We told you about it in this article , in some countries, it is customary to receive gifts on January 6, Epiphany Day. This is the case in Italy with the pretty legend of La Befana…
Once upon a time…
Legend has it that, during their journey to visit the baby Jesus, the Three Wise Men got lost and stopped to ask an old woman, Befana , for directions, asking her to accompany them. She refused and the Three Wise Men continued on their way.
Shortly after, she was overcome with remorse and tried to catch up with them in order to find the manger. Unfortunately, she did not succeed but decided to offer the gifts intended for the baby Jesus to other children . Since that day, La Befana spends every night of Epiphany filling the stockings of the little Italians with gifts .
Other origins of Befana
According to some other sources , the festivities linked to the legend of the Befana would simply arise from a very ancient festival . Initially, this would correspond to the worship celebrated towards a divinity supposed to embody the spirits of the ancients and materialized in the form of a woman with a hooked nose.
Also, she would be the personification of Mother Nature , appearing to the peasants in order to be reborn in the coming harvests. But also, the legend of Befana would be a " modernization " of the female figure of the goddess Diana flying over the fields of crops in order to fertilize future harvests.
Today's festivities
La Befana returns every year to the homes of little Italians on the night of Epiphany , filling the children's stockings with little sweets for the wisest and pieces of coal for the others (of course, there are sweets in the shape of coal!). To thank her, we leave her a mandarin orange or a bean soup .
For the occasion, shops and markets offer specially decorated socks for the party , dolls with the image of Befana , sweets, toys and various gifts . Shows and activities are organized for children during this period. It is also the time to make "Befanini" biscuits in honor of the old lady and to recite songs .
Did you know this legend?