U focu di Natale is a Corsican tradition that makes the connection between life and the afterlife

In some villages, the Christmas fire tradition. Of rites which were an integral part of the life of the Corsicans of old. Uses often very distant from Christianity.

The month of December represents the least illuminated time of year. The days get shorter until the winter solstice on December 21. This is probably why, around Christmas, ancestral rites are articulated directly related to fire.

Rites which, as one might believe, do not find their source in Christianity. The Church herself has never been able to tolerate them. Some priests blessed them in Corsica, against the hierarchy. And it is the father of the family, as tradition dictates, who is responsible for lighting the fire on Christmas Eve.

According to Pierre-Jean Luccioni and Ghjasippina Giannesini, “we have as many logs as there are family members”. The largest log was supposed to last several days, and more specifically until New Year’s Day. U ceppu, was arranged on the side of the chimney and the other logs, smaller, were articulated around.

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A way of proceeding which was valid throughout the year, before the inserts and other wood stoves disturb the natural order of things.

“It was a sacred ritual because the pieces of coal were carefully collected, adds Pierre-Jean Luccioni. It was then used for protection or healing rites, but also to influence the weather. In some parts of Corsica, during a storm, a small piece of coal is placed on the window, which is supposed to stop the rain. “

Moreover, there is no doubt about the importance of the dead on the lives of the living. Thus, it happened that in some families, food was thrown directly into the fire, as a sign of an offering to the hereafter.

“The father recites a prayer and tells his children to take turns throwing a bay leaf, from the youngest to the oldest, details Pierre-Jean Luccioni. The laurel has a symbolic dimension and it is associated with light. It is called in the Corsican language the golden wood. Literally the golden wood. “

And the practice is not exclusively Corsican since it is found in many countries in Europe. As well as collective rites. It is therefore also outside the family home that traditions continue.

“We made, and we still do in some villages, big fires that united the community, indicates Pierre-Jean Luccioni. It was on Christmas Eve that a pyre was set up, most often on the Place de l’Eglise. “

In fact, depending on the micro-regions, fire was called differently. The Christmas fire in Balagne, the fire in Venzolasca, the fire in the Nebbiu, the light in the Alisgiani, or the rock in Saint Florent and the chapel in Pioggiula.

Varied denominations which testify to the importance of the Corsican language in the rites. A language that was used daily.

“The construction and kindling of fires vary from village to village, says Pierre-Jean Luccioni who conducted the research with Ghjasippina Giannesini. The wood collection was carried out over several days in order to find large logs, stumps and old wood. “

In some municipalities, the fire was built around a central pole, as in Riventosa where a pine was placed in the center of the pyre. No matter how the fire was laid out, it had to be maintained until New Year’s Day.

In addition, the smoke could give clues as to the weather for the coming year. “We also studied i segni – the signs – in the ashes of the extinguished fire. Ashes considered as magical”, explains Pierre-Jean Luccioni.

It is interesting to see how fires previously held a central place in the lives of men. They are essential parameters for rites of passage, transitions and communications with the dead. The deceased who, too, are part of the life of the living.

And it’s Christmas night that all these rites come together to make it a very special moment. Many legends and beliefs revolve around these moments. “We also speak of Christ who walks among men. In Biguglia, for example, it is also said that it rains a manna, the manna. It is white as snow and sweet and it settles on the leaves of the trees”, adds Pierre-Jean Luccioni.

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For some, these are just trivial superstitions. For others, it is a philosophy of life that never leaves them.

But all these rites are the memory of the Corsicans of old. And, whatever you say, on Christmas night, you just have to look up at the sky to admit that it’s not quite the same as the other nights of the year.

This is also the magic of Christmas.

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