Finally, on January 6th, the Epiphany will arrive! Will she bring gifts or coal?!?
Epiphany, which means “manifestation,” celebrates the revelation of Jesus to the Wise Men. In dialect, the term evolved from
- “Epiphany” to “pifania”,
- then to “bifania”
- and finally to “befana.”
Traditionally, food, sweets, and stockings have always been associated with this holiday, even before the arrival of the Befana figure.
Represented as a kind old woman with worn shoes, she is the heir of ancient gift-bringers. Among them is the nymph Egeria, advisor to Numa Pompilius, who would hang a stocking in her sacred cave in the early days of January, only to find it filled with treats. The goddess Strenia, from whom the word “strenna” derives, also brought dried fruit and sweets as gifts.
These figures, although not called befane, embody the same spirit. The term “befana” emerged with Christianity as a popularization of “Epiphany”. It refers to the manifestation of Jesus’ divinity to the Magi.
The Epiphany and …the “Bonfire of the Old Woman”
The night of January 6th retains a magical atmosphere, with the Befana symbolizing gifts and renewal, representing Mother Nature at the end of her annual cycle. Traditionally, in Italy, a straw effigy, known as the “Bonfire of the Old Woman,” was lit to mark the transition to a new season and reflect on balances and judgments. In ancient Rome, fava beans were used for voting, similar to those brought by the befane goddesses, with white beans for promotions and black ones for rejections.
The sweets of Epiphany evoke the Three Kings, such as the Spanish Roscon de los Reyes or the French Galette des Rois, while other desserts directly recall the Befana. These treats, often made with dried fruit, hide surprises reminiscent of the ancient use of fava beans. In the Piemontese fugassa, two real fava beans are used, one white and one black, as symbols of fortune and punishment. Today’s Befana, instead of the traditional coal – symbol of punishment – will bring colored sugar, to end the festivities on a sweet note before resuming the post-holiday eating routine on January 7th, marking the beginning of the expiatory diet.
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The Befana and the Magi
