Presepi: A Neapolitan Christmas Ritual

Presepi: A Neapolitan Christmas Ritual Mimi Gisolfi D'Aponte The preparation of presepi (creches) at Christmas time is a common occurrence in and around Naples today. Tracing the historical development of the presepio requires journeys into the histories of religion, art, and theatre which reveal a tradition rich both in theory and in practice. Ultimately, however, viewing a presepio may be regarded as a theatrical event. It is fascinating to observe that, despite the variety of forms which contemporary presepi take, all manifest outward signs of theatricality. It is equally interesting to discover, by means of calculated eavesdropping, that the people who view presepi voice their impressions in the manner of theatre-goers. The place of the presepio in theatre history begins in the Middle Ages. Allardyce Nicoll notes the influence of Christmas creches in the development of medieval drama. The service of the Mass contains within itself a certain dramatic element , and this may be said to be the ultimate starting point. Impetus, however, was given to the development of religious drama proper by a number of liturgical features, the exact origins of which it is difficult to trace. First of all comes the practice of preparing, at Christmas, a mimic doll group representing the Nativity. The influence of the praesepe, or crib, has been stressed by more than one historian of the early drama. Theories stressing this influence continue to be forthcoming. An Italian theatre historian, Giuseppe Pardieri, writes in 1967 that presepi, together with dumb shows performed for triumphal processions, were two forms of spectacle which strongly affected the development of the sacra rappresentazione2 Karl Young's appraisal of the presepio in medieval drama is more startling. 49 One dramatic, or more precisely, theatrical, aspect of the ceremonies of Christmas still remains to be explained: the prevalence during the later Middle Ages and into modern times of plastic representations of the Holy Manger.' After examining many possible explanations, the noted medievalist concludes: Roman tradition, dramatic custom, and early. ecclesiastical art, however, all fail to account for the astonishing European popularity of the Christmas crib in both public and private devotion during the later Middle Ages and in modern times.' Fifty years later, Young's statement regarding the popularity of the presepio remains valid. The following is an account of the presepio's development and its contemporary practice in the Neapolitan area. The idea that Saint Francis created the first presepio is considered more than popular legend by Neapolitan expert Franco Mancini.' Some writers suggest that Francis's 1223 production in Creccio was sacra rappresentazione rather than presepio, since perhaps living figures rather than dolls were grouped around a representation of the Bethlehem manger.' Other dates and places are often suggested as marking the beginning of this practice which spread throughout Europe and developed regional characteristics: 1272 in Rome, 1343 in Naples, 1562 in Prague. 7 Art historian Gennaro Borrelli perceives four phases of development in presepio-making.1 (1) From its beginning to ca. 1520 presepio meant the modeled representation of three figures-a babe in the manger and two beasts who kept him warm. These were generally set at the level of the altar where Mass was celebrated. Thus a graphic parallel was drawn between the sacrifice of Christ the child lying in an animal food receptacle and Christ the man as the bread of mankind in the liturgy of the Mass. At the end of this period the figures of Mary and Joseph were introduced. (2) During the next century the adoration of the shepherds became an integral part of the presepio. (3) The years between 1620 and 1734 saw the establishment of a movable presepio-that is, one in which the positions of the figures might be moved. Also established was the tavern episode, as well as presepio celebrations of a musical nature. (4) During the final period of development from 1734 to 1860, the emphases were upon scenery, upon creating different architectural viewpoints within the scenery, and upon creating realistic animals and accessories to accompany the already realistic figures. In Naples the explosion of what had been popular tradition into an art form in which nobility and the great artists participated occurred during...