We see beautiful Nativity sets everywhere during the Christmas season (in churches, in homes, and on Christmas cards), but do you know where the custom originated? In Italy, of course! Live manger scenes first appeared in the the town of Assisi in 1223. St Francis of Assisi wanted to tell the Christmas story for all people to enjoy, especially those who could not read. He got actors to portray the Holy Family, the angels, the shepherds, the three kings, and even included live animals in the manger. Italian children and adults loved the custom and it spread throughout Italy and eventually throughout Europe. Now almost every Christian community in the world celebrates Christmas with some form of the Nativity scene started exactly 800 years ago by an Italian.
Submitted by Charlene Pardo
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Here are some Italian Proverbs from Sister Priscilla Viteri to make your spirits bright. See if you can match them up:
1. A cavallo donato non si guarda in bocca. ______
2. A buon intenditore, poche parole. ______
3. Chi dormi non piglia pesci. ______
4. Non è tutto oro quello che luccica. ______
5. Ride bene chi ride ultimo. ______
Chose from these answers:
A) A word to the wise is sufficient. Literally: To a wise/understanding person, few words are needed. (This never worked in my family.)
B) One who laughs last, laughs best. (Ho! Ho! Ho!)
C) Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth. (Just accept the gift, especially at Christmas!)
D) Not all that glitters is gold. (Watch out for Christmas scammers!)
E) You snooze, you lose. Literally: One who sleeps catches no fish. This one is especially important if you celebrate the Feast of the Seven Fishes. Buon Natale!