Donkey Carts & Oranges

Sicily is distinct, especially as far as culture is concerned. The Museum der Kulturen holds an extraordinary collection of Sicilian folk culture. Worth special mention are the large and small ceramics (incl. the cribs), the opera dei pupi (puppet figures), and the brightly coloured donkey carts, which one actually no longer finds in the streets but in all shapes and sizes as motifs on a large range of products, instead.

Among the Sicilian landscape's typical features are the extensive orange and mandarin groves. The fruits' provenance is often revealed by the wrapping paper they come in which usually features, next to the producer and the brand name, a colourful picture. The Sicilian "orange papers” serve as the ambassadors of the respective region of origin and, together with the donkey carts on which the fruits are transported, they provide an ideal starting point for a fascinating journey through Sicilian folk culture. Among other things, the Christmas exhibition makes clear how symbols of regional identity are created, reinforced and conveyed.