Christmas in Lecce: all the events between Christmas Eve and Boxing Day

Christmas in Lecce: all the events between Christmas Eve and Boxing Day.

Lecce. Christmas Eve begins at 10.30am with Santa Walking, traditional brisk walk promoted by the association Life Walking starting from Piazza Partigiani and arriving in Piazza Sant'Oronzo, while at 19pm in Piazza Duomo, the Archbishop Michele Seccia he will bless the baby in the artistic nativity scene in the presence of the mayor Carlo Salvemini and the authorities.

On Christmas Day, the most evocative event is the free entry concert in the Basilica of Santa Croce, promoted by the Municipality in the program “Christmas in Lecce”, which includes some concerts in the churches of the historic center between Christmas and the Epiphany: this year from 20pm, on Christmas Concert in Santa Croce will see Sharrita Duran perform, one “acrobatic soprano”, as she has been defined by music critics, with a warm and soft voice, with such an extension that allows her to range across every musical style, thanks also to her excellent technique. Able to combine bel canto with black music, transform prayers, tears and hopes into songs of joy, adoration and strength. Gospel will be the underlying theme of the concert, for which Duran will be accompanied by the Glory Gospel Quartet with Antonio Ancora.

On Boxing Day, as per tradition, the appointment with concerts in the churches is in Sant'Irene at 20pm with the AM Family gospel choir, made up of around 40 members and directed by Elisabetta Guido, nationally renowned jazz musician, accompanied on the piano by Carla Petrachi, piano teacher at the music conservatory Tito Schipa of Lecce. Born in 2003, he has collaborated with international artists such as i Golden Gospel Singers, Arthur Miles, Melvin Brown. The donations collected during the gospel mass are destined for the restoration of the ancient organ of the church.

In the morning, for the review “Christmas at Cerrate Abbey” created by the Lecce delegation of the Italian Environment Fund of Lecce, with the patronage of the Municipality of Lecce, at 10 am the children's choir will perform “In… I sing together”of the Comprehensive Institute "Elisa Springer” of Surbo, with a repertoire of the most representative songs of the Christmas tradition, directed by the teacher Dora Garzya (info and tickets 0832.361176).

At 18pm Nova Church, where you can admire characters from the Salento nativity scene, cmoving Nativities and small statuary groups, thanks to the mastery of artists who still today, modeling the tradition that comes from the past, pay homage to and magnify the great art of papier-mâché, for the exhibition "Music, papier-mâché, art”, the students of ITES Olivetti will perform.

It is possible to visit the spaces from 25 to 30 December and from 5 to 6 January, from 10am to 12pm and from 18pm to 20pm.

In the wooden houses set up in Piazza Sant'Oronzo, it continues until January 7th, every day from 10am to 23pm, the craft and food and wine marketWhat a typical Christmas", organized by the Nereidi association, while in those of Piazza Mazzini the Fair of Christmas toys, decorations and gifts is already active, with stands that are accessible to all from 10 13.30 to and from the 15 23. Along via Trinchese, it is possible to visit, with the same opening hours Piazza Mazzini and always until January 7th, the Creativity Market, which hosts the most varied creations of the operators of their own talent. In the Teatini cloister, until December 26th, it is possible to visit the Fair of Santa Lucia, more than fifty exhibitors including hobbyists and professional puppeteers, coming from the city and the province, will offer their creations that hark back to the Salento tradition. For the public there will be the opportunity to admire and purchase nativity scenes, terracotta puppets or papier-mâché nativity figures.

The Santa Lucia Fair will be open from 9am to 30pm continuously on December 17th, only in the afternoon from 17.30pm to 21pm on December 25th and from 9.30am to 12.30pm and from 17.30pm to 21pm on December 30th. The artistic nativity scene is set up in Piazza Duomo, while at the former Sant'Anna Conservatory it is possible to visit the exhibition "Baroque Devotion", which collects the papier-mâché works preserved in the church of Sant'Anna (visiting hours: from 8.30 to 13 and from 16 to 20.30) and in the Santa Trinità bastion of Carlo V castle the XXII Nativity Scene Exhibition, organized by the Italian Association of Friends of the Nativity Scene - Lecce headquarters, in collaboration with the Municipality and the Puglia Museums Directorate (times: Saturday, Sunday and holidays: 10.30am-13pm, 17.30pm-21pm).

As for public goods, the Must - Historical Museum of the City of Lecce - with the beautiful exhibition “The forest of Lecce” by Yuval Avital and the archaeological section “The holm oak and the she-wolf” – will be open on December 24th until 18pm and for the entire day on Christmas Eve it will be possible to visit the nativity scene with free entry Luigi Guacci, displayed on the first floor. It will be closed, however, on December 25th. The Augustinian complex will normally be open to the public from 9.30am to 19pm (except on the 24th when closing is brought forward to 17pm), while the OgniBene Library it will be closed on 24, 25 and 26 December.

The complete schedule of initiatives in the city is available on the site www.lecceinscena.it.