• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Home
  • About
    • Awards & Honors, Pomp & Circumstance
  • Blog
    • Modern, 18th, 19th Century
    • Baroque, Rococo
    • Renaissance
    • Ancient, Roman, Medieval
    • Culture, Festivals, Music, Literature
    • Art News, Current Events
  • FaceBook
  • Pinterest
  • Italian with Melissa
    • Studentessa Matta Italian Site
    • Learn Italian at home with Melissa
    • Study in Italy with Melissa
  • Melissa’s Books
    • Melissa’s Author Website
  • Store
  • Sign Up & Connect
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
Art of Loving Italy

Art of Loving Italy

Art & Beauty are all around us.

La Befana, the Italian Christmas witch and I have a lovely gift for you!

January 3, 2017 by Melissa Muldoon Leave a Comment

befana italian christmas witchChristmas has been celebrated and a new year has arrived with lots of pomp and circumstance. It seems like the holidays are finally winding down. Time to think about packing things away in boxes and clear the way for a brand new year.

But wait!

The holiday season might be over and done with in most parts of the world, but not in Italy. All the Italian children still await the arrival of the Befana. Who is the Befana you ask? She is the good witch who arrives on January 6th. She brings toys and sweets to fill their stockings. (Sound a little familiar?) The day of the Befana falls on Epiphany, the day the three wise men,  guided by a star arrived discovered Gesu, wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.

befana italian christmas witch

Would you like to know more about this lovely Italian legend? Sì! Well then, let’s step into the shoes of Sophia and eavesdrop on a conversation I imagine my character would have had with her mother, as the two prepare for the Christmas holidays and the arrival of La Befana*.

Stay tuned, at the end of the story you can WIN a Dreaming Sophia 2017 Calendar!

******************************

I had always loved the holidays and parties. I got that from my mom. Throwing bashes and organizing events were her forte, but never so much as at Christmas. She was in her element during the month of December recreating all the Italian foods and traditions she had learned about living in Florence. With the help of Luciana, her Italian friend, she prepared biscotti and traditional treats like vin brulè, a delicious blend of warm wine and spices, and panettone, a sweet, yeasty Italian fruitcake. On Christmas Eve we dined on salted baccalà, a savory dish starring a dried out piece of codfish. On New Year’s Eve, we played “Tombola,” Italian Bingo, and danced around our kitchen wearing silly hats and blowing into paper horns shouting, “Buon Capodanno!” Happy New Year!

But the winter holidays didn’t end there. In the magical manner of my mother, the warmth of the season, always a swirl of bright colors, music, and laughter, was drawn out into the New Year. On January 6th we celebrated the Epiphany and welcomed the Italian witch, La Befana, into our home. Each year my mother carefully unwrapped the puppet she had purchased in a Christmas market in Rome and hung her in the archway of the dining room. Looking up, I admired the old witch, dressed in red with a burlap apron tied around her waist. On top of her head was perched a pointed hat and she straddled a wicker broom.

Tilting her head to one side, my mother would look at me and ask, “Remember the story, Sophi?”

Of course, I’d heard the tale a million times over, ever since I’d turned six. But just to make her happy I’d purse my lips and look up at the ceiling as if I was thinking hard trying to recall the story. Then I’d say, “I’m not sure, Mom. Maybe you could refresh my memory again?”

She would smile broadly and begin, “Oh, OK, Little-Miss-Know-it-All. In Italy, they would call you ‘una saputella.’ Well, let me tell you the story again.” Then tossing me a cookie from a plate on the table she said, “As you may or may not recall, Signorina Saputella, Befana was a poor, poor woman who had no time to waste on the Magi Kings. No ma’am! She was much too busy cleaning her house to help them find baby Gesù.” She picked up an imaginary broom and pantomimed swatting me on the rear. Then she added, “When the kings came knocking at her door, she shooed them away with her broom.”

Looking over at me she winked. “But in the end, Befana wasn’t so terribly bad. Regretting her bad behavior, she jumped on her broom and went off in search of the baby herself.”

At this point my mother began circling the room, her hand raised to her forehead as if she, too, was seeking the babe in the manger. Passing by the doll dangling from the doorway she tapped it gently causing it swing into flight. Looking over at me, gesturing like Groucho Marx with an imaginary cigar in her hand, she said in a flippant tone, “She probably even arrived before the Three Kings, had a hot meal waiting for them, and even swept out the manger with her broom. Leave it to a woman to get things done properly!”

Becoming serious again she said, “But during her quest Befana gave a small gift to each child she encountered, hoping to make amends for her selfish behavior.” 

Enchanted by the holiday fairy tale, which I actually never got tired of hearing, I waited anxiously for January 6th for more presents that I’d find in a red sock at the foot of my bed.

In the novel “Dreaming Sophia,” you will learn more legends about Italy, as well as learn a bit of Italian to boot! The book is now available on Amazon in print and e-book.

THE CALENDAR GIVEAWAY HAS CONCLUDED. Thanks to everyone who participated. Two random winners have been chosen by Rafflecopter and they are: Kathy S. and Julie B.

 ******************************

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Enter the contest either by
1. Tweeting about the contest
or
2. Visiting the Dreaming Sophia Facebook Page

To make your entry count make sure you click “I tweeted” or click “I visited Facebook Page” in the lower right hand corner of the Rafflecopter form above. That’s it!

