{"id":12369,"date":"2007-01-05T12:51:20","date_gmt":"2007-01-05T12:51:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/marialiberati.com\/blog2\/2007\/01\/05\/la-befana-the-christmas-witch\/"},"modified":"2007-01-05T12:51:20","modified_gmt":"2007-01-05T12:51:20","slug":"la-befana-the-christmas-witch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/marialiberati.com\/freshsite\/2007\/01\/05\/la-befana-the-christmas-witch\/","title":{"rendered":"La Befana, the Christmas Witch | The Last Holiday of the Season"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Ads<\/a>
\nCaro Diario,
\nI have had an unbelievable holiday season here at my grandfather’s vineyard in Italy. While in America the festivities are over, I still have one more holiday to celebrate. La Befana<\/a>, or The Christmas Witch, is celebrated in Italy and throughout Europe on January 6th. La Befana rides through the night sky on her broom carrying presents and sweets for children.
\n\"\"
\n? Her name is derived from the celebration of The Epiphany<\/a>, which is the “climax of the Christmas season and the Twelve Days of Christmas…usually counted from December 25th through January 5th<\/a>,” culminating in a feast and celebration on January 6th.
\nThese are photos from a market that will be open all tonight so parents can buy gifts for their children:
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\nThis is in a local cafe:
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\nBeing a fine housekeeper, and having a broom with which to ride, some say she will sweep the floor before she leaves. The family, in anticipation of her arrival, typically sets out a small glass of wine and few morsels of food for their Christmas Witch.
\nLa Befana is typically portrayed as a witch, only she is smiling and has a bag full of candy and gifts for good girls and boys. And like Santa Claus, she leaves behind “coal” for those who are bad. Except often, it’s a piece of hard rock candy instead!
\nThere is a poem about La Befana, which is well-known throughout Italy:
\nLa Befana vien di notte (La Befana comes at night)
\nCon le scarpe (With the broken shoes)
\nTutte rotte vien vestita (She comes dressed in)
\nAlla romana (Peasant Roman style)
\nViva, Viva La Befana! (Long live La Befana!)
\n\"\"<\/p>\n

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