Inside the globe, there’s a cobbled village road and a tiny sculpture of wise old Befana. Since the 13th century, La Befana has been leaving her presents in children's stockings, but her story goes back much further than that. She eventually met Jesus and presented gifts to make him happy. She carries a bag full of candy and is said to be the best house keeper in all the land due to her habit of sweeping the houses of the children she visits before she leaves. In some poor parts of Italy, the children receive a stick in their stocking instead of coal if they’ve been naughty. A variation of this story also says that she saw a light in the sky and went to follow it thinking it would lead her to the infant. The English translation is: Here comes, here comes the Befana But if you … The Italian-Spanish co-production was directed by Michele Soavi and features a 500-year-old Befana who works as a schoolteacher by day. With Nadia Peressini, Laura Petti, Antonella Brundo, Italo Lo Presti. She went crazy with grief and when she heard about the birth of Jesus, she went to find him in the delusion that he was her son. In this beloved classic picture book, Tomie dePaola retells and illustrates an Italian Christmas folk tale, breathing warmth and humanity into the character of the lonely Old Befana and her endless search for the Christ Child. She continues to look and even though she hasn’t found him, she still leaves gifts for all the children, because the goodness and innocence of Jesus can be found in every child. According to legend, Befana is an old witch who flies through the night of January 5th on her broom delivering presents to children. We and our partners use cookies to better understand your needs, improve performance and provide you with personalised content and advertisements. Like “The Night of La Befana,” both are available exclusively at the Italian Children’s Market. In Italy, children eagerly wait for a visit from another figure known in … Her name comes from befania, a corruption of the Greek word epifania, which means apparition or manifestation. Every child is naughty at least some of the time, so it has become normal that each child gets a little lump of “coal”, rock candy made with black caramel colouring in their stocking among the other candy. Befana is a folklore tradition attached to a January holiday, but has some unusual characteristics that go along with it. la circonda Neve e gelo e tramontana! House cleaning witches on brooms, candy or coal in stockings, and all in the name of the biblical holiday of the Epiphany. Some places celebrate Befana more than others such as Piazza Novana in Rome, where you can find some candies and mini coal candy on sale during the Christmas and Epiphany market where lore says she shows herself in a window at midnight, bringing a crowd to “see” Befana every year at midnight in early January. Traditions are part of what make each culture unique, and this Christmas and Halloween hybrid is definitely unique to Italy. Befana is an interesting folk tradition in Italy that keeps the children behaving and something to look forward to after the Christmas and New Year holidays. Befana, a grandmotherly woman who resembles a kindly witch, brings gifts to good little children, depositing them in stockings hung above the hearth, then tidying up a bit before taking her leave. This is my story of La Befana. That is why she carries a big bag on her back full of sweets, which la Befana will use to fill the stockings kids have left by their chimney. Tradition has it that on the 5th of January the Three Kings ran into la befana while she was sweeping the floor and taking care of the housework. However, in the cities when she comes to hand out gifts (like the Santas in Stores), she usually rides on a donkey and has two baskets on each side. Sound familiar so far? Tradition has it that La Befana, an old woman of modest means, lived in a shack at the time of the birth of Jesus Christ. She did not know and although she couldn’t help them, she did offer them food and shelter for the night. The Italian-language Christmas fantasy comedy film The Legend of the Christmas Witch (Italian: La Befana vien di notte), was released on December 27, 2018. She is the Italian Christmas witch who delivers presents to children on the Night of the Epiphany. The modern day Befana is now celebrated throughout Italy. Befana is said to be an old woman and many refer to her as a witch, who visits all the children in Italy on the eve of the Epiphany, celebrated on January 6. The name La Befana derives from the word "epifania". To allow us to provide a better and more tailored experience please click "OK". La Befana In Italy: history. While a guest in thier home, Mary chose to spend time with Jesus while Martha is too busy with her household chores. If the legend didn’t date back so far, it would seem like the Italians just mixed western Halloween and Christmas traditions to create their own January celebration. The figure of “la Befana” as we know it may have origins way older than those of the festivity, the Epifania, we usually associate her with.Her roots, it seems, have to be sought in pre-Christian times, and developped well into a tradition made of folklore and religious elements. Another version is given in a poem by Giovanni Pascoli: Viene, viene la Befana Vien dai monti a notte fonda Come è stanca! The children of the village dismiss the legend as an old wives tale, but as the slaughters continue, their doubts begin to wane. The figure of La Befana has been an Italian Christmas tradition, long before Babbo Natale (Santa Claus) made