In Sicily it is possible to visit some of the most evocative living nativity scenes in Italy
In addition to the living nativity scene organized annually in the Grotta Mangiapane in Custonaci, in the province of Trapani, in Sicily there are numerous theatrical representations of the Nativity, in which numerous figures are often involved. Each of these living nativity scenes has its own peculiarities and revives the ancient traditions and crafts of the place.
The living nativity scene of Paternò, for example, is made at Borgo Gancia, among the small streets of the medieval building located on the hill of the town in the province of Catania. Not a simple nativity scene to visit, but a real historical reenactment where it is possible to witness the life of the characters, all in period costume, who prepare for the big event while continuing to carry out their traditional crafts. The representation sees numerous figures moving, equipped with torches and candles, along the entire slope of the hill, while carrying out the artisan crafts typical of the peasant civilization of Paternò in the 1800s. It is also possible to taste typical products such as ricotta, warm bread with oil, orange marmalade and chickpeas. Among the typical characteristics of the living nativity scene in Paterno, there is music: the melodies of the bagpipers, in fact, will accompany the visit of the faithful and tourists, who come in large numbers every year to attend this beautiful representation of the Nativity.
Winner of the title of Most Beautiful Village in Italy in 2014, Gangi, a Madonie municipality in the province of Palermo, hosts every year one of the most evocative living nativity scenes in Sicily, entitled “ Da Nazareth a Betlemme “. The main stage is the historic center of the town, with its towers and its small streets that are transformed for the occasion. In the ancient district of Santa Lucia, over one hundred figures, all in Palestinian costumes thanks to an in-depth historical and anthropological study, tell the Nativity by showing scenes that recall the Palestine of the past, with the presence of Roman soldiers, and others of an exclusively religious nature. Each scene is devoid of dialogue, with a voiceover to explain what is happening in front of the viewers’ eyes. The living nativity scene of Gangi has received, over the years, prestigious awards and has been included among the most beautiful in Europe.
In the province of Ragusa there are two famous living nativity scenes, in Giarratana and Ispica. The Giarratana one won, in 2015, the prize for the best living nativity scene in Italy awarded by the Praesepium historiae ars populi association, thanks to its magnificent living pictures that come to life at dusk when, illuminated by candlelight or oil lamps, they recall the past of the town and its rural and artisan tradition of the 1800s. You can see the families gathered around the domestic hearth, the artisans creating their handicrafts, the miller, the washerwomen, and much more. After a road that rises illuminated only by torches, we move to a remote time, entering the ruins of the Castello dei Settimo where it is possible to witness the last, and most evocative, living painting, that of the Nativity.
The location chosen for the representation of the living nativity scene of Ispica is of great scenic impact: the ancient caves of the Cava di Ispica and Parco Forza, with their panorama and their atmosphere. It is a valley with an archaeological area which, due to its particular gorge-shaped morphology, its position suitable for defense and the proximity of the sea, was one of the largest rock settlements in Sicily. Precisely in the itinerary that leads from the historic center to the archaeological area, the caves are transformed into artisan workshops, with more than a hundred figures impersonating carpenters, tailors, carters and many other professions. There is also an ancient oil mill from the 1700s that resumes work for the occasion. Last year the living nativity scene of Ispica, with about 13 thousand visitors, was the most viewed in Sicily. Now in its XXVII edition, this year the nativity scene will have a setting that will recall the Sicilian cinematographic atmospheres of the Second Post-War period. A journey into auteur film but also into the deepest values of Christmas and the authentic culture of Trinacria.
The living nativity scene of Termini Imerese, in the province of Palermo, will take you to the streets of the historic center of the town that recreates ancient Palestine. Visitors, divided into groups, will be able to embark on a journey of almost two hours that goes from Piazza Duomo to Piazza delle Terme, where they will see the reconstruction of King Herod’s palace, the temple of Jerusalem, the market of Bethlehem and the camp of the Romans. A path that is also a way to rediscover the most important monuments of the town and the marble nativity scene by Andrea Mancino kept in the Church of the Annunziata, which, dating back to 1494, is the oldest nativity scene in Sicily.
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