ORevery year it arrives at night, full of sweets for those who behaved well and of coal for those who have a slightly longer list of New Year’s resolutions. The Befana is an ancient figure, which over time has transformed by weaving pagan rites and Christian tradition. In the collective imagination they remain the patched socksthe hidden sweets and thetireless broom with which he flies between the rooftops on the night between 5 and 6 January. But where does the Befana really come from? Where does he live the rest of the year? The answer is surprisingly concrete and has its roots in heart of Italian peasant traditions.
A wooden house in the greenery of Tuscany
The “official” residence of the Befana is located in Pegnanaa small hamlet in the municipality of Barga, in the province of Lucca, immersed in the chestnut woods of the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines. Here, about eight kilometers from the historic center of Barga, stands a wooden house which every year welcomes families and curious people eager to get closer to the myth of the Befana. Inside, the atmosphere is that of a living museum of peasant life: agricultural tools on the walls, a bed with hand embroidered quiltrustic chairs and the inevitable ones sorghum brooms. Children can leave letters, but so can their own pacifiersplaced in a special basket. It’s a sweet rite of passagewhich marks growth: handing the pacifier to the Befana helps to separate from it without trauma, transforming the separation into a symbolic and reassuring gesture.
Urbania, the “capital” of the Befana in the Marche
Tuscany, however, is not the only place linked to the Befana. In the heart of Marchethe medieval village of Urbaniain the province of Pesaro and Urbino, is considered the Italian capital of Befana. Every year, between 4 and 6 January, the historic center comes alive with the National Befana Daywhich attracts thousands of visitors. One was set up here scenic houseconceived as a narrative journey through rooms, objects and installations, which acts as a backdrop for shows, creative workshops, markets and games for children. Urbania has always had a strong bond with i Epiphany ritesa celebration that marks the end of the Christmas period and the beginning of a new agricultural year. The Befana, a figure linked to the cyclical nature of time and nature, fits perfectly into this ritual and peasant imagery.
The Befana and the rites of the earth
Pegnana and Urbania tell two different, but complementary, ways of preserving the bond between the Befana and the agricultural world. Either way, this legendary figure becomes one symbolic presence which represents the end of the field year and the hope for a better harvest.The House of the Befana of Pegnana, built in 2004 by the Association for Traditions and Folklore of the Serchio Valleywas not born as a commercial attraction, but as act of protection of collective memory: a place designed to give shape to stories, begging songs, nursery rhymes and rituals passed down orally, and to remember that, behind the fairy tale, the Befana continues to talk about earth, time and rebirth.
iO Donna © ALL RIGHTS RESERVED