Beautiful Legend Of La Befana – Witch Who Delivers Gifts To Children In Italy On Epiphany – Twelve Days After Christmas

Ellen Lloyd - AncientPages.com - In most countries, children await the arrival of St. Nicolaus or Santa Claus, who will bring them gifts. In Italy, children eagerly count the days to the coming of La Befana on Epiphany, the Twelfth Night of Christmas. La Befana is a good broomstick-riding witch who delivers gifts to children.

La Befana has been an Italian Christmas tradition since the eighth century and is celebrated every year on January 6.

La Befana, the Italian Epiphany witch. Painting by James Lewicki, from "The Golden Book of Christmas Tales" 1956. Credit: Public Domain

The Witch reminds of Baba Yaga, an enigmatic and powerful mythological figure in Slavic folklore. Both women are old, dressed in rags and a pointed hat, and have crooked noses. However, that's where the similarities end. While Baba Yaga was bribing children, La Befana gave them gifts.

It is said that La Befana is often accompanied by a black cat or a flock of birds.

According to the legend, La Befana was approached by the Biblical Magi, also known as the Three Wise Men, a few days before the birth of Jesus Christ.

La Befana is celebrated in Italy every year. Painting La Befana by Bartolomeo Pinelli (1821). Credit: Public Domain

The Three Wise Men had seen the star in the sky (today known as the Bethlehem star) and wondered if La Befana could tell them how to find the Son of God, but the Witch did not know the directions.

Being the best housekeeper in the village, she sheltered them for the night. The Biblical Magi stayed in her humble but cozy cottage, and the following day, they invited her to join them on the journey to find the baby, Jesus.

The Witch said she couldn't because she was busy cleaning her home, but she changed her mind after the Three Wise Men had left.

She quickly filled a basket with gifts for baby Jesus and went trying to find the Biblical Magi and the newborn child. But although she followed the same star, she couldn't find baby Jesus.

So, to this day, La Befana is still searching every house for the child, leaving toys, candies, and chocolates for the good children and just coal, onions, or garlic for the kids who misbehave.

The name Befana is closely related to the date of the holiday - etymologically, it comes from the Greek epiphaneia hiera '(Festival of Revelation), Latin. epiphania, and Epiphany in Italian, later passed over to Beffania to remember Strega di Beffania (the Witch of the Holy Revelation).

The feast of the Epiphany, the Epiphany, is celebrated by the Catholic Church on January 6 in Italy. It is the day that marks the end of the Christmas and New Year period.

Befana is symbolically interpreted as the personification of the old year that ends after Christmas. This is the story behind why gifts are delivered on January 6.

The Befana is celebrated throughout Italy and has become a national icon. There are festivals in her honor, and Urbania is considered her official home.

Updated on December 23, 2023

Written by  Ellen Lloyd – AncientPages.com

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