For Italian children growing up as recently as the sixties and seventies, it was not the man in the big red suit that had everyone all excited. It was La Befana. A friendly witch like figure that left toys, sweets, or coal (depending on how well you had behaved that year!) for children throughout the country.To this day La Befana is heralded as one of the most important figures in Italy with her links to religion, and ancient folklore. She is now a modern celebration for families to enjoy together.
Let’s find out how the legend started and how you could be part of the celebrations.
In this article
When is la Befana celebrated?
La Befana is celebrated as part of the Epiphany on the 6th January. This broomstick flying character brings to an end the festive season and is celebrated the world over.
The Epiphany, where the name Befana potentially derives from, celebrates the arrival of Jesus. Specifically, the moment when the Three Wise Men, Re Magi in Italian, make their way to Bethlehem for his birth.
The legend of La Befana
The legend of the Befana has many colliding stories that are intertwined from Pagan history, Germanic mythology, and Christianity. The most popular Befana stories begins with the Re Magi. Some believe that they arrived at the house of La Befana during their long journey to see the birth of Jesus. Knocking on her door one night, they asked if they could rest and begin again the next day. The obliging old woman took the Re Magi in for the evening, and they told her of their special journey to see the baby Jesus.
They were so grateful for her kind accommodations that they invited her to join them. Unfortunately La Befana declined, choosing instead to complete her household chores and explaining that she had far too much to do at home. We all know that feeling but perhaps you’d take a break for a once in a lifetime event!
Which is exactly what La Befana thought after they had departed. Changing her mind, she quickly left to find them, taking her broom to search the skies in the hope that she would meet the Re Magi again and finally meet Baby Jesus.
However, poor Befana never did find them. To this day she furiously searches the skies every year on the eve of the epiphany, the 5th January. La Befana checks every home that has children tucked up in bed, in case they could be the Baby Jesus. At every home she stops at, she leaves a little gift for the children and sweeps the house before departing for the skies again. Now that’s a visitor we like. All we have after Santa and his reindeer leave are muddy footprints and biscuit crumbs!
However there are some similarities between Befana and Santa. On the eve of the epiphany children leave a stocking out for the Befana to fill with sweets and gifts. However if your behaviour has been less than sweet this year you might find a piece of coal instead! Thankfully nowadays this is zucchero carbone, a sweet charcoal like sweet made for the festivities.
Wearing a patched skirt and shawl, reminiscent of ancient Roman clothing, the Befana also notably wears broken shoes that had become worn during her long search. In the past children have left her a spare pair of shoes at the door and she would fill these with sweets. However over time the calze or socks have become the favourite to receive the sweets in. If you’re visiting Italy during this time you’ll find hundreds of beautiful stockings decorated with an image of the old woman on her broomstick.
Another interesting take on the Befana begins in pagan mythology. During the Middle Ages there were alleged sightings of women flying over fields to propagate the land during the 12 nights after the winter solstice. Once adopted by Christianity the witchy similarities were quickly discarded as healers and potential witches were feared. Eventually, Catholicism reignited the story of the Befana and through time has evolved into the beloved figure we know today.
How is La Befana celebrated today?
In Maremma, Befana not only brings her broomstick but in true Tuscan tradition she has her trusty donkey in tow. In the past on the eve of the 5th January, children used to leave a biscotto and caffe for the witch to enjoy and some hay for the donkey. Nowadays hilltop villages throughout the Maremma host special events that usually include people from the village dressed as the Befana, taking to the streets and gifting the local children with treats to celebrate.
If you want to extend your festive holidays and discover new holidays traditions, grab your broomstick and take to the skies headed for Italy this January.