December 31, 2024 • 55 mins
Join returning guest historian and researcher Dr. Debora Moretti for a fascinating journey through centuries of Italian folklore as she invites you to get to know La Befana, Italy's beloved Epiphany gift-giver. This beloved figure's dual nature - from benevolent grandmother to harbinger of fortune - has endured through generations of Italian tradition. Dr. Moretti weaves historical insights with personal memories of celebrating La Befana and cherishing this treasured tradition today, sharing stories of ancient Christian origins, regional folklore variations, and time-honored customs like the musical Befanata processions. #ItalianTraditions #ChristmasCulture #Epiphany #Folklore #ItalianHeritage #WinterFestival
Free Ticket to Connecticut Remembrance Event February 1, 2025
Listen to Podcast Episode: Italian Witchcraft Trials with Debora Moretti
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Is it a witch? We are not quite sure, but
surely she comes across as bent and quite ancient.
She's dressed entirely in black.She has usually, for what I can
remember, long straggly white hair pascading from beneath her
hat, and she has a hooked nose alittle bit protruding from her
(00:21):
rather weathered face. Welcome to Witch Hunt and happy
New Year. I'm Josh Hutchinson.
And I'm Sarah Jack, Happy New Year.
We are kicking off 2025 exploring a fascinating Italian
tradition that bridges ancient folklore in modern celebration,
the legend of La Bafana. Our guest, Doctor Deborah
(00:44):
Moretti from the University of Hertfordshire, takes us on a
journey through time to uncover the complex history of Italy's
beloved gift giving witch. From 16th century historical
records to contemporary celebrations, we'll discover how
this mysterious figure has captivated Italian culture for
centuries. La Bafana, who visits Italian
(01:07):
homes on the eve of Epiphany, embodies a remarkable duality.
She's both a kindly gift giver and a fearsome witch, a
Christian figure and a possible pre Christian deity.
Doctor Moretti shares with us not only her academic expertise,
but also her personal connectionto this enduring tradition that
continues to enchant communitiesacross Italy.
(01:30):
Join us as we unwrap the many layers of LA Bufanis story, from
her earliest documented appearances to her modern day
celebrations, and explore how this unique figure has remained
a vital part of Italian culturalheritage for over 500 years.
Welcome back to the podcast, Doctor Moretti.
(01:50):
Can you tell us a little bit about your expertise and work?
Absolutely, thank you for havingme.
I am a researcher at the University of Hertfordshire and
I am working on a wonderful project with Professor Owen
Davies and the project is alternative healers.
So we are looking at all those people that operated outside of
(02:12):
medical orthodoxy. Generally speaking, I am social
historian and art psychologist, and I did my PhD under the
supervision of Professor Ronald Hutton at the University of
Bristol, and my PhD was on historical Italian witchcraft,
and magic and witchcraft are my specialism, if you like.
(02:37):
And Speaking of, we got to meet you in September at the Magic
and Witchcraft Conference in York, and thank you so much for
having us there. What would you like the audience
to know about the conference? First and foremost, thank you so
very much for coming and taking part.
I know it was a very long journey for you both.
(02:59):
It was a wonderful experience. Usually they are, but I think
this year it was the the qualityof the papers that were
presented and so much so that weare thinking of putting together
an edited volume of the paper presented because truly the
importance of magical healing, because that was the the topic
(03:23):
last conference magical healing and how bulk medicine and
witchcraft kind of got mixed up throughout the centuries and
even recently. And therefore your input on the
current situation, on witchcraft, more than witchcraft
attacks associated with bulk medicine and folk believes, is
(03:45):
still a very important topic andit needs to be addressed quite a
lot actually. Today we get to learn about some
Italian folklore that's holiday related.
Will you introduce us to Bafana?Yes, of course I was really
happy to do this because of all the Christmas festivity period,
(04:08):
the Bafana is the one I love themost, truly.
So imagine this, it is the eve of the Epiphany, so that that
would be the 6th of January, a magical night when everything
can happen. So usually the children would be
excited. I remember being very, very
excited. Try to fall asleep waiting for
(04:30):
the empty stockings hanging either from the fireplaces or
windows or doors to be filled inso all it's quiet and you're
sitting there trying to to sleep, waiting for these strange
figure that usually flights across the night sky.
Is it a witch? We are not quite sure, but
surely she comes across as bent and quite ancient.
(04:54):
She's dressed entirely in black.She has usually, for what I can
remember, long straggly white hair, tusky, leading from
beneath her hat, and she has a hook nose a little bit
protruding from her rather weathered face.
Now, in the modern interpretation, she rides a
broomstick, or maybe in in the past, a donkey.
(05:19):
And her name is Befana. She's not for the Christmas.
She is the traditional gift giver for children in Italy.
But I see now that not just in Italy.
So as I said, the Bufana makes ayearly visit on on the night
between the 5th and the 6th of January, which it is, as I said,
(05:40):
the Epiphany and it's the date when the three kings, the Maji,
or probably you pronounce them Magi, I'm not quite sure,
offered their gifts of gold and frankincense and mirror to the
newborn Christ in Bethlehem. So back in the past, but very
much today, as I have learned recently, the days leading up to
(06:02):
the Epiphany. Italian children must be mindful
of their behaviour because they still know their if they are
they, if they have been good throughout the year then they
will receive nice little presents inside their stockings.
But if they have not behaved properly then they would get
lumps of black coal. Now even I remember that I did
(06:25):
receive black coal and it was sweet black coal.
So it wasn't really, you know, the, the real thing, but there
you go. So who is this figure?
I can tell you that the two prominent legends around this
figure are Christian legends andthey're quite recent, I think
(06:45):
between 1920s, nineteen 50's. The first one basically places
the Befana at the time of Jesus birth.
So according to the legend, as the three kings journeyed to
Bethlehem to honour the birth ofChrist, this stopped in Judea to
ask directions from an old womanbecause she's always
(07:10):
traditionally an old woman. She was filling her picture with
water from a well near her tidy cottage.
Another version tell us that shewas cleaning outside her
cottage. The kings greeted her and asked
her for water. She obliged, but when they
invited her to join the quest, she declined, saying that she
(07:31):
was far too busy with her household chores.
So the three kings continued on the journey and she carried on
cleaning. Now more and more people stopped
at her cottage asking for directions, so at some point she
stopped cleaning, and she started pondering.
