy day, and we don’t eat meat,” added Lombardo.
She compares the experience to growing up on Staten Island where her family did the Feast of the Seven Fishes.
“But the food is just naturally going to be very different here,” she said. “I just felt that in Italy, the food was more authentic, and we ate a lot slower at the table.”
There was a lot more conversation apart from the food, too, she said.
“I felt like the Italians were really engaging in talking about the year, talking about family, and this and that and the summer,” she added.
FOR THE CHILDREN
Another Italian Christmas tradition is for the children to write a letter, which the father keeps under his plate.
“It’s like a present to the father. When they read it, it’s usually a poem,” Lombardo explained. “I had a tenant and their son did that for them. It’s very, very beautiful. They usually make the little boy read it out loud at the table. It’s just something really sweet."
The Epiphany “is probably waited for by more children than Christmas itself. When La Bafana comes, on January 6, you have to go and see if La Strega, the Witch, came to bring you presents and chocolate,” Lombardo explained. “There is a very old tradition to leave an orange in the shoe.”
Games are also a part of the festivities. Tombola, a game like bingo, is played at the Christmas table, and it has a little bit of superstition with the numbers. Neapolitans play a lot of card games, like Scopa, at Christmas time.
ITALIAN CHRISTMAS ON GRYMES HILL
A game of Scopa, a Neapolitan creche or delicious antipasti are some of the elements of an Italian Christmas you can experience at the Italian Cultural Center at Casa Belvedere.
December 10 will be a busy day at its 79 Howard Ave. location. Visit the website at https://casa-belvedere.org/ for more details on the events below.
Solidarity Crèche
“Il Presepio Della Solidarietà” will be on display at the center through Jan 12. The Solidarity Crèche was a gift from the Naples, Italy Chamber of Commerce to the New York City Fire Department after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center.
“We are proud to be the custodians of this extraordinary and symbolic ‘Presepio Della Solidarietà,’ which we proudly display every year for the public to enjoy,” said Gina Biancardi, the founder and president of the Italian Cultural Center.
“Meet and greet! Italian Christmas Celebration,” from 5 to 7 p.m., the center will host two hours of fun, music, dance, and Christmas traditions with Professor Leonini. Prosecco and traditional Christmas sweets will be available to taste.
Challenge your friends to a game of Scopa. Neapolitan cards will be available.
Holiday Antipasti
From 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., an adult cooking class for a better feast.
‘Gioacchino Rossini: Opera of Flavors’
From 7 to 9 p.m., Casa Belvedere joins Dante Alighieri Society to celebrate Italian Cuisine in the World. Discuss some of Rossini’s operas where food has an important role. Rossini Cocktail and light fare will be served
(Written collaboratively by Joseph Padalino, Antonio Pabon and Salvatore DiBenedetto for Life-Wire News Service with Edward Gregory.)
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