Christmas Arrives in Florence

A day of rest, even with our consistently sunny skies and temperatures in the mid-teens, Celsius. Blessed.

Christmas Markets are popping up everywhere, most Piazzas are now full of vendors! A great way to eat cheaply too: we've had German chimney cakes and Tuscan Lamprodotto sandwiches: the meat(?) from the 4th stomach of the cow or Tripe!  Whoa!, but oh-so-delicious.

December 8th is a high feast day in Italy, a national holiday. Besides the religious significance, it is also the day that Christmas arrives in Florence. Lights, lights everywhere, 2 parades, 1 secular, 1 historical arrive at the Piazza delle Duomo simultaneously, ending in the (click the Orange text!) ceremonial lighting of the 3-storey high Christmas tree. with 1,000 others in the square.

The Firenze Band, tradition and costume dating back hundreds of years. Trumpeters, drummers, flag bearers with intricate throwing routines. A collage created from 3 web-based photos, ie not mine:

Over the last few days, stores and streets install their lights.

Streets are festooned, for Florentines fill the streets at night, shopping, eating, drinking wine. 

At the same time  that the historical pageantry enters the square, so too does the secular, coming down another street, 100 Santas! Chaos as they merge amidst the crowd, all blaringly loud headed towards the tree!  The arrival of the historical procession:

The arrival of the Santa procession:

The unlit tree:

Ta da! Countdown from 10, led by the Mayor, in Italian!

Buon Natale!

Italy's most favourite Christmas carol, Tu Scendi Dalle Stelle, You Come Down From The Stars, written in the 1700s by a priest.