La Befana: all you need to know about Italy's most beloved witch (with coloring sheet for kids)

The story of La Befana, Italy’s Christmas witch: the magical character that celebrates the epiphany in Italy and ‘carries away’ the festivities.

One of my favorite winter traditions is the celebration of Epiphany in Italy (6th of January).

On this day, Italy celebrates the arrival of the Three Kings to the crib of baby Jesus, an important event in the Christian religion.

However, ask any child in Italy and rather than the Three Kings, they’re likely to mention a very different reason why they are so keen about this day.

A reason that involved sweets and a magical creature who brings them: La Befana (In English, she is often referred to as ‘Italy’s Christmas Witch, but this is not quite accurate, see below!).

The history behind the tradition of La Befana is cloudy at best: several elements of this story tell us it has very ancient origins, but there is no solid record of how it came to be.

However, even if the origins may be less than certain, La Befana is VERY popular and her tradition in Italy is alive and well. This is what you need to know about her!

A quick history of La Befana

The story of La Befana is an old, traditional Italian one, predating the better known one of Babbo Natale (Italian Santa).

In the most commonly known, version, the story goes like this.

Tradition has it that on the 5th of January on the first year of the Christian Era, the Three Kings stopped for a rest at the house of La Befana (no location is given, but it must have been on their way!).

La Befana took care of them as her guests and the Three Kings, grateful for her help, invited her along to meet baby Jesus.

La Befana, like many women, declined the offer: she wanted to go, but she had way too much housework to do and couldn’t possibly find the time to join them.

The Kings left and la Befana returned to her chores.

However, it didn’t take her long to realize that the baby they were so fond of going to see was no ordinary child and that she should have most definitively accepted their invitation – her house could wait!

So, she decided to set off on a journey on her own and, loaded with a big bag of presents for the baby, jumped on her broomstick and started to fly.

She didn’t have directions on how to get to Bethlehem (the three Kings probably didn’t tell her about the star) but she was a very determined woman and she spent the whole night traveling around the world bringing presents to all the houses she visited, hoping to find baby Jesus in one of them.

To him, she would have brought sweets and a bit of coal (this was a symbol of fertility and abundance in pre-Christian times) and this is what to this day Italian children find on the morning of the 6th of January, usually piled up in a long stocking hanging from the chimney… or possibly the kitchen aspirator!

What does la Befana look like? Is she Italy’s Christmas witch?

La Befana is an old lady or, most precisely, a witch.

She is represented as an old and skinny woman, wrinkly and with a big curved nose, and she goes around dressed in rags, with many many layers of woolen scarves one of top of the other to keep her warm on her night journey.

Like all witches, she has magical powers and in particular, she is able to fly with the help, as you may have guessed, of an old broomstick.

In English, she is often referred to as Italy’s Christmas Witch and indeed, she is connected with the Christmas festivities but to be precise, she is linked with the arrival of the Three Kings more than the night of the birth and her festivity is the Epiphany, not Christmas Day.

Where does the name Befana come from?

The name ‘Befana’ appears for the first time in a script from 1549 and probably is a corruption of the Greek word ‘epiphany’, the festivity celebrated on the 6th of January and commemorating the moment when the Magi saw baby Jesus for the first time.

Can you meet La Befana in Italy?

If you are in Italy during the Christmas holidays, you may wish to get a glimpse of La Befana but, unlike Santa, she is not equally easy to get!

Occasionally, you may see a special event with her but truly, La Befana is more private and the experience of her happens in the house, through the sweets the leaves behind.

However, there is one thing Italian kids usually do on this day: they go to the Christmas Market!

Christmas markets in Italy are not a widespread tradition but they are well established in some localities (Dolomites, Rome, Arezzo for instance) and, in these places, it is common for kids to visit them on the 6th of January.

The Epiphany in Italy is the last day of holiday before schools start again so the trip to the market is the last moment of pure celebration, before the trees come down and the sweets start diminishing…

How to welcome la Befana to your house

Children do not need to leave stockings for la Befana to fill as she usually brings her own, although of course they can, should they wish!

Like Father Christmas, la Befana appreciates if you leave a glass of wine for her, to make her warm during the long journey, so if your children want to leave her a drink, may this be wine or milk, she will make sure to take at least a sip.

Unlike Santa, la Befana doesn’t take requests or wishes but rather leaves sweets and, often, a small gift that can fit in the stocking.

A fun fact about her: la Befana maintains her good housekeeping habits when she comes to you too. She is known to use her broom not only to fly around but also to sweep your floor!

With this gesture, she gives a helping hand and also ‘sweeps away’ your trouble, making the start of your year a clean slate.

Thank you Befana, I’ll make sure we have the best Valpolicella out for you!