Italy is a country that has one of the longest Christmas traditions in Europe. The celebration starts on December 6th and lasts until January 6th. There are many different customs and origins for this long-standing holiday tradition, but they all stem from a desire to celebrate with family and friends. This blog post will cover some of the most popular aspects of Italy’s Christmas traditions plus some fun activities for the family!

Fun facts about Christmas in Italy

• If you want to wish someone Merry Christmas in Italy you would say “Buon Natale.”
• Santa Clause visits kids in Italy on December 6th on Saint Nicholas Day. Children hang stockings and get small treats from Saint Nicholas. It is the beginning of the Christmas season.
• Christmas decorations in Italy are usually more about the Nativity scene than any other type of decoration. A ‘presepe’ is set up for churches, towns squares and houses alike to represent hope and joy throughout the season.

• It is a tradition that bagpipers come to the town  in December and play their flutes and bagpipes. They are called ‘zampognari.‘ They come looking for the baby Jesus.

• A large tree is put up in front of St. Peter’s Cathedral in the Vatican. People come from all over Italy to see it, (much like the Rockefeller Center Tree in the US.)

St. Peter’s Basilica at Christmas in Rome, Italy

• On January 6, it is traditional to exchange gifts. But this day is different than other days in that, if you are lucky enough, an old lady, the “Befana” comes to your house in search of the Christ Child. She brings gifts and candy with her. Many people have Befana decorations in their homes at Christmas. It looks like a Halloween decoration to me!

• Venice is in Italy. There’s a Santa Claus Regatta in December where people in small boats who are dressed as Santa race. This is called the Santa Claus Regatta. Children can meet Santa and his elves on their own boat too. The event is usually held during the third week of December.

Kids in Italy Get Lots of  Opportunities for Presents

Christmas in Italy has four different gift giving days:

• St. Nicholas visits the north parts of Italy on December 6th.
• Santa Lucia (just like in Sweden) leaves presents for good kids on December 13th.
• Babbo Natale brings presents to children all over Italy on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day.
• Befana fills stockings with gifts on January 6th.

What to make to celebrate like Italians at Christmas

Italian Christmas Cookies

This traditional Italian cookie is a staple at Christmas time. These tender and delicate cookies are easy to make and taste delicious. Plus it is so much fun to put the icing and the sprinkles on them!

Here is the recipe

**If you have picky eaters you might want to leave out the anise, it has a slight licorice taste that some kids don’t like.

What to make for an Italian Christmas craft

We will be making an easy Befana craft! Befana is the old woman how goes from house to house looking for Baby Jesus.  She rides on a broom and she brings gifts and candy to each home she visits.

In the United States we think of old women who fly on brooms as witches associated with Halloween. Well, Befana is often called the Christmas witch!

We will be following the awesome tutorial from Krokotak.com. The only thing you should change is to make Befana’s hair gray because she is old.

Here is the tutorial.

Now that you have made your Befana you can hang her from your Christmas tree or in a window and remember how Christmas in Italy is celebrated.

Italian Christmas Carols

Italians are said to have invented Christmas Carols. St. Francis Assisi wrote songs about Jesus’ birth and taught them to everyone, even if they weren’t the best singers.

Here are some great Italian Christmas Carols to listen to, you might recognize a lot of them!

 

What to read about Christmas in Italy

Here is a great book about the Legend of the Befana. It’s a beautiful book about Christmas and why the Befana seeks the Baby Jesus.

Sale

The Legend of Old Befana: An Italian Christmas Story

• dePaola, Tomie (Author)
• English (Publication Language)
• 32 Pages - 09/17/2019 (Publication Date) - Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers (Publisher)

$6.99

Buy on Amazon

This is a more detailed book about Christmas in Italy. There are lots of books in this series and I love to read about a different culture each week with my kids. These are great books for kids older than 8 as they are long!

Christmas in Italy (Christmas Around the World)

• Hardcover Book
• World Book Staff (Author)
• English (Publication Language)

$2.29

Buy on Amazon

Want to Decorate with some Italian Christmas Decor?

There are many beautiful Christmas decor pieces from around the world linked in this post on Christmas around the world.

I particularly love the Nativity creches that are found all over Italy!

 

I hope this inspires you to add some new things into your Christmas celebrations this year! I have written a number of posts about countries all over the world. Check out my homepage and click on Travel the World from Home.

If you are interested in more of this series check out the article on Christmas in New Zealand.

Last update on 2025-03-24 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API