(07:52):
So she went outside. She had a good look at the road
that everybody had taken, and saw a brilliant star hanging in
the sky, casting a somewhat otherworldly purple glow upon
the earth. So, she thought, surely this
star signifies something truly, wholly, truly important.
(08:14):
So the old woman realized that perhaps she had made a mistake
of not following the Three Kingsand decided in remorse to
actually follow them. Now this is the part that is
less known of the legend. The Befana had been married and
she had children of her own, buthusband the children died.
(08:36):
So she had a box full of toys belonging to her dead children.
So she decided to gather the best toys.
She included some sweets, fruits, nuts and put everything
in three baskets. Two she put across the sides of
her brown donkey, apparently, and one she put on her shoulder
(08:57):
and off she went. She went searching for the new
baby or the baby king, or in some tradition, the newborn king
of the Jews. She travelled a lot, she asked
many people, but she could not find the place.
So eventually, after weeks and months of searching and looking,
(09:20):
she ended up in a city near a sea.
And here she asked sailors, and she asked a captain where she
could find the three kings and the newborn king.
And the captain said, well, I'm not quite sure here, but
certainly if you go to Rome you will find many kings and many
(09:43):
wise men gathered there, and I'msure you will find whom you're
searching. So the Befana then decided to go
to Rome. Now we're not quite sure at this
point how she went to Rome. Many believe that the winds
carried her and her donkey across lands and sea to Rome,
(10:03):
and there she met scholars and rulers, even Caesar himself, not
quite sure which of the Caesars.But none could help her, so a
little bit disheartened, the final decided to return home.
But while she was travelling through Italy and she realized
how beautiful the place, she also saw how much poverty there
(10:25):
was there. She encountered many poor
children and was moved by their suffering.
On the 12th night after Christmas, long after her
initial journey began, the Befana started her tradition.
Quietly she delivered gifts to the children she encountered
house by house. She filled stockings we treats
(10:48):
for the good and left lumps of coal or stones for the naughty.
This is in essence the tradition.
Magically her baskets of gifts never emptied and by the time
she visited, the last child everdeserving so had received a
present. This is one of the two main
(11:09):
Christian traditions. The other one.
So here we have an old lady who repents and then decided to do
this journey and although disappointed, she decided to
share the gifts that were for Christ to share.
Share all the gifts with poor children.
(11:29):
The other Christian legend or tradition is somewhat different.
So there is no there are no mistakes, there are no delays,
and it puts the Bethana in slightly different light.
When Jesus was born into the world, kings and shepherds alike
came to his cradle to worship him, and each person brought a
(11:51):
gift. Gold toys little lambs however,
Jesus did not desire gold lambs,bread, clothing or toys.
He wanted, and he would accept only gifts from the heart.
So although he kept the warmth, love and affection of the people
(12:12):
visiting him, he decided to donate the other gifts to other
children. And he entrusted to a little old
woman who was present at the Manger to take the role of gift
deliverer, if you like. And this old woman's name was
(12:35):
Befana. So every year, with the gifts
offered annually to the holy Manger, Befana sets off on her
journey around the globe. Some even call her the
grandmother of the Lord Jesus. Unlike the Befana of the other
stories, who is too late to adore the infant Jesus, this
(12:56):
version portrays her as a punctual and virtues woman.
Her yearly travels are not a quest to find a Christ child,
but a mission to deliver gifts from him to the world's
children. So her transformation into the
Befana stems not from a failing and repenting, but rather from a
(13:18):
virtue. Both tales plays Befana NIA
Bethlehem at the time of Jesus birth and provide an explanation
for her modern day travels. And as I said, these two are
very likely early to mid 20th century.
So this is the the Christian part, the reason evil Befana
(13:44):
that nowadays is no longer discussed, or let's say not
besides too much. And you find her more in
folklore across Italy. And we're talking of mid to late
19th century folklore or early 20th century folklore.
(14:06):
So we're moving away from the religious theme into the world
of folklore. I mean, the character itself
leads us naturally to the darkerside of her legend.
While in many local traditions across Italy Befana is depicted
as kind and benevolent, in others she takes on a much
(14:28):
darker character, a little crueland a little malevolent.
And this evil Befana exists not in song or customs, but as I
said, in legend, beliefs and folklore, she's no longer the
kindly mother figure, but rathera frightening witch or evil
(14:48):
fairy. So you find this type of
malevolent befana not across allregions, but in specific
regions. There are there are elements in
in Veneto, which is in the NorthEast part of the country near
the Austrian border. You find her in Pullia, which is
(15:09):
in the southern east point of ofItaly.
You find her in Sicily and you also find her in Tuscany, which
is my the region where I was born.
And in these areas the Epiphany Eve.
So the 5th of January was not a night of celebration, but one of
(15:31):
dread. For example, in Cadore, which is
in the rural countryside around Belluno in the northeastern
Italy, the Befana was known as La Red Odesza.
And this is not exactly Befana, but it's very close to the
Befana figure. And instead of bestowing gifts,
(15:51):
she brought with her metaphorical horrors, fright,
death, cruelty, fear, nightmares, trickery, betrayals,
and according to some accounts, even cannibalism.
This is a rather different story.
The Red Odesza did not travel alone, she was accompanied by
(16:14):
her terrifying entourage. The 12 red orders, they got
really hard to pronounce. This is really strict dialect,
who punished and frightened anyone they encountered.
An 1885 Almanac from from the village of Kadore describes her
as a woman who announced her presence on Epiphany Eve with
(16:38):
the plunging of chain. And she warned who to anyone who
has not removed the chains from the kitchen fires or left the
toe in the this stuff. So in those regions she was
simply, she was not simply another form of the Befana, but
she was telling people what to do on or what not to do.
(17:00):
And in in other parts she would carry an iron spindle which she
used to terrorize the women she encountered, threatening to spin
their entrails because spinning on the Night of the Red Odessa
was strictly forbidden. So on the night of the 5th of
January, nobody could spin or she would basically stop them,
(17:26):
Yes. So women too care to leave that
This stuff's clean and untouched.
So as you seen, as you see, there is definitely a darker
side to the Befana in Polia. There is the malevolent
counterpart of Befana is known as the Morta Befani or Death
Befana, which terrified the townsfolk.
(17:49):
So unlike the joyful processionsof other parts of Italy or the
lively Befana squads that you find even now now in in big city
centres, the street of Bari for example in Puglia were deserted
on Epiphany Eve for fear of encountering the Marta Befani.
