Befana, in Italian tradition, the old woman who fills children’s stockings with gifts on Epiphany (January 6), a Christian holiday that commemorates the arrival in Bethlehem of the Three Wise Men (also known as the Magi or the Three Kings). Too busy with housekeeping to accompany the Three Wise Men on their journey to adore the infant Jesus, Befana said she would see them on their return. The Wise Men returned by another way to avoid the wicked King Herod, who had tried to kill Jesus by ordering a massacre of all the young male children in Bethlehem. Befana was thus doomed to search for the Magi and the baby Jesus forever.
Befana’s name is believed to be a derivative of Epifania, the Italian name for Epiphany, although some historians have suggested that she is a Christian version of an ancient Roman goddess named Strenia or Bestrina. Befana is usually depicted as an old woman who wears a dark-colored shawl over her shoulders and a kerchief on her head. She typically rides or carries a broom, which she is said to have been using to sweep her home when the Three Wise Men arrived. A dedicated housekeeper, she did not want to leave her cleaning duties undone, so she declined their invitation to go with them to greet the infant Jesus.
According to legend Befana had a change of heart after the Magi left her home. Hoping to catch up with them on their journey or meet them on their return, she gathered some sweets and gifts and went to find them. Because the Magi chose a different route on their return, she has instead been searching for them and the baby Jesus ever since. Along the way, she leaves small gifts and treats, such as candy or fruit, for children wherever she goes. For naughty children, however, she leaves a lump of coal or a piece of straw from her broom.
Befana usually arrives in people’s homes by sliding down the chimney, getting her shawl covered in soot. She leaves her gifts in the stockings that the family has hung from the mantel or in the shoes that have been left by the fireside. Many Italian children will also put out cookies or treats for her before they go to bed on the night before Epiphany. Before leaving a home, Befana uses her broom to sweep the floor, thus clearing away the old to prepare for the new year.
Tradition states that Befana’s cottage was in Urbania, Italy, which in the days leading up to Epiphany hosts an annual festival in her honor. Many other Italian cities host events related to Befana, including the Regata delle Befane (“Regatta of Befana”) rowing competition in Venice and the Brusa la vecia (“Burn the Old Woman”) ceremony in Verona, in which a puppet or straw effigy of Befana is burned to welcome the new year.