The Short Story of Befana

By heated furor from the people, after a few years away in exile, BEFANA returns on the 6th of january to put an end to the cycle of the twelve days of Christmas.

In the most pure traditions of popular italian folk tales, Befana descends into the house through the top of the chimney, that symbolizes a point of communication between the earth and the heavens and she distributes two kinds of presents : the good ones are the promise all the good to that will come in the season ahead and coal, instead, is the residue of what has past.

"Befana has brought a little bit of coal because you have been slightly bad, but, she has also brought some sweets because you must be good": It was these phrases the that had accompanied the morning when we openned our stockings where, unmissable between the candies and dried figs, they find other things like coal, onions, chestnuts, potatoes, apples, different nuts, all products of the ground.

In Befana one can find, the promises of all that will be good, the season that all wait for. They are symbolizedby the gifts inserted into the wool stocking (A piece of clothing, not chosen by chance because, living in the countryto be placed in front of the chimney and also for the work of the new year)

We can also finf the cult of befana in various parts of the world: from Persia to Normandy, from Russia to North Africa. In these groups many, they look for the clues of the great Primordial, the signora of life and death, of the regeneration of Nature.

Above all else, in her figure, la Befana resumes the image of the of the Ancient Grandmother Goddess in charge of the fireplace, the sacred location of the house. And the openning of the fireplace's purpose is not only for the chimney, but to introduce happiness into the house, flying with her fantastic broom.

This is a quite literal translation helped out by Gio, Max and Dad!!