She was described as resembling the Angel of death or or death
(18:11):
itself. And she's quite different in how
she's portrayed. She was portrayed as a skeletal
figure draped in a white sheet, sight in hand, with an upside
down tripod on her head bearing 3 lit candles.
So it's a completely different figure and yet it's the same
figure. It's like, you know, the reverse
of a coin. And she would carry a great book
(18:34):
in which she recorded the names of those destined to die in the
coming year. And she also carried a piece of
coal to make a cross on the doors of the people that would
die within the year. So you see, there is definitely
a darker aspect to it. And people believe that she
could invoke bad luck or even the evil.
(18:56):
So you have a little bit of a connection to witchcraft and
magical practices. There you have it.
You don't, you know, you have the Christian version, which is
an absolutely benevolent figure,bringing hope, bringing
presents, bringing good things. But then in the folklore, so if
(19:17):
you go behind the religious narrative, you have a dark side
as well. And I think this is quite
important. Do we know of the real origins
of the Befana? It's very, it's one of those
figures that's very difficult tofollow back in time.
(19:40):
I think that the origins of the Befana are deeply intriguing and
it's like a syncretism of different things.
So you absolutely have myths, legends, popular beliefs,
religious beliefs all mixed together.
So we can only start, I suppose,from the meaning of Befana which
(20:01):
originates from. I would say a popular adaptation
of the word epiphany. So epiphany in Italian would be
Epiphania and it was in the popular tradition adapted to
from Epiphania to Pifania and from Pifania to Bifania and then
from Bifania to Bifana. You can see the link there.
(20:25):
Epiphany means manifestation, manifestation of the divine,
which refers to the revelation of Jesus to the three wise men.
Yet for some anthropologists or ethnographers, less historians,
the roots of the Befana stretch back further to even Neolithic
(20:47):
agricultural practices and pray Christian rights associated with
the seasonal cycles. Of course, there is no way we
can prove that. We can only go back following
the historical pinpoints. We can follow her traces up to a
certain point and then we have nothing where we can find some
(21:09):
elements that could be associated with with this
figure. Some folklorist or
anthropologist say that she could be connected to the the
Saturnalia. So in ancient Rome, the period
surrounding the winter solstice was marked by the Saturnalia,
which was a festival honoring Saturn, the God of agriculture.
(21:32):
And these celebrations heralded the return of light and of
course invoked utility for the fields, etcetera.
So that could be an element. Some others refer to another
Roman influence which stem from the goddess Strenia, which is
associated with good fortune andthe exchange of gifts still
(21:57):
within the winter solstice period.
And this was a practice that perhaps later merged with the
exchange of gifts that we see inthe Befana tradition.
Some makes the reference to the rites of the 12 nights, the 12
nights, this period between the birth of Jesus and the Epiphany.
(22:19):
It's a liminal period where things different things happens,
things that would not normally happen.
So the Befana figure overlaps with this tradition, being a
liminal figure herself, if you like.
This is a period where the transition between the old and
the new year creates a little bit of chaos.
(22:42):
It's a period during which spirits or deities were believed
to visit homes, bestowing blessing or do mischiefs.
Perhaps she could have been one of these.
It's all day. It is Some other people tell us
that she could be associated with two specific mythological
figures are rooted in in Germanic, German and Alpine
(23:05):
folklore, Perchster and Holder, or Bertha and Holle.
They are very similar to the Befana and certainly similar to
the Befana that we see in the north of Italy.
But if there is a strict connection we are not quite
sure. It could be.
Some of the people tell us that she could be associated with the
(23:28):
goddess Equity. Equity is a mysterious and multi
faced figure in Greek mythology and then Roman mythology and she
had influence on various domains.
And there is something in the ecity rituals which is the
dinner or the ceremony where a real ceremony was performed by a
(23:51):
small group of people and the celebration often took place
indoors but the food offering was made outdoors.
So the food offering to ecity was made outdoors at the edges
of street or crossroads to allowthe goddess to receive them.
And during the ceremonies, participants would recite in
vocations, prayers or equity, asking for her protection,
(24:15):
favours and blessing for the forthe new year.
Actually, the dinner would happen every month.
So it's not just for the for thenew year.
Can we say that the Bethana has connections with any of them?
Maybe we can't. I mean, it's a mythological
figure. It's so complex that we cannot
(24:35):
really say really where she comes from, but we have some
historical pinpoints. What are the real historical
references to the Befana? So we've seen the possible
connections to pre Christian Europe, different rights,
etcetera, but do we have real historical references?
(24:58):
We do, but they're quite recent in the scheme of things.
So we we have to come to the 16th century to see one of the
first references to, to Befana, her tradition and how this
tradition was practised in, in, in Tuscany.
We're talking here, central, central Italy.
(25:22):
We are in 1553 and a person called Anton Francesco Doni.
He was a writer, a musician, a bibliographer from Florence.
In his one, in one of his works titled I think de Marmee, the
Marbles tells the story of the Befana tradition in Florence at
(25:44):
his time, where the the de Befanis or Befanis plural, so
kind of rag dolls all dressed upwould run into the streets.
In reality it was a procession of people carrying the the dolls
with torches and across the streets, making loads of noise,
(26:08):
beating things and making reallyodd music with instruments.
And the belief was that they would so this befane would be
benevolent towards the people that again were good people or
good children and not that benevolent towards the people or
(26:29):
children that had not been good.The general idea was that of a
dark and scary figure. So children would hide away when
they heard the procession approaching because they
believed that the befane they would Pierce the belly if they
had not been good children. The idea was that they had to
(26:51):
cover their bodies and their bellies with something, and
usually this something would be a large mortar.
I'm not quite sure why. It doesn't say why the mortar,
but that was the case. And the reason he refers to a
sad story where a child, terrified of being pierced and
(27:13):
killed by one of the Befani, slept with a mortar, a big
mortar on. I'm not quite sure if it was a
he or she, a girl or a boy, but the mortar on top of the body.
And because of the cold and the weight of the mortar, the child
died and everybody thought that he, he or she had been killed by
one of the Befani. So this is 1553.
(27:37):
So this is certainly talking of a Befana tradition.
The Befana tradition is well affirmed.
People had big possessions, it was a big event and everybody
was involved. And clearly the belief in the
power of the Befana was well placed.
