Why Do Italians Eat Dates at Christmas?
An ancient tale
Church of Kathisma
I have always wondered why we usually eat dates at Christmas time in Italy. I remember when I was little, they would arrive at home, either as gifts or bought by my mother, in these sticky, elongated packages, complete with the typical little white fork. We would eat them as they were, at the end of a meal, alongside pandoro, nougat, and dried fruits. Sometimes, the adventurous ones would serve them as appetizers, stuffed with a piece of gorgonzola .
I used to think that this tradition was just tied to something exotic, to highlight that holiday tables have to be adorned with delicacies or foods from distant, exotic lands.
But then, I discovered the real myth/legend. On the road from Jerusalem to Bethlehem, there is the plant of an octagonal church with a large protruding stone at its center. This is the Church of Kathisma, or the Resting Place of Mary.
Inside the church, several mosaics have been found. Among them, one stands out for its beauty and significance: the mosaic of the palm tree.
The story is narrated in the apocryphal Gospel of Matthew. During the escape into Egypt, Mary asked to rest in the shade of a palm tree, desiring to eat its fruit.
Joseph, feeling helpless, lamented that he could not reach the dates due to the height of the tree. It was then that Jesus told the palm to lower its branches, allowing the Holy Mother to be nourished.
This same palm tree appears in the Quran, in Surah 19, where the birth of Jesus is recounted:
Whereupon he called her from beneath her: “Do not worry; your Lord has placed a stream beneath you. And shake the trunk of the palm-tree towards you, and it will drop ripe dates by you”.
The dates fell, and Mary was refreshed.
In the same location, where Mary washed the baby Jesus, a spring emerged.
Church of Kathisma. Mosaic.