![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.arttrav.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/12\/naples-presepe.jpg?resize=500%2C375&ssl=1\" "\\"naples-presepe\\"")
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If one thinks of the words Christmas<\/strong>, Naples<\/strong> and traditions<\/strong>, the first things that come to mind are likely presepe<\/em><\/strong> (manger\/cr\u00e8che scenes)\u2026 closely followed by Christmas desserts such as the famous struffoli<\/em>, roccoco\u2019<\/em>, mostaccioli<\/em>, susamielli<\/em>, sapienze<\/em>, paste reali<\/em>, divinamore<\/em>. All of these traditional delicacies sweeten life in Naples during the holiday season. This article is dedicated more to the eyes than to the stomach: the history and composition of the Neapolitan presepe<\/em><\/strong>.<\/p>\n Strolling down Via San Gregorio Armeno in Naples\u2019 ancient city center, even during other periods of the year, the artisinal workshops<\/strong> are hard at work. They are worth visiting not only for their lively displays but also to watch the artisans at work on the figurines for the upcoming Christmas season \u2013 clearly displaying their \u201cNot Made in China\u201d signs. This detail is their small way of asserting the authenticity of their manual traditions.<\/p>\n One might imagine that the presepe<\/em> were born of a folk tradition but Neapolitans beg to differ. As the tradition goes, it was \u201cinvented\u201d by Saint Francis of Assisi when he reenacted the Nativity using the local people of the town of Greccio (in the Lazio region) \u2013 transmitting devotion through emotional engagement. The cross over from this \u201cliving\u201d cr\u00e8che scene to an inanimate one was a short one \u2013 churches all over Italy soon started constructing life-sized presepe<\/em> within dedicated chapels. In Naples, the churches of San Giovanni a Carbonara, San Domenico Maggiore, San\u2019Eligio, Santa Chiara all housed early versions of the art form.<\/p>\n Thus, originally, the presepe<\/em> was solely an ecclesiastical tradition, until the beginning of the 18th<\/sup> century when some die-hard \u201cfans\u201d turned it into an equally secular one. Legend has it that the Austrian viceroy visited the architect Giovan Battista Nauclerio in 1707 to view the spectacular \u201chome version\u201d that the architect constructed in his villa. One of the most significant episodes that contributed to the secularization of the presepe<\/em> is attributed to King Charles III of Bourbon, the Spanish king who ruled Naples from 1734 to 1759. King Charles was so dedicated to the pastoral figurines that they quickly became a \u201cmust have\u201d object for all middle-class Neapolitan families, who loved to mimic the customs of the royal family.<\/p>\n Over the years, the traditional Neapolitan presepe<\/em> began to acquire greater and greater numbers of characters and props, which would then be grouped into individual \u201cscenes.\u201d The different scenes, usually three or four, would be arranged on an anchoring rock.<\/p>\n The traditional Nativity<\/strong> is always the central scene, with the Madonna, Joseph, ox and donkey, usually placed within a grotto. Of secondary importance was the evangelical scene, usually depicted in front of a backdrop of a pagan temple, which symbolically represented continuity from the Roman world, upon whose ruins Christianity was born. Or perhaps this ancient imagery is a reference to the excavations taking place during this era in Pompeii and Herculaneum.<\/p>\n Next to the Nativity is the procession of the Magi<\/strong>, each one representing the three different continents known during Biblical times: Europe, Asia and Africa. Escorting the Three Kings with their gifts is a procession of musicians carrying \u201cexotic\u201d musical instruments and wearing clothing with Middle Eastern connotations. This procession is actually an homage to the Turkish convoy that visited Naples in 1741 and fascinated its inhabitants with its splendor, so much so that it was celebrated in all subsequent presepe<\/em> scenes.<\/p>\nOrigins<\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.arttrav.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/12\/via-gregorio.jpg?resize=500%2C375&ssl=1\" "\\"P1020766\\"")
<\/p>\nFrom religious to secular<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.arttrav.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/12\/modern-naples-presepe.jpg?resize=553%2C415&ssl=1\" "\\"modern-naples-presepe\\"")
<\/p>\nPresepe scenes<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.arttrav.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/12\/presepe-nativity.jpg?resize=500%2C375&ssl=1\" "\\"presepe-nativity\\"")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.arttrav.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/12\/presepe-shepherds.jpg?resize=500%2C333&ssl=1\" "\\"presepe-shepherds\\"")
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