Buon Natale

In celebration of the season, I've gathered together some of the sights and sounds of Christmas in Molise. Especially for those of us in the diaspora, it is my hope that these will either remind us of – or acquaint us with – the traditions of our people. I have had the great fortune in my life to realize that the forces which bind us are strong enough to span the distances across oceans and the even greater and more perilous distances across time. I would like to thank Alfonso Notardonato of Pizzone for the use of his photographs. His devotion to his beautiful land continues to enchant.

The Christmas Story is portrayed each year in the streets of Pizzone. These are scenes captured by Alfonso in 2012. (All photos used by permission.)

Zampognari play in the streets.

Pizzone becomes Bethlehem.

Mary and Joseph arrive.

La Stella Cometa, the Star of Bethlehem.

They have seen La Stella Cometa.

The Manger.

Mauro Gioielli is a musicologist and singer from Isernia. He performs the ancient songs of Molise, often accompanied by traditional instruments played by Il Tratturo, the group named after the centuries-old trails used for the seasonal transhumance – the moving of sheep between the highlands of Abruzzo and the pastures of Foggia to the south. Here he sings a song of the Christmas Star, “Stella Cometa.”

In a live performance in the church of Alfedena in 2010, Signor Gioielli performs with Il Tratturo a Christmas concert: Il Tratturo in Concert, 2010.

I Zampognari, the groups named for the traditional bagpipes of the area, the zampogna, perform in the towns and villages throughout Molise during the Christmas season. Here is a group performing in the snow in the Campobasso town of Montefalcone nel Sannio:

In Pizzone, the streets and squares are decorated for the season.

On Christmas Eve, La Vigilia di Natale begins. In Pizzone, in the small piazza in front of the thirteenth-century Church of San Nicola, wood is stacked and set ablaze. Called il rito del fuoco, the ritual of the fire, the fire burns through the night, the event culminating at midnight with the ringing of the church bells.

Midnight and the ringing of the bells as recorded in Montefalcone nel Sannio:

To everyone, I wish a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. And to my French readers: Joyeux Noël et bonne année. And, of course, in Italian: Buon Natale e felice Anno Nuovo! May all experience the best during this season of peace.