In Sardinian tradition, Christmas Eve was a time for families to reunite.
The shepherds would return home after months spent sheltering from the cold in the mountains while grazing their flocks. The Night of Dinner (Sa Notte ‘e Xena) was an important event celebrated around the hearth. For the occasion, a large log would be prepared. Cheeses, sausages, culurgiones (ravioli-like pastries), bread and typical sweets like amaretti, sapa bread and brittle made from almonds were consumed, as these foods were not eaten at other times of the year.
It was mandatory to eat everything, because having an abundance of food was not a frequent occurrence. Children were especially warned to fill their stomachs or they would be visited during their sleep by Maria Puntaborru or Palpaeccia, hags from different towns, who would check their stomachs and skewer the empty ones.
After dinner, people would entertain themselves by listening to stories and anecdotes from the elders or playing traditional games such as bingo (Sa tombula), playing with wooden spinning tops (Su barralliccu), or Seven and a Half (Set’e mesu). At the ringing of the midnight bells, the Christmas mass would begin, known as the mass of the first cockcrow, and everyone except women in mourning would take part. It was not uncommon for the celebrations to become excessively loud during this mass, sometimes harquebus shots were even fired.
