L'Italo-Americano

www.italoamericano.org 8 THURSDAY, JANUARY 8, 2026 L'Italo-Americano W e h a v e n o w l e f t b e h i n d t h e f i n a l Christian feast of the Christmas sea- s o n , w h i c h b e g i n s o n t h e n i g h t o f D e c e m b e r 2 4 , Christmas Eve, continues on D e c e m b e r 2 5 , C h r i s t m a s Day, and December 26, St. Stephen's Day, and comes to an end with Epiphany. " L a B e f a n a c o m e s b y n i g h t , w i t h h e r s h o e s a l l torn, patches on her skirt – l o n g l i v e , l o n g l i v e t h e Befana!" Indeed. In Italy, January 6 i s a l s o k n o w n a s L a B e f a n a , a p o p u l a r a n d slightly altered form of the word Epifania, which first emerged in certain regions before spreading across the entire peninsula. In ancient Greek culture, t h e t e r m w a s u s e d t o describe the manifestation of a d e i t y t h r o u g h s i g n s , visions, or appearances. In t h e C h r i s t i a n t r a d i t i o n , Epiphany becomes the reve- lation of divine light, shown through a star, the comet, brilliant and unmistakable, a symbol of God's presence in the world. The origins of this f a s c i n a t i n g f i g u r e c a n b e traced back to very ancient harvest cults and pagan fertility rites later absorbed i n t o R o m a n t r a d i t i o n . A t their core lies an ancestral n e e d f o r r i t u a l s m e a n t t o secure the fruits of a good s o w i n g , w i t h p r o s p e r i t y embodied in the figure of a woman, Mother Earth her- self. According to legend, f e m a l e f i g u r e s g u i d e d b y Diana, the goddess of the hunt, would fly over fields to e n s u r e t h e i r f e r t i l i t y . A t times, Diana was replaced by Satia, a lesser deity associ- ated with fullness and abun- dance. B u t w h y i s t h e B e f a n a almost always portrayed as a n e l d e r l y w o m a n w i t h a h o o k e d n o s e , d r e s s e d i n worn clothes? And why does she fly on a broom? Accord- ing to traditions found not only in Italy but across much of Europe, she represents the passing of the old year. For this reason, in many parts of the continent, Epiphany was traditionally marked around ten days after Christmas, by t h e b u r n i n g o f e f f i g i e s d r e s s e d i n t a t t e r e d g a r - m e n t s , a r i t u a l g e s t u r e meant to ward off the old and invite prosperity for the year ahead. In Christian tra- dition, however, the Befana, despite superficial similari- ties, has nothing to do with the figure of the witch famil- iar in northern Europe. She i s i n s t e a d p o r t r a y e d a s a k i n d l y o l d w o m a n w h o b e c a m e g e n e r o u s a f t e r refusing the Magi's invita- tion to join their journey, f o l l o w i n g t h e s t a r t o t h e grotto of Bethlehem. Epiphany means mani- festation or appearance: it marks the first public revela- tion of Christ's coming into the world. The Magi imme- d i a t e l y a c c e p t t h e c a l l t o seek out this wonder, bring- ing gifts and offerings to the infant Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of God. Returning to the Befana, now often reduced to a sim- p l e f o l k l o r i c f i g u r e , i t i s worth remembering that she w a s l o n g r e j e c t e d b y t h e institutional Church, which condemned her representa- tion as early as the fourth century AD. Yet, she contin- ued to survive in other ritual forms. In rural culture, once the days known as i giorni della merla, traditionally considered the coldest of the year and falling at the end of January, have passed, a new cycle begins. Though winter is still firmly in place, these days already suggest renew- al, as the darkest moment of t h e y e a r h a s b e e n l e f t behind. The Befana, then, is a fig- ure of purification. With her flying broom she sweeps, c l e a n s , a n d c l e a r s a w a y impurities from the homes she visits, preparing them f o r t h e r e b i r t h t h a t w i l l arrive with spring. The