Italian Christmas Traditions shared by exchange student Pampaloni
There are many Christmas traditions all over the world. West High has welcomed many students from other places in the world. Ginevra Pampaloni is one of them from Italy. Pampaloni celebrates Christmas a lot. It is one of the most important holidays in Italy.
Pampaloni states, “ We start celebrating on Dec 24 with Christmas Eve dinner at my grandma's house.” On the 25 she says, “ We have a big lunch with the whole family, usually at my house, which usually lasts from 1 P.M. until 5 P.M.” On the 26, Pampaloni gets with the whole family again to eat leftovers from the day before.
One of Pampaloni'S Traditions is going to the Christmas Mass after Christmas Eve dinner. Her cousins help prepare all the food for the dinner. Typical food they eat is Befanini, a special type of cookie that is basically eaten by all families, especially in her region, Tuscany. Another traditional dessert they eat is called Pandoro.
Just like America, Italians exchange lots of presents. These are opened Christmas morning. Pampaloni’s favorite gift from her parents has been her dog.
During Christmas lunch, almost every Italian family plays a game called Tombola. It's a traditional Italian bingo game that the whole family plays together.
Lastly, Pampaloni would love to learn about American Christmas traditions and spend the holidays celebrating the traditions of her host family. She explains, “I'll miss some of my own traditions, but I'm sure I'll have a wonderful time experiencing an American Christmas.”
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