Walking through Piazza Navona in Rome, Italy I hear the unmistakable cackling laugh of a witch! I turned towards a nearby stall and spy hundreds of flying witches hanging from the roof. Big ones, small ones. Some like an old woman, while others looked like a creepy old hag warts and all! Some even were animatronic whose eyes glowed red (and made the cackling laughter that caught my ear.) But surely this must be a mistake? For its not Halloween time, but after so soon after Christmas! I was confused but had no one to ask about this strange sight, and anyway, I was quickly distracted by some hot roasted chestnuts!
La Befana stall at Piazza Navona Christmas Market in Rome, Italy
But later on in my trip, we stopped frequently at roadside diners and stores on our way from Rome to Venice. And each of these little stores had their own witches! I picked one up, and it had a little bag on its back, some had black coal-like candy, while others had normal candy. Being a lover of Halloween I decided to buy one of these out-of-place witches to bring home with me.
It wasn’t until later when our Guide saw what I had bought that he exclaimed “Ah I see you’ve gotten a little La Befana!” Seeing my strange and confused look he explained to me who this witch was.
La Befana was an old woman who lived in a small village. One night the Three Wise Men stopped at her home, asking her for directions to see the new baby king (Baby Jesus). They pointed up at the sky, at the shining star. La Befana was unsure of the way, and offered to let them say at her home for the night. The next morning the Three Kings offered to let her come with them, but she declined because she still had much housework to do.
Later, when the star went out, she realized that this new king was important and so she should go and pay her respects with a gift. But she did not know the way, and so she hopped on her broom, and would go down the chimney’s of each house she saw to look upon the sleeping children. But she was unsure which one was the Christ-Child as they all looked peaceful while they slept, so she would leave little gifts in their stockings for the good children, and coal or sticks for the bad.
And so in Italy, it is not Santa Claus that brings children gifts. But La Befana, who comes on the eve of the Epiphany (the night of January 5th). And instead of milk and cookies left out as offerings, the children leave out local foods and a glass of red wine for La Befana!
So maybe if you leave out some Wine and snacks La Befana will come visit you tonight!
To learn more about La Befana see these links
Travel Missteps is an every-other week series on how sometimes part of the journey is making mistakes and getting lost.
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