Chance to win 2 Dreaming Sophia 2017 Wall Calendars (14″ x 11″). This Giveaway is open to U.S. participants. Contest runs from January 3rd – January 10th

befana italian christmas witch

(Calendars are also available on my Zazzle site)

*To learn more about La Befana, visit the Studentessa Matta website

La Bella Brutta Befana

Zitti Zitti Presto a Letto Arriva La Befana

Massimo Troisi e La Befana

Share this post

Share
Tweet
Pin
Share
Share
Email

Related Posts

Filed Under: Italian Festivals, Culture Tagged With: Befana, Dreaming Sophia, Dreaming Sophia Calendar, Epiphany in Italy, Florence, Give Away, Italian Language, Italian legends, Italian witch, Italy, January 6, Matta Designs Zazzle, Melissa Muldoon, New Year

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Subscribe to the Art of Loving Italy Blog

Follow along on Instagram @studentessamatta

Giveaway Time! Un regalo per voi per farvi ricorda Giveaway Time! Un regalo per voi per farvi ricordare l'Italia! The Studentessa Matta is collaborating with Life. Lemons. Italy. We have come up with this fun giveaway!  Sit down and relax with a fantastic book, some Lavazza coffee 
and yummy amaretti cookies. What you will receive: WHAT YOU WILL RECEIVE😁

Melissa's book Dreaming Sophia - a magical look into Italy, language, art, culture and turning dreams into reality

2 Bormioli Italian espresso cups

Some delicious Lavazza espresso Italiano

A lovely tin of Italian Amaretti cookies

TO ENTER

1. Follow both @life.lemons.italy <https://www.instagram.com/life.lemons.italy/> & @studentessamatta <https://www.instagram.com/studentessamatta/>

2. Like this post

3.Tag a friend in the comments below. 1 tag per comment. Each tag counts as one entry.

4. Extra entry - share this post to your stories and tag both @life.lemons.italy <https://www.instagram.com/life.lemons.italy/> & @studentessamatta <https://www.instagram.com/studentessamatta/>

Contest ends Sunday March 7th at Midnight (west coast time) Shipping in the USA only.

In bocca al lupo! Good luck😉

#italianfoodgiveaway <https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/italianfoodgiveaway/> #giveaway <https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/giveaway/> #italiangoods <https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/italiangoods/> #lavazzalove <https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/lavazzalove/> #bookgiveaway <https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/bookgiveaway/> #Italy <https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/italy/> #Italianfood <https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/italianfood/> #italianfoodies <https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/italianfoodies/> #madeinitaly <https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/madeinitaly/> #espressogiveaway <https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/espressogiveaway/> #italiantreats <https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/italiantreats/> #bormioli <https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/bormioli/> #lavazzagiveaway <https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/lavazzagiveaway/> #lavazzaespresso <https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/lavazzaespresso/> #coffeegiveaway <https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/coffeegiveaway/> #espressocups <https://www.instagram.
Are you ready to travel to and study in Italy? We Are you ready to travel to and study in Italy? 
We are now accepting reservations for 2021!
For more information, please visit: www.studentessamatta.com, link in bio.

#melissamuldoon #travel #traveltoitaly #italian #learnitalian #studyabroad #reservations #italianlanguage #italianlandscape #september #smallgroup #arezzo #lucca
Parliamo dei piedi oggi! It's all about the feet t Parliamo dei piedi oggi! It's all about the feet today! la parola e le espressioni di oggi... anche alcuni idiomi!

in piedi = standing
a piedi = walking by foot
punto di piedi = tiptoe

A piede libero : out of jail

Andarci coi piedi di piombo: to be cautious

Cadere in piedi: to land on one’s feet, to come out of a situation without damage

Fuori dai piedi! : clear out!

Leccapiedi: brownnose

Ragionare coi piedi: to be illogical

Su due piedi: on the spot
New YouTube video on the Studentessa Matta website New YouTube video on the Studentessa Matta website and YouTube channel. In a new Studentessa Matta Video I talk about my home town of Austin, Texas. Learn about this funky Texas city, which is also the state capital. Visit the Studentessa Matta website to view transcripts of this video in English and Italian #learnitalian #studentessamatta #YouTube video #improveitalianathome
"The Secret Life of Sofonisba Anguissola" by Melis "The Secret Life of Sofonisba Anguissola" by Melissa Muldoon will be featured in the upcoming April "Dream of Italy Book Club" with Kathy McCabe! Join us April 7th. https://dreamofitaly.com/2021/03/01/book-excerpt-the-secret-life-of-sofonisba-anguissola-by-melissa-muldoon/ #dreamofitaly #novelitaly
The iRead "Sofonisba Anguissola" book is wrapping The iRead "Sofonisba Anguissola" book is wrapping up. Lot's of great comments regarding the book! Still a chance to win a copy of the novel as well a complimentary copy of one of my Audiobooks.  https://www.ireadbooktours.com/blog---current-tours/book-tour-secret-life-of-sofonisba-anguissola-by-melissa-muldoon
Join Maddie in Tuscany as she learns more about he Join Maddie in Tuscany as she learns more about her connection to Artemisia. Available on Amazon in AUDIO, print and eupb for Kindle and iBook. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07PNS364N #artemisiagentileschi #tuscany #historical-novel

Melissa Muldoon © 2021 Built with and Genesis Framework by Bellano Web Studio