(28:00):
And then the next, chronologically speaking, the
next reference is in 1766, a person called Domenico
Mariamani, a general writer. He wrote, in fact, he actually
wrote a little booklet dedicatedto the to the Befana and it's
titled in English would sound something like historical notes
(28:21):
regarding the origin and significance of the Befana.
And Domenico again describe the same procession.
So what the previous writer saw in Florence, Domenico describes
the same procession accompanied by light torches, horn sounds.
That would be on the the eveningof the 5th and then the next
(28:44):
day, on Epiphany Day, the rag dolls will be exhibited in the
windows of different people, he says.
In all the streets on the evening of the day before
Epiphania, you could see rag dolls lit up in the windows here
and there, most of them portraying ugly old women or a
caricature of the Magi or the wise men, or of some pest
(29:08):
personage. Many squads groups wandered
around the city, each one followed by a swarm of children
and youth with trumpets, guitars, whistles and every sort
of instrument. These groups were, of course,
always preceded by a great befana put on a pole, and they
wandered around carrying the befana until they were tired.
(29:31):
And then he said, the city was entirely a continuous noisy
party from one end to the other.So as you see, it was a big
affair. It was a big noisy affair.
And again here the befana is ambivalent because it would
leave small gifts for good children, but it would not be so
good with the bad ones. And the fact that the this
(29:56):
figure is ambivalent is substantiated by the fact that
people, to protect themselves from the bad befana, would have
apoptropheic acts in place. So some people would eat fava
beans and they they have fava beans are quite telling because
(30:18):
even in ancient Rome the fava bean would have an apoptopaic
effect to protect people from the dead.
So eating fava beans would protect you from supernatural
events if you like or people as I said will place a mortar on
the body or even recite a narration specific specifically
(30:41):
called the Ave. Maria de la Bafana.
So Ava Mary of the Bafana. Now, I, I have not found the
full Ave. Maria de la Bafana, so I'm not
quite sure what it says in fully, but I know that there are
some passages that I have found where people say don't basically
don't hurt me because I have eaten fava beans.
(31:04):
Therefore my belly is now really, really hard and you you
cannot stab me. So you see the word apotropic
things put in place for people to be protected by the Befana.
Therefore the perception of thisdual element, this ambivalence
of the of this character is he was definitely there.
(31:25):
He was definitely, definitely real.
So this one was 1766. The next historical reference is
between eighteen O 5 and 1811. This is the time that Napoleon
had the intention of conquering fact for a short period did
conquering Italy. He wanted to get to know he's
(31:47):
Italian people, so he put together something called the
Napoleonic enquiries regarding customs and traditions in the
Italian Kingdom. So questionnaires were sent from
Paris to different people in Italy, mainly school professors
or priests, who would then ask the children or the people from
(32:12):
the villages to respond to to these questionnaires.
And there is a section on the customs that brought back
evidence that people practised the Befana tradition.
And one, for example, says that the day of the Epiphany or the
evening before, the peasants go around from house to house to
(32:32):
sing the Befana in order to get cheese or eggs or similar
things. So you see during that period
definitely the Befana tradition was still practiced.
And then of course we have evidence of big markets
dedicated to the Bafana Fair, especially in Rome.
So in the mid 18102 small piazzas, Santo Sacchio and
(32:56):
Capriatari where the places where around the Epiphany time
big Bafana Fair would bit put up.
So here you would find toys, Euphana dolls and they were
displayed and sold while puppet shows entertained visitors
during the festive period after nightfall when darkness
(33:19):
descended early during this timeof the year, the entire scene in
the piazzas were illuminated by torches and you had the musician
play that played tunes and you had vendors, food vendors.
So it was a really lively fair. Later, the Befana Fair was
relocated to a larger place, andthat's Piazza Navona, where it
(33:41):
continues to be held today. So it's not something that, you
know, it lasted just a few years.
It lasted a very long, very longtime.
And even James Fraser in his golden ball, he mentioned the
Befana Fair of Piazza Navona. So you see it, the celebration
(34:03):
of this tradition has been consistent throughout the
century. She was mentioned by Jacob
Grimm, one of the renowned Grimmbrothers, and he observed that
actually he got it right becausehe said there was something
quite frightening about the befana for the children.
(34:25):
He didn't really elaborate precisely on what that was, but
he remarked, and I'm quoting. It is very remarkable that the
Italians too have a misshapen fairy, the Befana, a terror to
children who has sprung out of Epiphany Befania.
(34:46):
And on that day women and children place a doll made of
old rugs in the windows. She's black and ugly and brings
presents. Some say she's Herod's daughter.
So even he captured this dualityof this figure, a figure at once
menacing and generous at the same time, which kind of
(35:07):
blended, I don't know, the grotesque of being kind and
being evil at the same time. And then to skip to more recent
years, we have the tradition of a fascist Befana, if at some
point it was called the Befana of the Duche of of Mussolini.
(35:29):
And this so it started in 1928. And the idea was that to have
merchants and traders and well off people to collect gifts of
money, food, other things for the poorest families.
And it was a specific national recreational program during the
(35:52):
the fascist period. And I think it was in 1934 that
the La Bufana Fascista, the fascist Bufana was renamed as
the Duchess Bufana or the Bufanaof, of Mussolini.
It's, it's a figure that has, it's, it's always been there.
(36:14):
He's been appropriated by different people.
So probably it was, I don't know, a pre Christian figure
that was then included into Christianity.
And then it became a folklore figure.
And then it was absorbed into political ideas.
But the idea of the ambivalence of the figure and the idea of
(36:38):
giving gifts has been the essential point of her.
Many, many scholars have tried to explain her Halo.
Ginsburg, for example, he's an historian and social
anthropologist who has worked onthe history of witchcraft and he
(36:58):
doesn't make he mentions that the Befana could somehow be
associated to the idea of which is in fact the reason earlier
association between the Bufana and witches and that is San
Bernardino da Siena. And in so he lived end of 14th
century, beginning of the 15th century where he basically said
(37:23):
talking about a type of witch that is typical of the north of
the country. They're called, Maske is
basically saying in his sermons that they would arrive at the
Jordan River and they would basically practice some magical
things on the Epiphany day. So he's not talking of the
(37:44):
Befana per SE, but he describes these type of witches called
Masca, which were operative in the Epiphany day.
So you see, you have a little bit of a connection there.
