La Befana;

In a little village high atop a hill, in Via della Padella; number 2 to be precise, an old lady, part fairy part witch, passes the entire year in the company of her grotesque assistants; (the Befanucci) preparing coal, making sweets and toys and darning old stockings and socks. These are all to be distributed to children on Rome's magickal night of nights, between the 5th and 6th of January. This seems the longest night of all. Every child is in awe of 'La Befana', a sentiment tinged with love and fear.

Dressed in black and larger then life, she comes, entering the houses by sliding down the chimney, leaving her presents for the children: coal for the bad boys and girls and sweets and candies for the good ones. The children prepare a plate of soft ricotta cheese for her; for everyone knows that she doesn't have many good teeth left. In origin this character is even older than Babbo Natale; Santo Natale, Father Christmas or Santa Claus. Her festival has usurped an ancient pagan feast celebrated on the Magic Night, the 6th day of the New Year, chosen by ancient Eastern astronomers according to their complicated calculations.

Epiphany, later called Twelfth Night by Christianity, was therefore, pagan in origin. Therefore, Befana pre-dates her elfin counterpart, Santa, by a few thousand years. It was much later when the story was changed to be associated with the life of Christ. So strong was the remembrance of things past that two other events in Jesus' life were calculated to have taken place on this day: His Baptism and the Wedding at Cana. Indeed until the forth century Christmas itself was celebrated on 6 January. Until the end of last century La Befana could be found in Piazza Sant'Eustachio or in Piazza dei Cappellari where the annual Christmas fair with cribs and toys took place. Then, because of the fashion for crinolines and large hoop skirts, the fair was moved to Piazza Navona, where it is still today. This takes the place of the four-hundred years-old spices market which had to be moved over to Campo de'Fiori.

Befina:
A Celtic fairy. Befina, a member of a fairy triad (the other two whose names remain secret) that visits the cradle of each new born bestowed upon it talents and made predictions of its future. This fairy has a starring role in 'Sleeping Beauty', where the fairies attend to give her gifts and protect her from the evil fae. The three visiting faeries are not unique to the Celts. The Romans had the three Fates and the Greeks the Moirae. In all the sets of three, one represents the past, one the present and one the future. In Serbia there is one birth fairy, Oosood, a beautiful nymph like fae from the Veela tribe; made famous by the Harry Potter series. Oosood visits on the 7th night and can only be seen by the child's mother. The Nornir are the Nordic versions of the Fates; they are three sisters who live at the base of the Ash tree which is the axis of the world. Many Europeans look forward, even now, to the evening of January 5^th; Epiphany or Twelfth Night. On this night Befana would leave her last holiday gift, marking the end of the Yuletide Season.

Christian's and Befana ~ The Ledged of Befana has been changed by many of the Christian Faiths; O’Nehis version says that La Befanta was one of the inn keepers who turned Mary and Joseph away on their trip to Bethlehem. And in this she now roams Europe, looking for the Christ Child, in her travels and leaves toys and fruit for the good children.

Another says; The three wise men were on their journey when they were stopped by an old woman with a broom who asked them where they were going. They told her that they were following a star that would lead them to a newborn baby. They asked her if she would like to come along with them at which she replied that she was too busy sweeping and cleaning up to go along with such nonsense. Of course, when the realization came to her that the baby was Jesus the Redeemer her regret for not having gone along with the wise men was so great that she is spending eternity taking gifts to good children on Christmas.

The version I learned from my Grandmother is the one I shared with my children when they were young during the holiday time.

Befana, a benevolent and kind old Witch, saw the emptiness that the children were suffering during the dark times. Because of her deep affection for all innocent hearts she wished the children to know that even in the darkness of winter, kindness and hope could be found. Beginning on Yule Eve, Befana in secret would go door to door and leave a basket of gifts. Inside each basket they found bread, cheese, sweets and gifts for the children. But there was also one precious gift more important then sweets or bread, a brightly colored and fragrant candle; a Solstice candle. The families would light this most precious candle upon Solstice night. The flame from the candle brought a light of hope for the coming year. In addition, dreams of sweet summer would be illuminated within their hearts. This was a reminder that even from within the darkest cold of winter, the light of rebirth would soon shine again.

By; Lady Abigail