Traditions of the Christmas and Epiphany period (December 24-January 6). Christmas Eve dinner. The stump

The Christmas period was solemnized by some rituals that brought joy to all families. In homes, on Christmas Eve, it was customary to prepare a large dinner, the predominant course of which consisted of fritti, that is vegetables fried in boiling oil. The liva was also fried, that is green olives stuffed with meat, flavored with lemon zest, nutmeg, eggs and pecorino cheese. The recipe is that of stuffed olives, with the only difference that the meat had to be mixed and placed in the olives raw, not cooked. Chickpea dishes were also common. Typical of Christmas Eve were sardines in oil (li sardellə sotto'ujə) and cod (lu baccalà). The latter was prepared in various ways: boiled, roasted or fried with potra, a sort of batter made with water and flour. Sweets were an essential appointment. Throughout the Christmas period, calcionetti (li cagginittə) were prepared, puff pastry desserts similar to ravioli, stuffed with chestnuts or chickpeas reduced to mashed potatoes (or even "half and half"), which were fried in oil. The housewives let their imagination run wild and the recipe has countless variations: there were those who added a sprinkling of cinnamon, those who dipped the filling in cooked must, those who added flakes of chocolate, those who indulged in the use of sugar. Another essential food was dried fruit. In particular, dried figs were consumed, which were sometimes kneaded in the shape of salami. Li librittə, on the other hand, were loaves of dried figs pressed in the shape of a chocolate. These recipes also differed slightly from family to family; for example, there were those who used to put chocolate flakes in the fig dough and those who preferred walnuts and almonds. The women of the house also prepared the almond brittle, much appreciated in families. After dinner we went to Christmas Eve mass, which is still celebrated today at midnight in the mother church of the village. In the past, the space was almost not enough to accommodate all the counter-guerrillas who crowded there.
 
Also on Christmas Eve a large log, lu cippə, was placed in the hearth. Tradition wanted this to be used by the Madonna to warm the clothes for the Child Jesus. The log, however, did not have to burn completely, since it was put back into the fire on the occasion of the Epiphany, January 6 of the new year. As much as the log was considered important, while it was burning, some food was thrown into the fireplace, to let him "taste" it! The ash from the stump was attributed "magical" effects, so it was collected in bags and used for a whole series of rituals during the year. During sowing, for example, a handful was scattered in the field, as a good omen for the harvest. Thaumaturgical powers were attributed to the splinters of the stump, which were carefully preserved; they were also attributed the power to "avoid" the damage of storms, hail and, in general, atmospheric events.
It was also thought that pets spoke on Christmas Eve, therefore the farmers had to treat them well, otherwise they would have reported to the Child Jesus about the bad behavior of the owners. This tradition, in other parts of Italy, is found on the day of Sant'Antonio Abate, but in Controguerra the elderly people I interviewed all linked it to Christmas. Throughout the Christmas period, family games, such as bingo, were very popular. A large bingo was organized annually in the Zeffərì oven, because the environment was warm and welcoming. Card games were also frequent. Sometimes new ones were even invented, such as Terribbələ, a game similar to tow, which was very popular in the town for some years.