gifts she is said to bring to well- behaved children express h e r g e n e r o s i t y , w h i l e t h e coal left in the stockings of those who have been less well-behaved carries a dif- ferent, symbolic meaning: once burned, it turns to ash, the substance that will fertil- ize the soil and make new growth possible. Despite her unappealing appearance, the Befana is therefore a bearer of renewal and good fortune, marking a passage from old to new that extends beyond the simple turning of the calendar year. In Gratteri, a small town of fewer than a thousand inhabitants in the metropol- itan area of Palermo, on the n o r t h e r n e d g e o f t h e Madonie Park, the Befana celebration, locally known as the Festa della Vecchia, is still deeply felt. Here it is not held on January 6, but on New Year's Eve. A sym- bolic "trial," known as the Vanniata di festi di l'an- nu is staged, focusing on s o c i a l a n d h i s t o r i c a l episodes from the year just ended. The prolonged sound of a horn, traditionally used b y s h e p h e r d s a n d m a d e from an ox's horn, signals the beginning of the pro- c e e d i n g s . A p r o c e s s i o n through the streets, led by t h e " d e f e n d a n t s " w h o shaped the town's social life over the past year, precedes the trial itself. The formal debate begins once the "Old Woman" emerges from the Grattara cave, located in the o l d e s t p a r t o f t h e t o w n . A l m o s t l i k e a g h o s t , t h e Befana, covered in a white sheet and riding a donkey, moves through the village s t r e e t s t o w a r d t h e m a i n square, accompanied by a g r o u p o f y o u n g p e o p l e dressed in traditional Sicil- i a n c o s t u m e s , c a r r y i n g torches and cowbells. Along the way, she distributes tur- tigliuna, local sweets similar t o b u c c e l l a t o , m a d e w i t h a l m o n d s , h a z e l n u t s , w a l - nuts, and dried fruit. Her arrival in the square is greet- e d b y t h e c r a c k l e o f f i r e - crackers and small mortars. A n o t h e r s i g n i f i c a n t B e f a n a c e l e b r a t i o n t a k e s place in Bordonaro, a vil- lage about four kilometers from Messina, set in the val- ley carved by the stream of the same name, now partial- ly covered. Here, January 6 hosts the most important festival of the year: U pag- g h i a r u , t h e h a y s t a c k . Introduced by the Basilian Fathers in the eleventh cen- t u r y a n d d e r i v e d f r o m Armenian tradition, the cel- e b r a t i o n r e p r e s e n t s t h e Epiphany through solemn r i t e s c e n t e r e d o n a t r e e shaped like a hut. The trunk is adorned with branches of strawberry tree, oranges, lemons, mandarins, cotton, and ring-shaped unleavened bread. At the top stands a two-meter-high cross, also decorated with fruit, rib- bons, and sweets, a striking structure that draws visitors from across Italy each year. After the evening Mass, young men climb the struc- ture, and whoever manages to reach the cross is carried in triumph. The celebration then continues with the pan- tomime of u cavadduzzu e l'omu sabbaggiu (the little h o r s e a n d t h e w i l d m a n ) which stages the timeless struggle between humanity and the unpredictable forces o f n a t u r e , a n d c o n c l u d e s with the ritual welcome of t h e t w o m a s k e d f i g u r e s , marked by a gunshot. In Palermo, finally, the r o o f o f t h e R o y a l P a l a c e becomes an open-air stage for performances infused with comedy, poetry, and acrobatic feats. The Befana makes her dramatic descent f r o m a b o v e , w h i l e o t h e r Befane join in with lively t h e a t r i c a l p e r f o r m a n c e s , bringing the celebrations to a joyful close. TERESA DI FRESCO The old Befana is a symbol of renewal for the New Year (Photo: Salvatore Chiariello/Dreamstime) The charm of Epiphany, the feast that brings the festivities to a close LIFE PEOPLE PLACES EVENTS

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