The Befana - The Good Witch
By Anna
@LadyDuck (471509)
Switzerland
January 5, 2016 9:43am CST
In the Italian folklore, this night , the Epiphany Eve, an old lady, called the Befana, visits all the Italian children.
The old good witch, fills the socks of the good children with candies, and with coals those of the children who were bad during the year.
The Befana, is portrayed as very old woman, bringing a broomstick and wearing a hat and a shawl.
I remember when I was a kid, I expected to find at least one piece of black rock candy, that looked like coal. I knew that during the year there I had been occasionally bad.
This was the saddest day of the Christmas celebrations, because the day after kids went back to school.
50 people like this
49 responses
@owlwings (43910)
• Cambridge, England
5 Jan 16
I always had a fondness for the story of Befana (and her Russian counterpart, Babushka) as the old lady whose house the three kings stopped at before they found Jesus. There are many different versions of the story, of course, which explain how she came to be connected with the Christmas story. Many are sad - she was invited to go with the kings but said she had too much housework to do and then, when she changed her mind, she never found Jesus - and some are gory - her sons were killed by Herod so she gave their things to the baby Jesus.
Some people think that she is really the goddess Strenua in disguise (many pagan gods and goddesses 'converted' and became 'sort of Christians' and some even became saints.
7 people like this
@LadyDuck (471509)
• Switzerland
5 Jan 16
@Namelesss It is true that looks a lot like a Grimm tale, very sad. I remember hanging my long sock when I was a kid, I was a bit scared by this old woman, I always feared to receive pieces of coal.
2 people like this
@Namelesss (3365)
• United States
5 Jan 16
@LadyDuck How odd it seems to me that I have never heard the Italian version of this story but have heard the Russian version. I remember reading a version once that was very gory and thinking it must have been a Grimm tale.
2 people like this
@jillybean1222 (6407)
•
5 Jan 16
very interesting! i have never heard this legend
5 people like this
@1hopefulman (45120)
• Canada
5 Jan 16
I remember her from my youth but we were very poor and she never brought us much so I stopped believing in her.
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@41CombedaleRoad (5952)
• Greece
5 Jan 16
Obviously you were a discerning boy Happy
3 people like this
@thesids (22180)
• Bhubaneswar, India
5 Jan 16
Ah, so this is what that fairy is called - Befana. I had heard a few stories from friends and others about the fairy who puts in Candies and Coal, but never knew that her name was Befana.
In India, I do not know whether it is Indian or not, but I have heard some say that there is some fairy who gets candies and gifts to Children who are well behaved during the year. But in Indian version, she does not come on / near Christmas time (probably because India does not have Christianity as its main religion). Instead, we say she comes just a day before the Birthday of the Kid.
I have no idea of how is she (Indian version) dressed or even what transport does she use.Indian context may associate her transport with some witch.
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@arthurchappell (44998)
• Preston, England
6 Jan 16
I wondered who left me that sack of coal - now I know 
2 people like this
@arthurchappell (44998)
• Preston, England
12 Jan 16
@LadyDuck yes, as opposed to having to burn toys to stay warm like all the good kids
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Poor Arthur, I am so sorry, but if you have a stove it can come handy. 
@fishtiger58 (29820)
• Momence, Illinois
5 Jan 16
Sounds like Halloween and she certainly looks like a Halloween witch.
3 people like this
@fishtiger58 (29820)
• Momence, Illinois
5 Jan 16
@LadyDuck She is a happy witch.
2 people like this
@andriaperry (116936)
• Anniston, Alabama
5 Jan 16
That is what I was thinking when I read this.
3 people like this
@allen0187 (58582)
• Philippines
13 Dec 16
First time I've heard about Bafana. Thank you for sharing it.
I guess she is the female counterpart of Santa Clause, correct?
1 person likes this
@allen0187 (58582)
• Philippines
18 Dec 16
@LadyDuck interesting story. Thanks for sharing it!
1 person likes this
@LadyDuck (471509)
• Switzerland
18 Dec 16
@allen0187 I love to read about other stories from other cultures.
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@LadyDuck (471509)
• Switzerland
13 Dec 16
The story of the Befana is interesting. It is told that the 3 Kings asked to an old woman where Baby Jesus was. She decided to join them in the search. She had lost her baby and she decided to bring a gift to the Baby Jesus. When the Baby saw the gift and understood the sadness of the woman, he decided that from that day she would have been "the mother of all children in Italy". From that day, she comes the night of January 6th to bring candies and chocolates to the good kids.
1 person likes this
@TiarasOceanView (70022)
• United States
5 Jan 16
I never knew of this the Befena. I am surprised my Nana did not mention it to me. But I was not always around her as sadly she passed.
1 person likes this
@TiarasOceanView (70022)
• United States
6 Jan 16
@LadyDuck Yes the good old times Anna. Did you always get good stuff and no coal?
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@LadyDuck (471509)
• Switzerland
6 Jan 16
@TiarasOceanView I get noting now 
no good stuff, nor coal, but it's netter this way, I had too many cakes during the holidays.
no good stuff, nor coal, but it's netter this way, I had too many cakes during the holidays.1 person likes this
@BelleStarr (61102)
• United States
8 Jan 16
I have never heard of Befana, she never visited us. lol Maybe we were always good!!
1 person likes this
@AbbyGreenhill (45494)
• United States
5 Jan 16
You have to chuckle as some of the things we 'believed' no matter what county.
1 person likes this
@LadyDuck (471509)
• Switzerland
5 Jan 16
@AbbyGreenhill I imagine that all the kids were not happy. My mother had forbidden to tell the truth to my brother. I waited a few years and finally I told him.
@AbbyGreenhill (45494)
• United States
5 Jan 16
@LadyDuck When I was 7 or 8 I told all the kids in the neighborhood that there was no Santa...boy did my parents get a lot of phone calls that night!
2 people like this
@slund2041 (3314)
• United States
6 Jan 16
I never heard the Italian version of this story.
1 person likes this
@SireeshaK (27)
• India
6 Jan 16
I've never heard this before, it's quite interesting. Through the comments, I came to know there's something similar believed in India too. I'm not aware of that either but there are many funny things we blindly believed when we were kids!
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