01/06/2025
January 6th is an important day for Italians! Do you know why?
๐ช๐ง๐ผโโ๏ธ๐ โจ
โซ๏ธ On January 6th, Italians celebrate the Feast of the Epiphany (La Festa dell'Epifania) with a national public holiday. Epiphany marks the end of the 12-day Christmas period.
โซ๏ธ Epiphany celebrates the presentation of gifts to baby Jesus from the Magi, or the three wise men.
โซ๏ธ January 6th is also known as "La Befana". In Italian folklore, the Befana is a soot-covered old woman or witch who delivers gifts to children throughout Italy on Epiphany Eve, the night of January 5th, in a similar way to Santa Claus.
โซ๏ธThe story goes that on their way to see the infant Jesus, the Magi stopped to ask Befana for directions and asked her to join them. She initially refused, but later had a change of heart and tried to find the manger. She was unable to find the baby Jesus and instead gave the gifts she had brought to other children.
โซ๏ธTo this day, she travels on her broomstick every year on January 5th looking for the manger and giving her presents to any Italian child who leaves out a shoe or hangs up a stocking on Epiphany Eve.