On January 6, Italians celebrated the most important event of the month: L’Epifania, or the Feast of the Epiphany.
This age-old festival has its roots in Roman pagan times, but has evolved into a symbolic religious occasion which is recognised as a national public holiday and marks the end of the festive season for many Italians.
The festival commemorates the story of the Magi, otherwise known as the Three Wise Men or the Three Kings, and their arrival to Bethlehem as recounted in the Gospel of Matthew.
According to the tale, the trio of Kings known as Melchior, Caspar and Balthazar travelled from the east following a star to arrive at Bethlehem 12 days after the birth of Jesus, carrying gold, frankincense and myrrh as gifts for the newborn.
During the Feast of the Epiphany, towns and cities across Italy come alive with pageants and Nativity scenes to revive the story of the Magi.
In the Vatican City hundreds of faithfuls dressed in medieval attire partake in a procession carrying gifts for the Pope, who holds a morning mass in St Peter’s Basilica in honour of the Three Wise Men.
Other cities feature similar parades which re-enact the Kings’ journey to Bethlehem, and the town of Rivisondoli in the Abruzzo region is famous for its extravagant celebrations.
Just as important as the religious side of this festival are the strong folklore traditions which accompany it.
The most widespread symbol of the Epiphany is La Befana, an old and unkempt woman who shares a few things in common with Santa Claus.
Though she travels on a wooden broom and fits the typical description of a witch, La Befana is adored by children across Italy...or the good ones, at least.
On the eve of the Epiphany, children hang stockings in their homes and eagerly await a visit from La Befana.
In the shadow of the night, the aged woman makes her way around Italy, filling the stockings of good children with sweets and presents, and those of naughty children with coal (often a dark rock candy called carbone which looks like coal).
La Befana is one of Italy’s most popular emblems, and as the widespread nursery rhyme goes:
“La Befana vien di notte
Con le scarpe tutte rotte
Col vestito alla romana
Viva, Viva La Befana! ”
(The Befana comes by night
With her shoes all tattered and torn
She comes dressed in the Roman way
Long live the Befana!).
In some communities, La Befana symbolises the old year which sacrifices itself to make way for the new one, and a ritual of burning an old lady made from rags is used to mark this occasion.
In Veneto bonfires, or roghi, are lit to wipe away the negative parts of the year gone by and start afresh in the New Year.
Other activities take place on this holiday, and thousands flock to the town of Urbania in Le Marche, to partake in its five-day annual festival in which children have the chance to meet La Befana at her house.
The tradition of La Befana is so engrained in Italian culture that many Italians living abroad still hang stockings in their new homes, diffusing one of their oldest and most beloved customs in all corners of the globe.
Because who would turn down an excuse to keep the festive season alive just a little longer?
