Discover La Befana: Top 11 Amazing Fun Facts About Italy's Beloved Witch Tradition

1. Candy-Craving Granny on a Broomstick

Move over Santa Claus, make way for the Italian candy-craving granny on a broomstick: La Befana is a folklore character in Italy who swoops in during the Epiphany eve, delivering sweets and gifts to good children, while riding a broomstick and looking like she lost a fight with a haystack. The haggard yet lovable gift-giver gets her name from the Feast of Epiphany and is said to visit all Italian children, whether they believe in her or not, keeping the tradition alive and the sweets flowing.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

2. Chimney Sweep Witch

Move over Santa, there's a new chimney sweep in town: La Befana is the Italian gift-giver who soars on a broomstick, donning a soot-stained black shawl, and delivers gifts to good children while punishing the naughty ones with coal, dark candy, onions, or garlic on Epiphany Eve.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

Did you know that Italy has its own gift-giving witch, La Befana, who visits children on Epiphany Eve? 🧹✨ Discover the tale behind this unique "cleaning up" tradition!

=> Fun Facts about Christmas-In-Italy

3. Garlic-Wielding Witch

Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy better watch their backs; there's a new, coal-toting, garlic-wielding witch in town: La Befana, Italy's legendary gift-giving figure, dishes out Gothic treats like coal and garlic to naughty children, making them think twice about misbehaving and playing truant from their Italian lesson!
Source => mominitaly.com

4. Garlic and Twigs as Punishment

Hold on to your garlic and twigs, folks – it's time for some witchy Italian gift-giving: Befana, known as Italy's friendly broomstick-riding witch, gift-bombs good children with presents during Epiphany, while leaving not coal, but twigs and garlic for the naughty ones, hoping to steer them back to the path of goodness – a tradition still practiced in some Italian regions.
Source => lacucinaitaliana.com

5. FOMO Witch in Search of Baby Jesus

You've heard of FOMO, but have you met La Befana, the original queen of the Fear of Missing Out on Baby Jesus? It's true: La Befana was once invited by the Three Wise Men to accompany them in searching for the newborn king, but she declined. When she finally changed her mind and went looking for them, she couldn't find the astrologers or Jesus, and she's been on the hunt for the elusive infant ever since.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

6. Wine & Treats for Befana

Move over Santa, there's a new chimney-diver in town who could give you a run for your milk and cookies: La Befana is an Italian gift-giver who swoops down chimneys on the eve of Epiphany, filling stockings with sweets for well-behaved bambinos, and earning herself a glass of wine and some tasty treats left for her gratitude.
Source => walksofitaly.com

7. Invisible Italian Santa

Resembling an Italian Santa Claus in her efforts to remain unseen, La Befana uses her ninja-like mastery to infiltrate homes without chimneys: using magical techniques known only to herself, this legendary gift-bringer slips through unsuspecting windows and unlocked doors to deliver surprises during the holiday season.
Source => italiarail.com

8. Befana's Sweet Candy Tradition

Move over, Santa, there's a new gift-giver in town, and she's got enough candy to silence the sweet tooth of an entire nation: La Befana, an old woman in Italy who's often mistaken for a witch, is actually the country's resident gift-bringer during the Eve of Epiphany, a tradition dating back to the X-VI century BC. Stemming from the meaning of "manifestation of divinity," La Befana got her gig after giving the Three Wise Men room and board on their way to Bethlehem, declining their invite to join but later regretting it – so now, every January 5th, she makes rounds with presents for well-behaved bambinos all across Italy.
Source => mytravelintuscany.com

9. Presents on a Stick

Before stockings were the go-to spot for sweet treats, La Befana was hitting the sticks: In rural Italy and Sicily, the legendary gift-giver used to leave presents on an actual stick instead of coal for bad children, a tradition that has since evolved into filling stockings with goodies on Epiphany Eve.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

10. From Fertility Goddess to Christmas Witch

She's a bewitching mix of Mary Poppins and your green-thumbed granny: La Befana was originally a goddess of fertility and agriculture who later morphed into Italy's Christmas Witch, delivering bundles of joy and bountiful crops to those devoted to her. As Christianity spread, she was repurposed as the magical gift-bearer for the Feast of the Epiphany on January 6th – a spellbinding transformation if you ask us!
Source => mentalfloss.com

11. Witchy New Year's Clean-Up

Who needs a top-notch vacuum cleaner when you've got La Befana dusting away life's messes? Hop on, witches, we're going flying broomstick-free: La Befana, the legendary Italian witch, soars across the night sky every January 5th to sweep away the troubles of the old year, according to Italian folklore.
Source => susanvanallen.medium.com