Christmas is getting nearer and children are buzzing, waiting to pull the first nativity statues out from the loft. Today we want to talk to you about the Nativity itself and 10 interesting things about of the most important Christmas symbols.

1. Etymology of the word “Presepe” (Nativity)

We begin with the word “presepe” (nativity), an interesting word whose meaning is interesting to look into. Therefore, the word “presepe” comes from the Latin “praesepe”, which simply means “crib”. So baby Jesus’ improvised crib ended up being the name for the whole scene that reminds us of his miraculous birth every year!

Even words that define the nativity in other languages are derived from a Latin word meaning crib: “cripia”.

There is “creche”, “cribe”, “krippe”, “krubba” or even “presepe” in French, English, German and Swedish. The words “szopka” in Polish and “wertep” in Russian still mean crib and are used to define the nativity.

2. The first Nativity in history

It was San Francesco d ’Assisi who wanted to represent the Birth of Jesus in a realistic way.

He particularly did it to benefit illiterate Christians who could not read the New Testament, particularly the sections about this extremely important event. This was December 1223.

3. The world’s oldest nativity

The oldest nativity in the world is preserved in Bologna in the Basilica di San Stefano. It dates back to the 13th century. It is very big and the characters are real statues made by master sculptors and decorators.

4. Lecce’s papier-mâché nativity

A Lecce nativity has always been known for being made out of papier-mâché. At the end of the 1800s, there were barbers who made papier-mâché and then made nativity statues and sold them at the Santa Lucia Fair to thicken up their miserable wages.

5. Azteca: a Guinness nativity

In the Azteca stadium in Mexico City, there is a Guinness nativity scene made by primates, populated by more than 1500 statues, many of which are mechanised.

6. Nativity statues of Via San Gregorio Armeno (Napoli)

In via San Gregorio Armeno, in Napoli, nativity artisans make statuettes every year made with traditional methods, but they use contemporary famous figures, like politicians, actors and people in show business. Matteo Salvini is one of the most popular figures.

7. The Australian nativity

In Australia, the nativity is made on the beach, naturally using sand.

8. Cesenatico’s floating nativity

Cesenatico’s famous floating nativity is made up of old boats in the canal harbour, which house the Sacred Family and all characters with greatness.

9. Manarola: a sustainable nativity

In Manarola, in Liguria, ex-railway worker Mario Andreoli made one of the biggest nativity scene sin the world. It is situated on a hill that dominates Cinque Terre, and it is exclusively composed of figures made of scrap and recycled material. At dusk, a system of solar panels illuminates the whole side of the hill, creating a really impressive display.

10. Forni: a nativity made of bread

In Forni, in Sardinia, the area’s bread makers make all the nativity characters with bread dough, then dress them in traditional Sardinian clothing.

The Monastery of Camaldoli is in the heart of a secular forest, in one of the wild and impenetrable areas of the central Appennine ridge. It was built there in 1024, on the Tosco-romagnolo Apennines near Arezzo, by San Romualdo, a monk and Benedictine abbot, who made it the hub and center of the Camaldoli Congregation.

Faithful to Benedictine tradition, the monks of Camaldoli have always combined, over the centuries, contemplative, spiritual, productive and working life. In particular, given the unspoiled and isolated nature of the area, those who decided to dedicate their lives to God in the Monastery of Camaldoli, from the start they began to produce all that could guarantee their survival: food, medicines, cosmetics and hygiene products.

The dense forests surrounding the monastery provided them with the raw materials needed for this production. In addition, the interest of the Camaldolese monks in the study of nature in all its forms helped them exploit the surrounding natural resources. This has allowed over the centuries the emergence of a production of cosmetics and essential oils that still today make the monastic community of Camaldoli famous worldwide.

The ancient pharmacy of the Camaldoli Monks is one of the first examples of hospital ever recorded: aromatic herbs and medicinal herbs were studied here, and they prepared powders, infusions, decoctions and anything else that could contribute to the healing of not only the monks, but of the many pilgrims in search for help as well.

