WHAT IS LA BEFANA?
WHAT IS LA BEFANA?
Article explaining the cultural importance of La Befana and its historical origins relating to the epiphany.
So it's the 6th of January, you're feeling slightly depressed as the magic of Christmas and the excitement of the new year give way to the thought of having to go back to work or perhaps even worse, back to school. A month of cold weather, a reduced amount of funds in the bank and various self-imposed constraints that you've put on yourself in the form of a new year's resolution such as giving up smoking or going on a diet. However, just as all of these things start to get you down a little bit, along comes a little post-Christmas bonus in the form of an old witch leaving gifts and chocolate while best of all, it's a national holiday meaning no work and no school!
To most people in the western world, the word Epiphany conjures up images of a slightly forgotten religious feast day and has become synonymous with a feeling of enlightenment or perhaps of having received a message from a higher plane. Deriving from the ancient Greek word Theophaneia which more or less translates as "vision of God", the word Epiphany is intended to signify the visit of the three wise men (or three kings or three magi) to the baby Jesus shortly after his birth. When you take the Italian word for epiphany which is "epifania", you can start to understand where the term "Befana" sprang from.
La Befana is a uniquely Italian tradition which is given great importance in the calendar and marked with a national holiday. In years gone by, La Befana held even more importance than Christmas with children waiting until the 6th of January before being able to open their presents. Historically this was slightly more important in the south of Italy but over time, Christmas Day has taken precedence in terms of gift giving, perhaps partly due to the effects of globalisation. While most westerners consider the festive period to consist of two big events, Christmas and New Year, in Italy it's very much the case of three events with epifania given equal importance.
There are dozens of versions of the story of La Befana but the central theme is that of a witch who bears gifts on the night before epiphany. One of the most popular legends is that on their way to find Jesus, the three wise men happened upon an old witch and asked her for directions to the place where they thought the son of God would be. The witch was helpful but declined their invitation to join them on their quest, citing that she was too busy with her housework. Upon reflection, it is said, the witch changed her mind and decided to join the three kings in their search but was unable to find them and more importantly, unable to find the baby Jesus. 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. 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.
The modern version of La Befana is that parents will leave a stocking for their children on the morning of the 6th of January, much in the same was as they are left for children the night before Christmas in most western cultures. The stockings are invariably filled with chocolate and other types of sweets or even small toys. On the night before epiphany, some children leave out a little snack for the witch to help her along her way, again following the tradition of Santa Claus for whom little trays of cakes or glasses of milk are left out.
The image of La Befana as you can see from the photos, is that of a benevolent witch who rides a broom, her face often dark from having entered houses through soot-filled chimneys. On January 6th in Italy, this image can be found everywhere from cafes to shops, bars and at the end of bed-posts for children as they wake up in the morning. Being a generous folk, particularly when it comes to food, this tradition is not always restricted to children with many adults receiving stockings from their parents too. To a non-Italian, La Befana comes as a real bonus, an extra day off work and the chance to spend more quality time with family and friends. To those with a sweet tooth it comes as an even greater gift but the only downside is those new year's resolutions and diets have to wait another week before getting started but then again that's surely not a bad thing, is it?
Dion Protani
Tuesday 6th January 2015
Ischia Review
To most people in the western world, the word Epiphany conjures up images of a slightly forgotten religious feast day and has become synonymous with a feeling of enlightenment or perhaps of having received a message from a higher plane. Deriving from the ancient Greek word Theophaneia which more or less translates as "vision of God", the word Epiphany is intended to signify the visit of the three wise men (or three kings or three magi) to the baby Jesus shortly after his birth. When you take the Italian word for epiphany which is "epifania", you can start to understand where the term "Befana" sprang from.
La Befana is a uniquely Italian tradition which is given great importance in the calendar and marked with a national holiday. In years gone by, La Befana held even more importance than Christmas with children waiting until the 6th of January before being able to open their presents. Historically this was slightly more important in the south of Italy but over time, Christmas Day has taken precedence in terms of gift giving, perhaps partly due to the effects of globalisation. While most westerners consider the festive period to consist of two big events, Christmas and New Year, in Italy it's very much the case of three events with epifania given equal importance.
There are dozens of versions of the story of La Befana but the central theme is that of a witch who bears gifts on the night before epiphany. One of the most popular legends is that on their way to find Jesus, the three wise men happened upon an old witch and asked her for directions to the place where they thought the son of God would be. The witch was helpful but declined their invitation to join them on their quest, citing that she was too busy with her housework. Upon reflection, it is said, the witch changed her mind and decided to join the three kings in their search but was unable to find them and more importantly, unable to find the baby Jesus. 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. 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.
The modern version of La Befana is that parents will leave a stocking for their children on the morning of the 6th of January, much in the same was as they are left for children the night before Christmas in most western cultures. The stockings are invariably filled with chocolate and other types of sweets or even small toys. On the night before epiphany, some children leave out a little snack for the witch to help her along her way, again following the tradition of Santa Claus for whom little trays of cakes or glasses of milk are left out.
The image of La Befana as you can see from the photos, is that of a benevolent witch who rides a broom, her face often dark from having entered houses through soot-filled chimneys. On January 6th in Italy, this image can be found everywhere from cafes to shops, bars and at the end of bed-posts for children as they wake up in the morning. Being a generous folk, particularly when it comes to food, this tradition is not always restricted to children with many adults receiving stockings from their parents too. To a non-Italian, La Befana comes as a real bonus, an extra day off work and the chance to spend more quality time with family and friends. To those with a sweet tooth it comes as an even greater gift but the only downside is those new year's resolutions and diets have to wait another week before getting started but then again that's surely not a bad thing, is it?
Dion Protani
Tuesday 6th January 2015
Ischia Review
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