At A Grade Ahead, we embrace cultural traditions from all over the world. At our Central Ohio headquarters, we celebrate several holidays throughout the year. From Diwali, to Christmas, to Halloween, our A Grade Ahead team loves to enjoy all kinds of festivities. We also love to learn about new or unfamiliar traditions. This time of the year marks a season of diverse celebrations from various religious and cultural backgrounds. In this article, we will explore the tradition of La Befana, an Italian folk legend centered around the Christian holiday of The Epiphany.
For a glimpse into some other winter holidays, check out these previous A Grade Ahead blog articles: Winter Holidays Around the World and A Grade Ahead Explores Cultural Holiday Food Traditions.
Who is La Befana?
The Epiphany is a Christian holiday celebrated on January 6th after the twelve days of Christmas. It commemorates the journey of the Three Wise Men, or Magi, to visit the Baby Jesus in Bethlehem. The men found Bethlehem by following a bright star, a symbol of the revelation of Jesus’s birth. The Magi presented the Baby Jesus three gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
The legend of La Befana is an Italian folktale tied to the Epiphany. As the story goes, the Three Wise Men met the Befana, an old woman, on their way to visit the Baby Jesus. They invited her to join them, but she refused. She later regretted not going and set out on her own to find the baby. In her search, she left gifts at every house she visited hoping to find the Christ Child. The Befana never found Him, and to this day she continues to bring sweets and gifts to children all over Italy.
At A Grade Ahead, our English curriculum and features a wide variety of literary genres including legends and myths. Reading different genres has many benefits for students. From cognitive benefits like critical thinking and creativity, to social-emotional benefits like gaining perspective, reading across genres offers great advantages.
Traditions
Many Italians celebrate La Befana in conjunction with The Epiphany. She is similar to Santa Claus who visits children on Christmas Eve. In Italy, Santa Claus brings gifts for Christmas, but he does not fill stockings like he does in many American households. Instead, the Befana fills stockings on the eve of the Epiphany. Italian children set out their stockings on the night of January 5th.
After the children go to bed, the Befana flies around on her broom in search of the Christ Child. She stops at every child’s house and fills the stockings with sweets for the good children and lumps of coal for the misbehaved children. In the morning, the children wake up to find their stockings full. On the night of January 6th, some Italians build a giant bonfire and burn an effigy of the Befana. This ritual symbolizes the riddance of difficulties from the previous year to make way for hope in the new year.
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Modernization
As a treasured tradition marking the end of the Christmas season, the Befana has books, movies, and songs that celebrate her. The children’s book The Legend of Old Befana is written and illustrated by Italian-American author Tomie dePaola. It is a beautiful retelling of the folktale accompanied by dePaola’s whimsically warm illustrations. If you are searching for a new holiday movie to watch with the family, check out The Legend of the Christmas Witch. This Italian-language family-friendly comedy has been dubbed in English and is available on these streaming services.
Reading books and watching movies with your children is a great way to spark their interest in literature and films. Did you know the A Grade Ahead blog features a series all about books and their onscreen counterparts? Our beloved teacher Pamela Crum writes these articles and more! Check out her books versus movies series here.
Our team at A Grade Ahead loves this time of year full of tradition, celebration, and merriment. What holidays does your family celebrate? What are some of your favorite holiday traditions? Do you know any unique stories surrounding those traditions? We would love to hear from you in the comments below!
Author: Amanda Hutson, Curriculum Assistant at A Grade Ahead