In the Old Pharmacy there were antidotes against every poison, creams to treat wounds, patches, but also essential and cosmetic oils for hygiene and body care. The extraordinary products produced in the Camaldoli Antique Pharmacy became well known over time, and are still sold and used all over the world. We think of Oil 31, consisting of 31 essential oils extracted from as many officinal herbs, renowned for its endless healing, refreshing, balsamic, toning and disinfecting properties, made according to a particular recipe passed over the centuries, or Laurus 48, a liquor made from the infusion of several medicine plants collected in the area of ​​the monastery with tonic and digestive properties.

The host is the unleavened bread that symbolizes the body of Christ during the celebration of the Eucharist, the celebration which started by Jesus during the Last Supper. In fact, the host is not just a vehicle between us and Jesus, but, after the consecration it becomes his body. During the Last Supper, Jesus offered his disciples bread and wine as his body and blood, inviting them to do the same in the centuries to come, to renew his sacrifice for the salvation of men. The Eucharist is therefore one of the fundamental celebrations of Catholicism, a moment when Jesus returns to become a man and to sacrifice himself for all his children once again. In Catholic and Orthodox Church the transformation of bread into the body of Christ is called ‘transubstantiation’, and in Protestant Christian Churches ‘ Consubstantiation’.

In Eucharistic celebration, the host is made of wheat, and is usually round. It takes its name from the Latin word ‘hostia’: a sacrifice to the gods. It is made with unleavened bread as required in the Exodus book. The Easter Jewish required unleavened bread and bitter herbs for dinner too, to remember the liberation from Egypt. Christian Easter, which resumes every Eucharistic celebration, marks the renewal of the new covenant through the body and blood of Christ.

Only in the Catholic Church the sacred bread becomes the Holy Eucharist and is offered to the faithful. The hosts left are kept in the tabernacle and can be regarded as Jesus himself.

Every Eucharist is a celebration of immortality and communion with Christ, who offers himself as nourishment to men and to the Church.

Thomas of Aquino wrote in the Sacramento Altaris that in every Eucharist some miracles were performed: bread is the true Body of Christ, equal to that born and to the spiritual body of the risen Christ; all the substance of bread has been transformed into Christ, therefore the bread as such no longer exists; the substance of bread is transformed into the Body of Christ, but the inconsistencies remain, the qualities of bread, which, however, does not duplicate or diminish, remains the same and intact, even when eaten by the faithful; bread as Body of Christ is present simultaneously  everywhere the Eucharist is celebrated.

The term ‘icon’ describes a sacred painting depicted on board. Actually, the word could be used for any image, regardless of materials and techniques that were used. But generally speaking, works on board produced in the Byzantine and Slavic cultures fall into this definition. The word ‘icon’ comes from the Russian “икона”, which in turn comes from the ancient Greek εἰκών -όνος, from the verb eikénai, which means ‘to like’, ‘to appear’. Another origin is from the Greek-Byzantine word eikón, which can be translated as ‘image’.

The icons are works that transcend their material and the deep symbolism they present. Every detail, even the most insignificant, expresses a concept and alludes to a superior meaning, a precious reference to an evangelical episode, or a spiritual message. The creator of the icon is more a writer than a painter, with a theological mission rather than an artistic one.

The rules that define the icons can be found in special manuals, called hermeneia, which the iconographer must observe strictly. Among the many traditional types of icons, those in Greek-Byzantine style are certainly the most fascinating.

These icons are often painted on both sides, or diptychs or triptychs that can be easily transported. Greek icons are related to some recurring subjects, and are characterized by common elements.

Icons of the Holy Mother of God, dedicated to the widespread love in the Byzantine world for the Mother of God (Yperaghia Theotkos); in this works the Virgin is usually represented as Mother, with the Son in her arms, wearing a a tunic and a mantle decorated with three stars that symbolize her everlasting virgin.

Icons of Saint Savior, where Jesus is represented half bust and with a book in his left hand, in the act of blessing with his right hand. He wears a dark tunic that recalls his earthly nature, while the blue mantle symbolizes his divine nature.

