oh bej! oh bej! origin of the name
The name, which in dialect means Oh Beautiful! Oh Beautiful!, seems to derive from the exclamations of wonder from Milanese children when, in 1510, they saw the gifts brought by the papal envoy Giannetto Castiglioni, commissioned by Pope Pius IV to rekindle the city’s devotion to Saints Lazarus and Maurice.
Arriving at the gates of Milan, and fearing a cold reception from a people who had never shown strong sympathy for the pope, Castiglioni decided to take advantage of the occasion of December 7 (date of the election as bishop of the patron Ambrogio, in 374), having a large quantity of gifts prepared to be distributed to children during the entrance into the city. The initiative was a great success and a festive procession accompanied him to the Basilica of Sant’Ambrogio.
oh bej! oh bej! origin of the name: another theory
Another theory about the origin of the name oh bej! oh bej! speaks instead of a much more straightforward etymology: this would have been the motto, the cry used by street vendors behind their stalls, to emphasize the goodness of their goods.
Between legend and reality, the oh bej! oh bej of Milan continue, year after year, to be a classic and unmissable event in the popular-cultural scene of Milan.
