La Befana, bringing the magic back to Christmas

Culture: Roman/ItalianOrigins: PaganWhen I was a child, I discovered the tale of La Befana

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the Christmas Witch. It is often passed from family to family via oral tradition. For me, it gave the holidays magic and wonderment. The idea that a Witch,bearing gifts, would fill my stocking with goodies seemed to trump the tales of Old Saint Nick. When I looked upon the nativity sets that covered my hometown of East Boston, MA; the virgin mother represented La Befana, at least to me. There are many variations of the story, as well as legends about the creation myth of La Befana. We no longer need to rely on oral tradition to preserve these tales, in the information age

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we canetch them in stone.This 2009 season, I hope to bring a little magic back in to your holiday, and that you will fall in love Christmas,all over again.One of my favorite versions of the story, (from memory):Prophecy foretold that a great man would be born to liberate the people from tyranny. The RomanEmperor ordered that all male children be killed, to seize his own destiny and prevent the prophecyfrom ever coming into fruition. The women created a network to hide their children away, to save them from such a fate. They sought the help of the

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Great Mother

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, she who would offer protectionfor their children; they only need to call on her. It was believed that the doorway to the home, wasalso the gateway to the realm in which dead ancestors could be called. Offerings were left at the entryway of the home, in hopes of seeking the protection and guidance of the ancestors.It is told, that a women was too late in finding a safe haven for her new born son. She had packed upclothing for warmth, food and gathered everything she owned of value to use as bribes along her way. Just as she was to leave her home, she heard the foot steps of Roman soldiers. In a panic, she hides herbaby in a closet and threw the bundles she was carrying by the door. When the soldiers arrived, she told them she had no son for them to take. Just then, they heard the baby crying in the closet andseized him. She begged and she pleaded with them to leave her only son. They were under ordersfrom the Emperor, and so they took her baby as she screamed and wept, kissing their feet

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begging for mercy. She laid there, in the doorway, her heart broken. She pounded her fists on the ground,screaming to the ancestors. Just then, the

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Great Mother

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(Grandmother) appeared. She told thewoman, that she kept the connection between the

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Old Family

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(the ancestors) and the

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New Family

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(the living family). The woman begged her, pleaded with her to retrieve her child. The GreatMother asked her, what she had to offer in return. The woman gave her all her valuables, which she kept in stockings and a broom she had hand-woven herself. The Great Mother examined the items,and determined they were fine offerings. She took the coin, jewelry, and metalwork from the stockingsand put them in her apron pocket. She held out her hand, so as to help the woman to her feet. As shestood, she enchanted the stockings, the broom and the woman herself. I give you the gift of flight, andcover of night. You may retrieve your child, but in return you must act as liaison for all the world

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schildren. You must keep them connected to the

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Old Family

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, reminding them of the importance of thefamily bond. Leave them gifts in their stockings when they are good, and coal when they are bad. You must do this for all time. You will watch your son grow into a man, and die

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while you live on. Thewoman agreed, and La Befana was born. She watches over the world

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s children, protecting them from the Emperors execution, and acting as gate keeper to the realm of the ancestors. Le Befana reminds the people, of the importance of family. As the centuries passed, Le Befana saw both the good and the bad of man. Men created religions todestroy the spirit of family, but Le Befana is enchanted with trickery. When man sought to steal away the old values and replace them with new ones

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she found a way. The Winter Solstice became

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Christmas

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, and so Le Befana comes on this night to leave her gifts for the children. If they hang theirstockings by the fire, she will fill them with goodies if they have been good, and coal if they have beenbad. She hoped that in the spirit of giving, she could return men to family. To this day, the people love La Befana, and her reminders to be good to one another, and to remember the importance of family. If you see an old woman, carrying a broom, a satchel over hear shoulder and covered in soot

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it might just be Le Befana. So be good!This story reminds me of the power of ideas over the minds of men, when sacrifice is necessary and the importance of family. Family need not be

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blood

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, families come in all forms. In essence, the world

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s childrenand all people were Le Befana

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s family and she their Grandmother.It

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s possible that this legend comes from Ancient Rome, when reverence to the gods Janus and Strenia were paid. Janus represents the Gates, and Strenia strength. It was customary to leave food offerings in thedoorways of homes, and a woman who represented strength carried the heavy baskets bearing produce and meat. A more modern adaptation of this legend, replaces the basket with a broom, as service-women oftencarried brooms and brought food to quarters.Later, the Christians adapt the story to their Epiphany and celebrate it on January 6

. There are manyvariations of the Christian version, here is one of them:

(1)La Befana was an old Italian lady who spent her days cleaning and scrubbing her house. One day three travelers stopped by. It turned out they were the three wise men who were following the brightstar in the sky which would lead them to the newborn baby Jesus. They stopped to rest with La Befana and before they left they invited the old lady to come with them and meet the infant king. La Befana refused. She wanted to get back to her cleaning and felt she had wasted enough time as it was. But afterwards, she thought the matter over and realized what a glorious opportunity she

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d thrownaway so she ran after the three wise men, broom in hand and apron still around her waist, to find themand go with them to meet the infant king. She is still running but time has changed her errand. Now, atChristmastime, she runs over the roofs in Italy bringing gifts to all the children every year on the 6th of January.La Befana amidst the harvest, Bartolomeo Pinelli, 1825