The Streets of the Bolognese Cribs

hristmas is coming, and like every year, the dreadful moment of Christmas gifts is approaching too. This year I have decided to do all the shopping while enjoying a weekend visiting a new town.

As I collected information about Italian towns, I discovered that Bologna boasts a very important and interesting Nativity tradition.

The Crib's meaning goes back to the Etruscan and Latin culture in the figure of Lari, the deceased ancestors who, according to Roman traditions, look after the family. Each ancestor is represented by a little statue made of terracotta or wax, called sigillum (from signum = sign, effige). Around December 20th, it was performed a party, called Sigillaria, during which relatives exchanged the sigilla of the family members deceased during the year, and on Christmas Eve, the family gathered together to invoke the ancestor's protection. Starting from the IV century these traditions became Christian festivities maintaining rituals and dates, but changing the names and religious meanings.

The Crib's tradition, all Italian, started with St. Francis of Assisi who, in 1223, realized the first live performance of the Nativity in the church inside the castle of Greccio (Rieti), and the first known carved crib is that achieved by Arnolfo di Cambio between 1290 and 1292.

The custom of reproducing the Nativity in churches as we know in present days, took place in the XV century. One of oldest and largest Nativity in Italy dating back to 1560, is in the 'Basilica di Santo Stefano' in Bologna, and is set for Christmas every year. Another Bolognese old tradition since the XVIII century is the Fair of Saint Lucia where handcrafted Nativity statues are on sale.

Fascinated and intrigued by this old tradition, I decided to set off for this town. Through a short internet search, I found a very modern design hotel, the UNA Hotel Bologna, just conveniently in front of the train station, and at walking distance from the shopping streets. As I arrived, I took part in an organized excursion on Nativity routes led by researchers from the 'University Center for Popular Culture'.

The itinerary consists of 33 stops in places where sculptural or pictorial representations are displayed. For the full visit you need more than one day, but nevertheless I could realize how artistic and magic this old tradition in Bologna is. The Bolognese Nativity is distinguishable from the others by the emphasis on figures. The statues are not dressed mannequins like the Genoese or Neapolitan ones, but the characters are carved and modeled in full, including the clothing, using various materials depending on the ability of the artist.

Another characteristic of the Bolognese Crib is the presence of two typical characters: the Wonder and the Sleepyhead. The Wonder, usually female feature, has raised arms and the mouth half-closed in astonishment as struck by Jesus' birth. On the contrary the Sleepyhead is a sleeping feature, often a shepherd, who doesn't realize what is happening around him.