Almost every culture has the story of someone or something that brings good fortune to people or grants their every wish. Most adults grew up listening to tales of fairy godmothers and good witches and wizards that bestow goodwill on deserving humans. At times, these magical beings appear under the guise of someone beautiful or handsome. On the other hand, they appear as unattractive beings, proving that goodness should not be based on outward appearances. The Italian folk tale of La Befana is no different.

Outside of Italy, La Befana is an enigma, a mystery. However, for those who believe in her, she is an important part of Epiphany in the country. So, who is this woman? For starters, she doesn't look like Glenda, the Good Witch, from The Wizard of Oz. John D. Calandra Italian American Institute says that she "is the benevolent old woman with magical powers who brings gifts to the children of Italy on the eve of the Epiphany." Her name is derived for epifania, the Italian name for Epiphany.

Italian children look forward to gifts from La Befana when she visits their homes on January 6 and write notes to her asking her for presents, similar to Santa Claus. Like the Santa Claus legend, good children receive sweets and toys while children who misbehave get lumps of coal. Her arrival signals the end of the Christmas season and the day the three Wise Men visited Christ in the manger.

The Italian legend states that the three Wise Men were searching for Baby Jesus when they stopped at a small house to ask for directions. When they knocked on the door, an old woman holding a broom opened the door and saw the colorfully dressed men standing before her. They asked her for directions, and she didn't know who they were looking for and couldn't direct them to the manger. The three men offered to take her along on their journey, but she declined because of housework. Thinking she'd made a mistake, she tried tracking the men down but never found them. Italiansrus.com said, because of her missed opportunity, "the old woman stopped every child to give them a small treat in hopes that one was the Christ child." Thus, every year, she sets out on her journey in search of Baby Jesus, leaving gifts along the way. Until she finds the baby, she will continue her annual hunt for the baby.

There is even a poem about La Befana.

La Befana vien di notte,
con le scarpe tutte rotte,
col cappello alla romana
viva, viva, la Befana!

We can expect that, six months from now, Italian children will await the visit of La Befana.

Sources:

John D. Calandra Italian American Institute: Community Affairs
qcpages.qc.edu/calandra/community/commbefa.html

La Befana
Italiansrus.com

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