The other writer who has coveredthe Befana is Francesco Cardini.
He's an Italian historian who has discussed the theme of the
(38:08):
Befana in relation to its cultural, historical, religious
evolution. And he's propends to say that
the Befana is a transition. It's a figure that is a
transition from a Pagan to a Christian cultural background,
if you like. And he sees the Befana as a like
a typical figure. So we're going back to the pray
(38:31):
Christian goddesses figure, figures that have been
translated into a Christian cultural background.
And then one of, well, the more recent writers touching on the
Befana is Paulo Portone. He's an historian and
anthropologist and he has explored the figure of the
(38:52):
Befana, trying to analyse and understand the origins and the
meaning in the context of Italian popular traditions.
Again he touches on on the pointof the Befana being
metamorphosis of the sacred of apossible pre Christian sacred,
(39:12):
or again a slight connection between the figure of the Befana
and the evil which is of folklore.
So basically he interprets the Befana as a symbolic figure that
testifies the transformation andadaptations of ancient Piga
traditions within the Christian context.
(39:32):
Perhaps the Befana is a bridge between past and present in the
Italian ritual calendar, if you like, which is, I think it's an
interesting concept. More recently, an American
anthropologist, Stephen Siporing, he has written, I
think it was 2022. He has written a lovely book
(39:54):
titled The Befana is Returning the story of a Tuscan festival.
And with his book, he provides aquite good in depth ethnographic
study of the, of the Befana and the tradition of the Befanata,
which is typical of the area where I, I grew up.
In fact, his book is, is focusedon southern Tuscany, which is
(40:18):
where I, where I come from. So this is a little bit of
background trying to get to the origin of this figure.
And it's not quite possible to be fair.
So as I said, this tradition is absolutely my favorite of the
entire 12 nights period. And I'm quite happy to tell you
(40:38):
both that I still, although I don't practice Christmas, the
Christmas tradition, as you know, as I did when I was a kid,
I definitely still practice the Buffana tradition.
And I don't know, it's somethingthat has stayed with me whilst
growing up until now. I think I'm the only person in
(41:00):
Yorkshire keeping this tradition.
I still take care on the the 5thof January to take down all my
decorations, Christmas decorations and to clean the
house, absolutely clean and thenprepare a little dish with some
(41:20):
food and some drinks for her. Because not that I believe that
she would come and check my house and leave me cold if she
find it dirty or something, but I rather don't take any chances.
I'll clean everything and prepare something for her and I
put it either outside or next tothe fireplace.
(41:43):
So that's that. But what are in reality apart my
personal tradition? What are the how is she
celebrated, how she was celebrated and how she
celebrated? Now I've taken as an example
Tuscany, because as I said, it'swhere I'm from and there are
(42:04):
public festivities or public celebrations and private
celebrations. Of the public celebrations,
there are two main kinds. One is called the Befanata and
the other one is the burning of the old lady.
The burning of yeah, the old lady.
(42:25):
That's the hug basically. So the befanata is something
quite traditional and he's been,I know of it, I saw it.
I took part my parents before meand when my parents were growing
up. So it's, you know, and we have
evidence that is something has been practised at least for the
(42:46):
last 150 years. But usually would you would have
a person, usually a man dressed as an old and intentionally,
intentionally unattractive woman.
And this old woman have to be bent with a, you know, humpback
and wearing a scarf around her head.
(43:07):
And she's typically, she has typically warts on her face and
curries a cane or a spindle withthreads hanging from it.
And the befana is usually accompanied by her husband, the
befano, again, another man dressed as an elderly band and
sometimes limping figure. And the pair are joined by men
(43:31):
and women known as the Befanotti, dressed somewhat
scruffly, carrying musical instruments, baskets.
And not anymore, but while I wasgrowing up, still definitely
there a donkey. So they would travel either from
house to house with a donkey playing songs.
(43:55):
Traditionally, I don't remember this but my dad confirmed that
traditionally the befano. So the husband of the befano
would have a cowbell around his neck and when the party reached
the house the door rather than knocking that he would make the
cowbell ring. So the owner of the house would
(44:18):
come out and welcome the party. Once inside the house the the
Befana Befano and Befanotti would start singing songs.
They would be offered food and drinks and also food and drinks
to take with them. And that food would then the
(44:39):
food collected would then redistributed after, after the
event, my father and my aunties and my uncles and and great
uncles, they remember that the the night of the 5th, they would
put a little bit of hay outside of the door and together with a
(44:59):
glass of milk and a cookie or a fruit or some nuts for the
Bethana and her donkey. And then either later on or the
day of the Epiphany on the 6th, the Befana and her husband and
her entourage would arrive and sing songs.
(45:21):
And the songs are usually, they're basically saying, if you
give me food and drinks, I can make sure that you have a good
year or good health or get married, etcetera.
Nowadays the Befana and her entourage going from house to
house is no longer much practice.
(45:44):
Stephen in his book, I think hisbook was published in 2022 and
his survey was done 2009, something like that.
At the time, the Befana, the Befanata would the group would
move from house to house. Nowadays a little less they
would do like a parade across, Idon't know, the main village or
(46:08):
for the main city and, and they would go to restaurants or
shops, especially restaurants. So the owner of the restaurants
would let them in and they woulddo the same, sing songs and give
good wishes, give little presents for the children and
they would get some food and some drinks back.
(46:28):
And then they these will be redistributed.
So the Befanata is still a thing.
More recently we have for example in my hometown,
Griseito, we have the firefighters who on the 5th
evening, one of them would dressas a Befana, would kind of crawl
up a building to represent the Befana and and then there will
(46:51):
be the Befanata. So the Befana and her husband
and her entourage waiting outside to go on a parade and
give little presents here and there.
And so it's a big, big communityevent.
This is the bifanata. So the coming together of the
(47:12):
Bifana and her entourage, sometimes a donkey going from
place to place, singing songs, specific songs.
Oh, by the way, the songs have been attested since the mid 19th
centuries. There is a tradition of Bifana
songs and usually the song is tosay dear housewife, the I don't
(47:37):
know, man of the house, if you give me this, I can assure that
you have good health, etcetera. I think there is a specific name
for this type of group singing, and I think they're called, if I
read it somewhere, itinerant begging rituals, which would
then redistribute to the rest ofthe village society, if you
(48:00):
like. This is the bafanata.
