All ready for the living nativity scene of Rivisondoli

All ready for the 72nd edition of the living nativity scene of Rivisondoli. In the village there has already been great anticipation for days for the event which will be celebrated again in its entirety after the forced stop following the pandemic. Many communities involved in an edition characterized by the twinning between Rivisondoli and the City of Art of Atri: “The sea and the mountains that embrace each other in a joyful fraternity, in an exchange of traditions as well as in a hymn to peace in the world” , says the mayor of Rivisondoli Giancarlo Iarussi. And three of the main characters of the Sacred Representation will come from Atri: Caterina Adriani, 18 years old, will play the Madonna of the living nativity scene, while Benedetta Santarelli and Aurora Pavone, both 16 years old, will play the role of Madonna dell’Annunciazione and Angelo della Capanna. “It is a great responsibility for me to take on the role of the Mother of Jesus”, says Caterina Adriani, “a role that I will try to cover with great humility and great devotion. My father told me that my grandfather came every year to see the Sacred Representation of Rivisondoli. Now that he’s gone, I know that for him it would have been an honor to see me wear the veil of the Madonna: it is to him that I dedicate this unforgettable moment”.
Daniel De Nardis, 28 years old from Roccaraso will be in the guise of St. Joseph: “In everyday life I am a carpenter and with the job I do, interpreting St. Joseph fills me even more with pride. I hope to live up to those who preceded me because for me it will be an unforgettable experience”. In the manger of the Capanna di Pié Lucente, as tradition has it, there will be the last born of the village Giorgio Raucci Martini, who came to light only 50 days ago. Little Giorgio is the son of two doctors who work in two hospitals in Naples, the Policlinico and the Cardarelli. As every year, the parish priest of Rivisondoli Don Daniel Cardenas was thrilled, who on January 5 invites everyone to reach Rivisondoli to attend the Sacred Representation. “The most beautiful gift of this 72nd edition is the serene collaboration between Municipalities and parishes”, underlines the parish priest of Rivisondoli Don Daniel Cardenas. “This is the historic post-pandemic edition. A restart in unity, brotherhood and strong spirituality in 1943 there was a terrible war and as a sign of hope in our territory the living nativity scene of Rivisondoli was born. Today another absurd war is underway. We want this year’s living nativity scene to be a message and a request for peace. We want the powerful of the world to contemplate the tenderness of a child and the light of the comet and ensure a future of peace”.
There will be over 400 extras who will come back to animate the Piana di Piè Lucente and the historic hut and will come from Barrea, San Giovanni Teatino and Atri to give life to a show which, in the mind of the organizer Massimo Di Francesco, must be unforgettable: “We are doing everything with the utmost commitment and without saving both physical and economic energy. We want this edition to remain imprinted in the minds of each of us as that of the real restart”. This is the program for Thursday 5 January: it starts at 15.30 with the parade of the main characters of the crib from the cultural center to the church of San Nicola di Bari where at 16.00 there will be the Holy Mass with the presence of the bishop of the diocese of Sulmona-Valva Michele Fusco. At 18.00 the Sacred representation of the living Nativity scene of Rivisondoli in the Piana di Pié Lucente.