Saturday,
January 05, 2008
"La Befana" Enroute; Due Sunday
January 6th Eve
The
ANNOTICO Report
La
Befana is exclusively an Italian tradition,
that gives Italian kids a Bonus and Second Chance at Christmas related
Gifts.
Thanks to Italia Mia
Befana is usually portrayed as an old lady riding a broomstick
through the air wearing a black shawl and is covered in soot because she enters
the children's houses through the chimney. She is often smiling and carries a
bag or hamper filled with candy, gifts, or both.
Legend
has it that La Befana was approached by the Three
Kings some days before the birth of Jesus. They asked for directions to where
the baby Jesus was, but she did not know. She provided them with shelter for a
night, as she was considered the best housekeeper in the village with the most
pleasant home.
They
invited her to join them on the journey to find the baby Jesus, but she
declined, stating she was too busy with her housework. Later, Befana had a change of heart, and tried to search out for
the Three Kings and the baby Jesus.
That
night she was not able to find them, so to this day, La Befana
is searching for the Christ child. She leaves all the good children toys and
candy, while the bad children get coal; for she never knows who might be Jesus!
The name Befana is the mispronunciation of the italian word Epifania
which stands for Epiphany, celebrated on January 6th.
The Legend of Old Befana hardcover edition for ages 9-12 is available
at amazon.com
La Befana
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
La Befana is a character in Italian folklore, similar to Saint Nicholas
or Santa Claus. The character may have originated in
Her name derives
from the festival of Epiphany, and she visits all the children of
She is usually
portrayed as an old lady riding a broomstick through the air wearing a black
shawl and is covered in soot because she enters the children's houses through
the chimney. She is often smiling and carries a bag or hamper filled with
candy, gifts, or both.
Legend
Legend has it
that La Befana was approached by the astrologers (the
three kings) a few days before Christ's birth. They asked for directions to
where the Christ child was, but she did not know. She provided them with
shelter for a night, as she was considered the best housekeeper in the village
with the most pleasant home. They invited her to join them on the journey to
find the Christ child, but she declined, stating she was too busy with her
housework. Later, La Befana had a change of heart,
and tried to search out for the astrologers and the Christ child. That night
she was not able to find them, so to this day, La Befana
is searching for the Christ child. She leaves all the good children toys and
candy, while the bad children get coal.
She is also known
as Tabina, but Tabina is
the beautiful version of La Befana to the Italians.
Another legend
takes a slightly darker tone as La Befana was an
ordinary woman with a child that she greatly loved. However, her child died,
and her resulting grief maddened her. Upon hearing news of Jesus being born,
she set out to see him, delusional that he was her son. She eventually met
Jesus and presented him with gifts to make him happy. The infant Jesus was
delighted, and he gave La Befana a gift in return;
she would be the mother of every child in
Also, tradition
avers that if one sees La Befana one will receive a
thump from her broomstick, as she doesn't wish to be seen. This aspect of the
tradition may be designed to keep children in their beds while parents are
distributing candy (or coal) and sweeping the floor on Epiphany Eve.
History
The name Befana is derived from the mispronunciation of the Italian
word epifania (English:
epiphany).
The tradition of
La Befana may incorporate pre-Christian popular
elements, adapted to Christian culture and related to the celebration of the
New Year. Historians relate her to Nicevenn. The old
lady character should then represent the old year just passed, ready to be
burned in order to give place to the new one. In many European countries the
tradition still exists of burning a puppet of an old lady at the beginning of
the New Year, called Giubiana in
An interesting
theory connects the tradition of exchanging gifts to an ancient Roman festivity
in honour of Ianus and Strenia (in Italian a Christmas gift is called strenna), celebrated at the beginning of the year,
when Romans were used to giving each other presents.
La Befana
today
Traditionally,
all Italian children may expect to find a lump of "coal" in their
stockings (actually rock candy made black with caramel coloring), as every
child has been at least occasionally bad during the year.
In the center of
The Feast of La Befana in
The
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