The other public celebration is the burning of the Bafana.
And it's, it's a ritual. There's not specifically only
for the Bafana. It's it's the bonfires are
practice for different reasons at different times of the fall
(48:20):
calendar. But there is definitely a
burning of the old lady or the hug.
In my home village. For example, on on the 5th of
January, in the evening in the main square full of stalls,
food, drinks, there is a bonfirein the centre.
And in the evening the fire is lit and Bethanadol with some
(48:43):
cords, she will, she will be dropped.
So she will come down towards the fire, into the fire and she
has to burn. Because if the Befana doesn't
burn, the coming year would not be a successful year, would not
be a fertile year. So there is still a folk element
(49:06):
that is important in the burningof, of the Befana doll
basically. And I've, I've been part of it,
organizing it. I have helped my parents, my dad
dressed up as a Befana with a wig and had a dunk and all that.
It's a really lively tradition. And then of course there is the
(49:29):
private celebrations. So it's placing of the stockings
either near the fire or near windows or doors.
And I have still living relatives that tell me that they
have practiced this tradition since they were children.
The father of a friend, he was born in 1928, and he said that
(49:52):
he does not remember Father Christmas until the Second World
War. He told me that the Americans
brought Santa Claus, Father Christmas.
Before that was the Befana that brought toys to children, gifts
to children. I hope this has given you a good
(50:14):
idea of how much there is to sayabout her.
And I mean, this is a, a, a livetradition.
It's been there for sure since the 16th century, maybe more.
We have historical evidence that's been there since the 16th
century. There's been in the 1970s and
80s, there's been like a drop in, in the actual festivities
(50:38):
around this tradition, but it never disappear.
It never disappeared. It's always been there.
So there you have it. Thank you so much.
That's really a remarkable tradition going back at least
500 years, definitely a few 100 years older than Santa Claus.
Is there a greeting like, you know, Merry Christmas, happy
(51:01):
holidays? Is there a Bufana greeting
between family or community members?
Absolutely yes. You have Bufana cards.
For example, I have a family WhatsApp group and absolutely on
the 6th of January everybody will send a Befana card.
(51:21):
Now even in my memory there has been a change of the figure of
the Befana. So when I was growing up, the
Befana was the old lady bent with the nose and the warts.
Now in the cards, you have a sexy Befana riding a broom with
all the things that you would accept from a sexy Befana.
So there is being a change, but definitely there is an exchange
(51:45):
of cards. I don't ever remember exchanging
Christmas cards. Christmas cards.
I it's something I have learned to do here in in England, but we
didn't do that. But I definitely remember the
Befana cards and definitely they're there now, yes.
Mary Bingham is back with Minutewith Mary.
(52:06):
I was thrilled that Deborah Moretti introduced me to Befana.
To me, this mystery woman who only existed in folklore
traditions represents many folk traditions today of which little
history is actually known. Did you all know the Babylonians
partook in a festival known as Akitu?
(52:28):
I only read about it today. During this festival, which
marked the beginning of the spring, the Babylonians made
promises before the gods to pay back what they owed to their
community. Since they didn't want to go
back on their word to the gods, you can bet they were returning
all borrowed goods to their rightful owners.
(52:50):
As for me, I resolved the last few years to not make
resolutions, but this year is different.
My resolve to put in hard work to write those columns, get a
publisher for that book, continue to educate on historic
and present witch hunts. What about you?
We'd love to read your comments on what you think of Bethana,
(53:13):
other folk traditions, and if you'd like your own New Year's
resolutions. Thank you.
Thank you, Mary. And now Sarah has End witch
hunts news. From all of us at End Witch
Hunts, best wishes for 2025. We look forward to bringing you
another year of expert conversations and advocacy for
(53:36):
human rights. Thank you for listening,
learning, sharing, and changing the world by standing up for the
vulnerable right where you are. We all share the responsibility
of loving humanity through action.
Join us on February 1st at 1:00 PM for remembering the innocent
victims of the Connecticut WitchTrials, a special 2 hour
(53:57):
commemoration of those who lost their lives in colonial
Connecticut's witch trials. Award-winning performers Deborah
Walsh and Jenny Wolf will open with a dramatic reading,
followed by an expert panel featuring the Connecticut Witch
Trial Exoneration Project Founders, historian Richard
Ross, Connecticut RepresentativeJane Garabe, and Connecticut
(54:17):
Senator Saud Anwar. This afternoon culminates in a
walk of remembrance to the Memorial Bricks at the Ancient
Burial Ground, where author Richard Ross will share insights
from his popular history walks and offer closing reflections.
Connect with fellow community members as we work together to
shine a light on this crucial chapter of our history.
Don't miss this powerful blend of performance, education, and
(54:40):
commemoration that aligns with Connecticut's recent legislative
recognition of these historical injustices.
Reserve your free ticket throughour Eventbrite link.
Thank you, Sarah. You're welcome.
And thank you for joining us on Witch Hunt.
Spend time with us again next. Week.
Have a great today and a beautiful 2025.
Is it a witch? We are not quite sure, but
surely she comes across as bent and quite ancient.
She's dressed entirely in black.She has usually, for what I can
remember, long straggly white hair pascading from beneath her
hat, and she has a hooked nose alittle bit protruding from her
(00:21):
rather weathered face. Welcome to Witch Hunt and happy
New Year. I'm Josh Hutchinson.
And I'm Sarah Jack, Happy New Year.
We are kicking off 2025 exploring a fascinating Italian
tradition that bridges ancient folklore in modern celebration,
the legend of La Bafana. Our guest, Doctor Deborah
(00:44):
Moretti from the University of Hertfordshire, takes us on a
journey through time to uncover the complex history of Italy's
beloved gift giving witch. From 16th century historical
records to contemporary celebrations, we'll discover how
this mysterious figure has captivated Italian culture for
centuries. La Bafana, who visits Italian
(01:07):
homes on the eve of Epiphany, embodies a remarkable duality.
She's both a kindly gift giver and a fearsome witch, a
Christian figure and a possible pre Christian deity.
Doctor Moretti shares with us not only her academic expertise,
but also her personal connectionto this enduring tradition that
continues to enchant communitiesacross Italy.
(01:30):
Join us as we unwrap the many layers of LA Bufanis story, from
her earliest documented appearances to her modern day
celebrations, and explore how this unique figure has remained
a vital part of Italian culturalheritage for over 500 years.
