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Christmas Witch
It would be more accurate to call her an Epiphany Witch, but let’s not split old gray hairs.
La Befana
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A charming Christmas tradition from Italy involves a witch who brings gifts on the last night of the Twelve Days of Christmas. Children find their stockings stuffed with sweets or coal on the morning of Epiphany. She also does a bit of sweeping up while you sleep if you remember to leave her a treat.
Her Story
She’s one of these crazy old ladies who spend all day fretting about the cooking and cleaning. You know the type.
However, she was invited by the Wise Men to join them on their journey to find the baby Jesus and pay homage to the newborn King of Heaven and Earth. Being a fussy old woman with obsessive cleaning habits, she dusted them off.
A bit later, she thought better of it and decided to bring the Christ child some home-baked gifts.
| La Befana vien di notte con le scarpe tutte rotte con le toppe alla sottana Viva, viva la Befana! |
La Befana comes in the night With shoes completely broken With her skirt all in tatters Hurray, Hurray, La Befana! |
She ran and ran but being a very old lady, her legs soon gave out on her. From that point, she took to her broom and flew far and wide looking for the Holy Family. This is why she’s usually depicted with a broom in La Befana ornaments.
Unfortunately for her, she never caught up and she did not find her way to Bethlehem. Every year at Epiphany, she rides the skies seeking the baby Jesus. Being obsessive, she stops everywhere there are kids and leaves gifts in the off chance that she has finally found Jesus.
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And don’t bother with the milk and cookies for this tidy gift-laden witch.
She’s Italian! She wants red wine!
There is a saying in Italian: ‘L’Epifania tutte le feste si porta via’. La Befana missed the Wise Men’s visit to the Christ child due to her obsessive housekeeping, but she reminds us that Epiphany is our signal to pack up the holiday cheer and start getting on with a brand new year.
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