Italy’s La Befana presents a charming blend of folklore, faith, and festivity that captures the imagination.
Unlike the jolly, red-suited Santa Claus familiar to many, La Befana is a figure rooted deeply in Italian folklore, celebrated on the Twelfth Night of Christmas, January 6.
Who is La Befana?
La Befana is often depicted as an elderly woman with a bent back, riding a broomstick through the night sky. She is dressed shabbily, sometimes with a scarf wrapped around her head, and her face is smeared with soot as she enters homes through the chimney to deliver gifts.
Her story is tied closely to the Christian feast of the Epiphany, which commemorates the visit of the Magi or Wise Men to the infant Jesus.
The Folklore
Legend has it that the Magi, on their journey to find the newborn Christ, stopped by Befana’s hut to ask for directions and invited her to join them on their quest. Befana declined, citing too many household chores.
However, she soon regretted her decision and set off to find the Magi and the infant Jesus, bearing gifts.
Unfortunately, she never found them.
To this day, Befana is said to be searching for the Christ Child. On the eve of the Epiphany, Italian children hang their stockings and lay out their shoes in anticipation of her visit.
Befana fills these with candy and gifts if they’ve been good, or a lump of coal or dark candy if they’ve been naughty.
Celebrations and Customs
The celebration of Befana varies across regions in Italy but generally involves festivities that are both lively and heartwarming.
Towns hold parades and festivals in her honor. Children enjoy special treats such as “befanini,” small cookies spiced with anise.
Effigies of Befana might be paraded through the streets, or even burned in a central square to signify the end of the holiday season and the disposal of the past year’s troubles.
