Feast of the Epiphany
The Feast of the Epiphany, celebrated January 6 with a national holiday in Italy, and the tradition of La Befana are a big part of Italian Christmas celebrations. Epiphany commemorates the 12th day of Christmas when the three Wise Men arrived at the manger bearing gifts for Baby Jesus.
La Befana
Italy's traditional celebration includes the tale of a white-haired old woman known as La Befana who arrives on her broomstick during the night of January 5 and fills the stockings with toys and sweets for the good children and lumps of coal for the bad ones.
According to the legend, the night before the Wise Men arrived at the manger they stopped at the house of an old woman to ask directions. They invited her to come along but she replied that she was too busy with her house work.
Later that night, she saw a great light in the sky and the old woman then realised what she had done. She changed her mind and went looking for the 3 Wise Men and the baby Jesus, but was unable to find them. After many hours searching she got lost and never found the manger.
Therefore, every year, on the night of January 5th, "La Befana", will travel on her magic broom, to every house in Italy in search of the baby Jesus bringing gifts. Climbing down the chimneys, she brings candy ("caramele") or fruit to the children that were good and black coal ("carbone"), onions or garlic to the children that were naughty. The children will leave out their stockings, and even their shoes, hoping to awake on the morning of January 6th to some "caramele".
Similar to the Santa Claus tradition, many of the children will write notes to "La Befana" and even leave out food for her (sausages and broccoli in some parts of Italy).
It is a tradition that is still strong in Italy with many stores selling stockings, mostly red, but sometimes even sand-colored, for the children to leave out for "La Befana". It is a fairy-tale story of the good witch / bad witch, depending on how you behaved during the past year.
After her arrival, there are many parties and Italians will celebrate going from house to house celebrating the bonds of family and friends.
Here is an Italian nursery rhyme that the children will sing for "La Befana":
La Befana vien di notte
con le scarpe tutte rotte
col cappello alla romana
viva viva la Befana!
Rough Translation:
The Befana comes at night
wearing old broken shoes
dressed in Roman (hat) style
long live la Befana!
Read about our 2009 La Befana celebration.