Melchite icons, Middle Eastern icons depicting Christ, angels and saints with Arab textures.

Moving Holiday icons, for celebrations that do not occur on a fixed calendar date but are linked to the Easter cycle. They are usually dedicated to the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Christ

Fixed Holiday icons, for celebrations fixed in the liturgical calendar.

We will always remember Mother Teresa of Calcutta for her untiring will to help the last ones, the deprived and poor. Today she is a Saint, celebrated all over the world, and surely one of the most important figures in modern history, awarded with the Nobel Peace Prize and countless other awards.

But we must not forget that she was first of all a woman: a simple woman who has consciously decided to devote all her life to others.

We should never forget this because it’s from this that we can find the will to imitate, in our small, such important and precious figures.

Santa Teresa of Calcutta (Anjezë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu) was born in Albania. After a difficult childhood with the premature death of her father, she shows an early interest in charity and mercy; she became nun at eighteen and, after a short stay in England and Ireland, she was sent to India. Since very young she showed her love towards this country in her close correspondence with the Jesuit missionaries in Bengal.

Since then, Saint Teresa lived between Calcutta and Darjelling, divided between prayer and charity, until in August 1946 when, while Calcutta was bloodied by independent fights, she was reached by the ‘call within the call’. She understood that she had to leave the quiet life of the convent to fully immerse in the poverty of those who lived in the street. Saint Teresa considered it as a precise order of God.

Since then, even by fighting the rejected of the Church itself, she began her true mission as the poorest among the poor. She abandoned the black veil and assumed citizenship in the newly independent Republic of India. Soon her example was followed by others. Around her began a bigger network of volunteers: their tasks ranged from distributing food, teaching, assisting the sick and dying.

In 1950, Mother Teresa founded the Missionaries of Charity, a congregation devoted to the mercy and care of the poor and those in need. As a robe Mother Theresa chose a white sari with blue stripes, the colors of the caste of the Untouchables.

Mother Teresa’s influence grew rapidly, also thanks to the worldwide media attention. With the help of local and foreign personalities, she opened reception centers and care for the poor, sick and lepers. She received the visit of heads of state, the most powerful men in the world, and had a long friendship with Pope John Paul II, who already considered her a living Patron of Hospitality.

She remained in charge of her congregation as long as health permitted her to, continuing to serve among her people, and died in her Calcutta the age of 87. John Paul II started a special beatification process for her, only two years after her death, to confirm the holiness that accompanied her throughout her life.

The role of the priest in the Communion’s preparations is important and complex in its gestures, words and symbols, defined since the origins of the Church in a precise and recurring ritual.

The purpose of this ritual is to prepare the group of Faithful to the moment when, by consuming Bread and Wine, the sacrifice of love of Jesus Christ will be renewed once again, and His promise of hope offered to all men of goodwill.

The priest who prepares the faithful to the Holy Communion becomes the guide and vehicle not just to the Eucharist, but to Jesus Himself represented by it. The common prayers, the Pater Noster above all, a sign of respect and solemnity, symbolize the path of faith, our internal journey together with the other faithful. The Eucharist is, above all, a moment of community and devotion, and needs to be celebrated as such.

Following the prayers and the exchange of the sign of peace, a gesture that confirms the will of communion and unity of the assembly, the priest breaks the bread, symbolized by the Great Ostia, eats a piece, raises the chalice and recites: “The Body And the Blood of Christ, together in this cup, are for us food of eternal life”. From that moment, the host and the chalice are in all respects the body and blood of Christ, with His blessing and grace.

Agnus Dei is also a time for meditation and community prayer, when the faithful are preparing themselves to accept Communion. The priest prays too, silently, and asks to be purified through the Body and Blood of Christ, which become for him and for all a protection for the soul. Communion is followed by a moment of silence: the immensity of the mystery, and the fact that we just received the body and blood of Christ, requires it even during a moment of community and devotion.

The prayer after the Holy Communion, and the Amen with which the faithful responds to it, brings the ritual of Communion back on a communal level and to its end.