Welcome back to the podcast, Doctor Moretti.
(01:50):
Can you tell us a little bit about your expertise and work?
Absolutely, thank you for havingme.
I am a researcher at the University of Hertfordshire and
I am working on a wonderful project with Professor Owen
Davies and the project is alternative healers.
So we are looking at all those people that operated outside of
(02:12):
medical orthodoxy. Generally speaking, I am social
historian and art psychologist, and I did my PhD under the
supervision of Professor Ronald Hutton at the University of
Bristol, and my PhD was on historical Italian witchcraft,
and magic and witchcraft are my specialism, if you like.
(02:37):
And Speaking of, we got to meet you in September at the Magic
and Witchcraft Conference in York, and thank you so much for
having us there. What would you like the audience
to know about the conference? First and foremost, thank you so
very much for coming and taking part.
I know it was a very long journey for you both.
(02:59):
It was a wonderful experience. Usually they are, but I think
this year it was the the qualityof the papers that were
presented and so much so that weare thinking of putting together
an edited volume of the paper presented because truly the
importance of magical healing, because that was the the topic
(03:23):
last conference magical healing and how bulk medicine and
witchcraft kind of got mixed up throughout the centuries and
even recently. And therefore your input on the
current situation, on witchcraft, more than witchcraft
attacks associated with bulk medicine and folk believes, is
(03:45):
still a very important topic andit needs to be addressed quite a
lot actually. Today we get to learn about some
Italian folklore that's holiday related.
Will you introduce us to Bafana?Yes, of course I was really
happy to do this because of all the Christmas festivity period,
(04:08):
the Bafana is the one I love themost, truly.
So imagine this, it is the eve of the Epiphany, so that that
would be the 6th of January, a magical night when everything
can happen. So usually the children would be
excited. I remember being very, very
excited. Try to fall asleep waiting for
(04:30):
the empty stockings hanging either from the fireplaces or
windows or doors to be filled inso all it's quiet and you're
sitting there trying to to sleep, waiting for these strange
figure that usually flights across the night sky.
Is it a witch? We are not quite sure, but
surely she comes across as bent and quite ancient.
(04:54):
She's dressed entirely in black.She has usually, for what I can
remember, long straggly white hair, tusky, leading from
beneath her hat, and she has a hook nose a little bit
protruding from her rather weathered face.
Now, in the modern interpretation, she rides a
broomstick, or maybe in in the past, a donkey.
(05:19):
And her name is Befana. She's not for the Christmas.
She is the traditional gift giver for children in Italy.
But I see now that not just in Italy.
So as I said, the Bufana makes ayearly visit on on the night
between the 5th and the 6th of January, which it is, as I said,
(05:40):
the Epiphany and it's the date when the three kings, the Maji,
or probably you pronounce them Magi, I'm not quite sure,
offered their gifts of gold and frankincense and mirror to the
newborn Christ in Bethlehem. So back in the past, but very
much today, as I have learned recently, the days leading up to
(06:02):
the Epiphany. Italian children must be mindful
of their behaviour because they still know their if they are
they, if they have been good throughout the year then they
will receive nice little presents inside their stockings.
But if they have not behaved properly then they would get
lumps of black coal. Now even I remember that I did
(06:25):
receive black coal and it was sweet black coal.
So it wasn't really, you know, the, the real thing, but there
you go. So who is this figure?
I can tell you that the two prominent legends around this
figure are Christian legends andthey're quite recent, I think
(06:45):
between 1920s, nineteen 50's. The first one basically places
the Befana at the time of Jesus birth.
So according to the legend, as the three kings journeyed to
Bethlehem to honour the birth ofChrist, this stopped in Judea to
ask directions from an old womanbecause she's always
(07:10):
traditionally an old woman. She was filling her picture with
water from a well near her tidy cottage.
Another version tell us that shewas cleaning outside her
cottage. The kings greeted her and asked
her for water. She obliged, but when they
invited her to join the quest, she declined, saying that she
(07:31):
was far too busy with her household chores.
So the three kings continued on the journey and she carried on
cleaning. Now more and more people stopped
at her cottage asking for directions, so at some point she
stopped cleaning, and she started pondering.
(07:52):
So she went outside. She had a good look at the road
that everybody had taken, and saw a brilliant star hanging in
the sky, casting a somewhat otherworldly purple glow upon
the earth. So, she thought, surely this
star signifies something truly, wholly, truly important.
(08:14):
So the old woman realized that perhaps she had made a mistake
of not following the Three Kingsand decided in remorse to
actually follow them. Now this is the part that is
less known of the legend. The Befana had been married and
she had children of her own, buthusband the children died.
(08:36):
So she had a box full of toys belonging to her dead children.
So she decided to gather the best toys.
She included some sweets, fruits, nuts and put everything
in three baskets. Two she put across the sides of
her brown donkey, apparently, and one she put on her shoulder
(08:57):
and off she went. She went searching for the new
baby or the baby king, or in some tradition, the newborn king
of the Jews. She travelled a lot, she asked
many people, but she could not find the place.
So eventually, after weeks and months of searching and looking,
(09:20):
she ended up in a city near a sea.
And here she asked sailors, and she asked a captain where she
could find the three kings and the newborn king.
And the captain said, well, I'm not quite sure here, but
certainly if you go to Rome you will find many kings and many
(09:43):
wise men gathered there, and I'msure you will find whom you're
searching. So the Befana then decided to go
to Rome. Now we're not quite sure at this
point how she went to Rome. Many believe that the winds
carried her and her donkey across lands and sea to Rome,
(10:03):
and there she met scholars and rulers, even Caesar himself, not
quite sure which of the Caesars.But none could help her, so a
little bit disheartened, the final decided to return home.
But while she was travelling through Italy and she realized
how beautiful the place, she also saw how much poverty there
(10:25):
was there. She encountered many poor
children and was moved by their suffering.
On the 12th night after Christmas, long after her
initial journey began, the Befana started her tradition.
Quietly she delivered gifts to the children she encountered
house by house. She filled stockings we treats
(10:48):
for the good and left lumps of coal or stones for the naughty.
This is in essence the tradition.
Magically her baskets of gifts never emptied and by the time
she visited, the last child everdeserving so had received a
present. This is one of the two main
(11:09):
Christian traditions. The other one.
So here we have an old lady who repents and then decided to do
this journey and although disappointed, she decided to
share the gifts that were for Christ to share.
