In Italy, the vacation season of Christmas and gift-giving Christmas doesn’t finish till January sixth, with two massive occasions: Epiphany and La Befana. It’s a nationwide vacation in Italy! Italians have a good time Christmas via the official twelfth day of Christmas, which is Epiphany (the primary day of Christmas is December twenty fifth). Epiphany is the Christian vacation that commemorates the arrival of the three Magi (Clever Males/Kings) in Bethlehem, bearing items for child Jesus.
Italians additionally have a good time Befana when youngsters set out massive stockings by the hearth on the evening earlier than, January fifth, and anxiously wait via the evening for La Befana to come back and fill their stockings (calze) with presents and sweets. The gift-bearing La Befana is among the favourite characters of kids in Italy. Befana is a white-haired, outdated hag sort of witch wearing outdated, worn out, and tattered garments who flies round on an outdated broom delivering sweet, sweets, toys, and small items to the entire little ones.
It’s a practice for La Befana to deliver these good presents to youngsters who’ve been good. However those that have been naughty . . . she places lumps of charcoal! of their sneakers (scarpe). In actuality, the coal is simply darkish sweet, but it surely nonetheless sends a message! Sure, Italian youngsters obtain a couple of items on Christmas day, however it’s the Befana who fills their stockings and never Santa. Her title, Befana, comes from the phrase “epifania,” which implies epiphany.
La Befana is well known far more than Christmas with Babbo Natale (Father Christmas). Nonetheless, at present, Babo Natale delivers presents to Italian youngsters on Christmas Eve, too, however a lot lower than what American youngsters obtain.
There are various tales about how the Befana was included within the Christmas season in Italy. The origin and legend of the Befana date all the way in which again to historic Rome, in the course of the pageant of Sauturnalia, when Romans would have their augers learn by a sensible outdated lady (crone/hag).
“Outdated Crone/Clever Lady” illustrations by Nicola Bayley (The Tyger Voyage, Richard Adams, 1976)
However past the ideas and pictures of a pleasant outdated witch flying round city delivering items to well-behaved youngsters, it’s necessary to keep in mind that a a lot deeper non secular that means is honored with La Befana:
The story of La Befana and its non secular reflection of Epiphany is a stupendous however unhappy story. In keeping with the legend of La Befana and Christian folklore, when the Three Clever Males had been on their option to Bethlehem to go to the new child Christ youngster, they got here to an Italian village situated within the rugged hills. It was nighttime, they usually stopped at a cottage that was impeccably clear. They approached a pleasant outdated lady who lived on their lonesome on this little home and requested her for instructions to get to Bethlehem. She didn’t know the place Bethlehem was. However she did know that they’d an extended journey to go. The outdated girl was very form and all the time welcoming to friends, so she invited them in for some refreshments and relaxation for the evening earlier than touring on. The Clever Males joyfully informed her in regards to the coming delivery of a savior, the Christ youngster. The subsequent day, earlier than they continued on their journey, they requested her if she’d like to hitch them find the new child king. However she declined and turned down their invitation as a result of she was too busy sweeping and tidying up her cottage with all of her home tasks.
For this reason La Befana is all the time proven with a brush.
A little bit bit later, a shepherd stopped by her pristine, clear cottage and requested her to hitch him in touring to Bethlehem and paying respect to the newborn Christ youngster. However as soon as extra, she refused. And when dusk got here, she regarded up and noticed an unusually vivid gentle within the sky. She believed it was an omen and, at first, didn’t perceive its that means. However then she believed what the Clever Males and shepard had informed her.
La Befana thought she had made a mistake and will have gone with the Three Kings or the shepard. Out of the blue she modified her thoughts. So she rapidly gathered up some treats and items to supply to the newborn Christ youngster. She rolled all of them up in an enormous fabric bag that she fastidiously tied to the top of her broom. With these, she ran as quick as she may looking for the Clever Males and the shepherd. Sadly, La Befana by no means discovered any of them. However alas, she didn’t discover the Clever Males, the shepard, the secure, or the newborn King.
After days of looking, the outdated lady turns round to return to her clear cottage. Simply as she was giving up, a stupendous angel seems to her and tells her not to surrender her search. The angel provides La Befana the reward of flying. So Befana will get on her outdated broom and flies off to as soon as once more discover this particular little child. And once more, she by no means finds Him and decides to return to her little cottage within the hills of Italy.
So, to today, yearly on the eve of Epiphany, La Befana takes flight on her broom in hopes that sooner or later, she is going to discover and adore this glorious youngster. Since she can’t discover Him, she flies round driving on her broomstick and continues her generosity. She quietly enters each residence in Italy with the hope that she is going to discover Jesus and delivers items of toys and sweet treats that she made in her massive kettle (or chunks of charcoal) to youngsters alongside her approach as a result of she regrets her resolution to not go to Bethlehem. Some folklore says that La Befana now finds Christ in each younger youngster.
picture credit score: ornaoreilly.com
So Christmas could also be over in America with decorations already taken down, However in Italy, the festivities of the vacation PEAK on Epiphany and La Befana, when she makes her rounds on the evening earlier than the Feast of Epiphany and the Three Kings on January sixth. However the enjoyable doesn’t cease there! The day is filled with so many festivals and celebrations.
“Befana” is to Italian youngsters, who Santa Clause is to American youngsters. As a substitute of setting out milk and cookies, Befana expects to obtain “una goccia di vino con i biscotti” (a glass of wine with a cookie)!
And this conventional cookie, often called Befanini, is loved on the vacation. They’re small and solely about ¼ inch thick, after which glazed and adorned with sprinkles.
I’ve a brand new video within the creation stage that I hope to have uploaded in a couple of days!
Within the meantime, listed below are some
Extra Italian Cookies You May Get pleasure from:
Nutella Stuffed Snowball Cookies
Description
befanini, a cookie that symbolizes the legend of La Befana.
Substances:
For the Glaze:
For the Cookies:
- In a big bowl of a meals processor, whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt collectively till it appears somewhat bit like cornmeal.
- Add the egg, rum, vanilla extract, butter, and lemon zest.
- Pulse the components collectively for about 1 minute or till your entire combination begins to kind a dough.
- Take away the dough from the bowl and kind an entire ball.
- Wrap in cling plastic wrap and chill within the fridge for XXXXXXX or till it’s agency sufficient to roll.
- Preheat the oven to 350 levels. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Roll the dough ¼” inch thick. Utilizing floured cookie cutters, lower the dough into particular person cooked dough shapes. Place the cookies about ½” inch aside on the baking sheets.
- Bake the cookies till they’re frivolously golden brown, 12 to 14 minutes. Enable the cookies to chill barely on the baking sheets, and gently take away them with a spatula to a wire rack to chill utterly. Repeat the method with the remaining dough till all of the cookies are baked.
- To make the glaze: Calmly whisk the egg yolk with the milk. Utilizing a small pastry brush, frivolously brush the floor of the cookies with a little bit of glaze and embellish them with the sprinkles.
- The cookies could also be saved in an hermetic container, layered between sheets of parchment paper, for as much as 4 days.