his way into the bel paese culture. La Befana comes in all shapes and sizes depending on who is telling the story. La Befana Story. Befana is portrayed as a hooded old hag, similar to the type of witches we see during Halloween, covered in soot (she enters homes through the chimney) and rides a broom. She had such a pleasant and tidy home and the Three Wise Men were so pleased, they invited her to accompany them on their journey to find baby Jesus. What is the story of la Befana? One, a musical snow globe, evokes a scene straight from the beloved Christmas legend. Viene, viene la Befana. La Befana, note the stockings in hand La Befana: The Kind, Italian Christmas Witch. The figure of Babbo Natale (Father Christmas) with a red hat and suit, white beard, bag full of presents and sleigh with reindeers, is famous all over the world. La Befana is a With Epiphany coming up on January 6, we've already read The Legend of Old Befana by Tomie DePaola several times in our home. This holiday is based on the biblical story of the three wise men/three kings offering Jesus the gifts of gold, myrrh and frankincense. The Befana is a witch who roams the world (which seems to consist only of the Italian peninsula, South Tirol excluded) in the night between the fifth and sixth of January. It is celebrated on the 6 th of January, the day of the Epiphany, a Christian feast day that celebrates the revelation of God in his Son as human in Jesus Christ. The legend of Befana began thousands of years ago and remains to this day a tradition practised by Italian children and their families. Another Christian story that takes a darker turn says Befana was an ordinary mother who was suffering from the loss of her child. However, there’s another holiday they celebrate that has a similar concept of Santa with some similarities to Krampus from other European countries. Italy is a historically Catholic culture with many holidays, traditions and beliefs coming from biblical and religious roots. “Cranky old lady,” the children say. The legend of La Befana – The Witch of Christmas. La Befana is an old Italian Christmas tradition dated at the 13 th century. The Legend of La Befana In Italian folklore, La Befana is a witch who brings good children treats on the morning of the Epiphany, January 6. So, Santa gets fat and jolly from all the sweets families leave for him and Befana drunkenly rides her broom from house to house leaving candy. One story says the Three Wise Men from the Bible stopped to ask her for directions a few days before the birth of baby Jesus. Objective: The students will be able to: 1. La Befana Italy's traditional holiday celebration includes the tale of a witch known as La Befana who arrives on her broomstick during the night of January 5th with toys and sweets for the good children and lumps of coal for the bad ones. Directed by Sean Cisterna. On January 5th throughout Italy, excited children prepare for a late-night visit from La Befana by hanging up socks to be filled with small delights. La Befana was stopped by the Three Wise Men and asked her to lead them to the manger and stable where baby Jesus was born. In many ways, the story of Befana reminds me of the biblical story of Mary and Martha (Lazarus' sisters). The stories about La Befana vary greatly from region to region, but Tomie DePaola's version comes closest to the one I learned as a child. Most sources say that the myth of La Befana goes back to the 13th century. The story goes that La Befana, the witch, is still searching for the baby and visits the houses of children, looking for the special child. La Befana may be the same folkloric figure as Berchta. There are a few different legends of how Befana started. The Story of La Befana Legend has it that on their way to Bethlehem, the Re Magi met an old woman, la Befana, and invited her to go with them to visit Gesu’ Bambino. Along the way she brings gifts and chocolate to any children she decides are good, and to the bad children she leaves pieces of coal or garlic. This legend of La Befana was created from a mixture of superstitions and religious beliefs. In the Western world we have Santa Claus and Italians also believe in Old Saint Nick during Christmas. While encompassing early Christian and Roman traditions and celebrations, many of which we still celebrate today such as Christmas gift giving and New Year’s celebrations, some anthropologists have also tied some aspects of tradition of Befana to some pre-Christian elements of the Neolithic period and some Celtic aspects as well. They explained they were seeking a newborn child--a wondrous child. Isabella has recently created two additional Befana items. Origins: The story of La Befana has been told in Italy since the 16th century, according to the Times.La Befana is nice to well-behaved children but can be a … Italy’s oldest and most celebrated legend Painting by James Lewicki, from “The Golden Book of Christmas Tales” 1956 . La Befana is a nice old woman who flies on her broom stick every year on the night between the 5th and 6th of January, which is the Epiphany day, to bring presents to children. People celebrate with a feast and also the children get presents from La Befana. It all started in the time of King Herod on the eve of the Epiphany She carries a bag full of candy and is said to be the best house keeper in all the land due to her habit of sweeping the houses of the children she visits before she leaves. The Kings stopped to talked with her and asked if she might be interested in joining them on their journey to see the new baby. 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