Today's word is actually a beloved character. La Befana (hear it pronounced here) is a good witch who delivers presents to Italian children on the eve of Epiphany (Epifania) on January 6th - the date when the Christmas period officially ends in Italy.
Tradition holds that the Three Wise Men passed La Befana's home on their way to search for baby Jesus and invited her to join them, but she declined as she was too busy with housework.
She regretted her decision and later decided to go and look for Jesus, but never found him. To this day, she's still flying around on her broomstick, distributing sweets and presents to children whose homes she passes.
È ora di andare a letto. La Befana arriverà tra poco.
It's time to go to bed. La Befana will be here soon.
In the past, Italian children would receive presents on Epiphany, a national public holiday.
Nowadays, most parts of the country have fallen in line with international customs, with children hanging up their stockings on Christmas Eve and receiving gifts from Babbo Natale (Santa Claus) on Christmas Day.
However, in some areas, children still hang up calze della Befana (Befana stockings) on Epiphany Eve. The lucky ones do both, receiving two sets of Christmas presents.
You'll sometimes hear January 6th referred to as Il giorno della Befana ('The day of the Befana') or simply La Befana rather than Epifania in Italian.
Dove andiamo a festeggiare il giorno della Befana quest'anno?
Where shall we celebrate Epiphany this year?
While it's usually used as a proper noun, the word befana can also mean an old hag or crone. Just like in English, it's a derogatory term you don't want to go throwing around lightly.
The southern city of Bari has its own Befana legend; as well as the good Befana, at one time the evil witch Befanì roamed around on the same night, sowing death and discord.
According to the story, Emir Mufarrag, the Turkish warrior who at the time governed the city, decided to challenge Befanì to a duel.
She chopped his head clean off his neck, and it later reappeared carved in stone above a doorway in the city, where some version of it remains to this day.
In some Tuscan villages, befani are a different thing entirely; it's the name given to a group of locals who dress up as shepherds or peasants and on Epiphany night wander the streets, knocking on doors, singing traditional songs, and distributing sweets and oranges in exchange for money.
If Christmas didn't go how you imagined this year or Santa doesn't give you the presents you hoped for, don't despair: there's always La Befana.
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