What is celebrated on December 8th, the meaning of the Immaculate Conception

What is celebrated on December 8, 2023? We know that it is a day of celebration, where traditionally houses are set up with Christmas decorations, however there are people who don't know the meaning.
In reality, in recent years we have lost the habit of waiting until December 8th for Christmas decorations at home.
In fact, more and more people are getting ahead of themselves by starting to decorate their homes from mid-November.
Traditionally it is the day that begins the Christmas holidays (waiting for 24 and 25 December), but the origin can be attributed to the Christian tradition, according to which the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary occurs.
However, it is a public holiday in all respects as it is marked red on the calendar.
In 2023 a day falls on Friday, marking for many the beginning of a long bridge that will last until Sunday.
For this reason, many have decided to celebrate by organizing weekends out of town, perhaps in the snow.
It is estimated that there will be around 12 million Italians traveling for the 2023 Immaculate Conception holiday, and there will be many foreigners who will liven up the historic center of many municipalities enriched by Christmas markets.
read also December 8th bonus on the paycheck, what workers are entitled to and how much they earn What is celebrated on December 8th December 8th is the day of the Immaculate Conception, a holiday that has its origins in the Christian tradition.
During this day of celebration, Catholics are called to celebrate what is defined as a religious dogma, that is, a fundamental and indisputable principle, according to which it is established that the mother of Jesus was conceived without original sin and was therefore pure, unlike all the other men.
read also Happy Immaculate Conception, the best greeting phrases and images for December 8, 2022 The Catholic Church in fact establishes that every man, at the moment of birth, is stained by original sin.
This belief is due to Adam and Eve, who, according to what is reported in the Holy Scriptures, disobeyed God by eating the apple, and destined all their descendants to be born with this sin.
Only with the sacrament of baptism can one return to being pure and free of sin according to the precepts of the Catholic Church.
The Immaculate Conception of Mary was formally made official in 1854 with a papal bull signed by Pope Pius IX entitled Ineffabilis Deus, with which it was established that the mother of Jesus was born pure and was conceived in the womb completely free of sin and therefore immaculate.
The document was issued exactly on December 8th and for this reason the holiday occurs on this day.
In which countries is December 8th celebrated? The feast of the Immaculate Conception is not as popular in foreign countries as it is in Italy, and for this very reason it is not celebrated much in Europe and around the world.
This holiday is in fact celebrated only in some countries with a history strongly linked to the Catholic tradition, such as Spain, Portugal, Malta, the Principality of Monaco, Austria and some cantons of Switzerland.
In other European countries, however, the feast of Saint Nicholas, or Santa Claus, is deeply felt and is celebrated two days earlier, on December 6th, the day on which Saint Nicholas falls.
How to celebrate December 8th: customs and traditions December 8th is a religious holiday that is also recognized by the Italian State.
On this day, offices, companies and schools are closed.
There are many traditions celebrated throughout Italy, but the most widespread is decorating the Christmas tree and the nativity scene.
Usually starting from this day we officially enter the Christmas period and the heart of the celebrations.
Precisely for this reason the Christmas tree and the nativity scene are also decorated.
During this day, the Christmas markets around Italy are also inaugurated.
To tell the truth, in recent years these have been set up even before December 8th.
There are so many beautiful ones around the country.
The markets are found both in large Italian cities but also in small villages the tradition is carried forward.
December 8 also means culinary traditions.
There are many dishes that are traditionally prepared on this day.
In Puglia, for example, they fry "pettole" or "pittule", pancakes made of well-leavened bread dough stuffed with ricotta, tuna, capers and tomatoes.
Furthermore, on this day the bonfire of the Immaculate Conception is lit in Puglia, one of the oldest traditions in Puglia.
In several Italian cities the famous Christmas tree is usually lit on this day.
In Rome it will take place in Piazza Venezia.
An event much awaited by Romans and tourists who are in the city during this day.