Share all the gifts with poor children.
(11:29):
The other Christian legend or tradition is somewhat different.
So there is no there are no mistakes, there are no delays,
and it puts the Bethana in slightly different light.
When Jesus was born into the world, kings and shepherds alike
came to his cradle to worship him, and each person brought a
(11:51):
gift. Gold toys little lambs however,
Jesus did not desire gold lambs,bread, clothing or toys.
He wanted, and he would accept only gifts from the heart.
So although he kept the warmth, love and affection of the people
(12:12):
visiting him, he decided to donate the other gifts to other
children. And he entrusted to a little old
woman who was present at the Manger to take the role of gift
deliverer, if you like. And this old woman's name was
(12:35):
Befana. So every year, with the gifts
offered annually to the holy Manger, Befana sets off on her
journey around the globe. Some even call her the
grandmother of the Lord Jesus. Unlike the Befana of the other
stories, who is too late to adore the infant Jesus, this
(12:56):
version portrays her as a punctual and virtues woman.
Her yearly travels are not a quest to find a Christ child,
but a mission to deliver gifts from him to the world's
children. So her transformation into the
Befana stems not from a failing and repenting, but rather from a
(13:18):
virtue. Both tales plays Befana NIA
Bethlehem at the time of Jesus birth and provide an explanation
for her modern day travels. And as I said, these two are
very likely early to mid 20th century.
So this is the the Christian part, the reason evil Befana
(13:44):
that nowadays is no longer discussed, or let's say not
besides too much. And you find her more in
folklore across Italy. And we're talking of mid to late
19th century folklore or early 20th century folklore.
(14:06):
So we're moving away from the religious theme into the world
of folklore. I mean, the character itself
leads us naturally to the darkerside of her legend.
While in many local traditions across Italy Befana is depicted
as kind and benevolent, in others she takes on a much
(14:28):
darker character, a little crueland a little malevolent.
And this evil Befana exists not in song or customs, but as I
said, in legend, beliefs and folklore, she's no longer the
kindly mother figure, but rathera frightening witch or evil
(14:48):
fairy. So you find this type of
malevolent befana not across allregions, but in specific
regions. There are there are elements in
in Veneto, which is in the NorthEast part of the country near
the Austrian border. You find her in Pullia, which is
(15:09):
in the southern east point of ofItaly.
You find her in Sicily and you also find her in Tuscany, which
is my the region where I was born.
And in these areas the Epiphany Eve.
So the 5th of January was not a night of celebration, but one of
(15:31):
dread. For example, in Cadore, which is
in the rural countryside around Belluno in the northeastern
Italy, the Befana was known as La Red Odesza.
And this is not exactly Befana, but it's very close to the
Befana figure. And instead of bestowing gifts,
(15:51):
she brought with her metaphorical horrors, fright,
death, cruelty, fear, nightmares, trickery, betrayals,
and according to some accounts, even cannibalism.
This is a rather different story.
The Red Odesza did not travel alone, she was accompanied by
(16:14):
her terrifying entourage. The 12 red orders, they got
really hard to pronounce. This is really strict dialect,
who punished and frightened anyone they encountered.
An 1885 Almanac from from the village of Kadore describes her
as a woman who announced her presence on Epiphany Eve with
(16:38):
the plunging of chain. And she warned who to anyone who
has not removed the chains from the kitchen fires or left the
toe in the this stuff. So in those regions she was
simply, she was not simply another form of the Befana, but
she was telling people what to do on or what not to do.
(17:00):
And in in other parts she would carry an iron spindle which she
used to terrorize the women she encountered, threatening to spin
their entrails because spinning on the Night of the Red Odessa
was strictly forbidden. So on the night of the 5th of
January, nobody could spin or she would basically stop them,
(17:26):
Yes. So women too care to leave that
This stuff's clean and untouched.
So as you seen, as you see, there is definitely a darker
side to the Befana in Polia. There is the malevolent
counterpart of Befana is known as the Morta Befani or Death
Befana, which terrified the townsfolk.
(17:49):
So unlike the joyful processionsof other parts of Italy or the
lively Befana squads that you find even now now in in big city
centres, the street of Bari for example in Puglia were deserted
on Epiphany Eve for fear of encountering the Marta Befani.
She was described as resembling the Angel of death or or death
(18:11):
itself. And she's quite different in how
she's portrayed. She was portrayed as a skeletal
figure draped in a white sheet, sight in hand, with an upside
down tripod on her head bearing 3 lit candles.
So it's a completely different figure and yet it's the same
figure. It's like, you know, the reverse
of a coin. And she would carry a great book
(18:34):
in which she recorded the names of those destined to die in the
coming year. And she also carried a piece of
coal to make a cross on the doors of the people that would
die within the year. So you see, there is definitely
a darker aspect to it. And people believe that she
could invoke bad luck or even the evil.
(18:56):
So you have a little bit of a connection to witchcraft and
magical practices. There you have it.
You don't, you know, you have the Christian version, which is
an absolutely benevolent figure,bringing hope, bringing
presents, bringing good things. But then in the folklore, so if
(19:17):
you go behind the religious narrative, you have a dark side
as well. And I think this is quite
important. Do we know of the real origins
of the Befana? It's very, it's one of those
figures that's very difficult tofollow back in time.
(19:40):
I think that the origins of the Befana are deeply intriguing and
it's like a syncretism of different things.
So you absolutely have myths, legends, popular beliefs,
religious beliefs all mixed together.
So we can only start, I suppose,from the meaning of Befana which
(20:01):
originates from. I would say a popular adaptation
of the word epiphany. So epiphany in Italian would be
Epiphania and it was in the popular tradition adapted to
from Epiphania to Pifania and from Pifania to Bifania and then
from Bifania to Bifana. You can see the link there.
(20:25):
Epiphany means manifestation, manifestation of the divine,
which refers to the revelation of Jesus to the three wise men.
Yet for some anthropologists or ethnographers, less historians,
the roots of the Befana stretch back further to even Neolithic
(20:47):
agricultural practices and pray Christian rights associated with
the seasonal cycles. Of course, there is no way we
can prove that. We can only go back following
the historical pinpoints. We can follow her traces up to a
certain point and then we have nothing where we can find some
(21:09):
elements that could be associated with with this
figure. Some folklorist or
anthropologist say that she could be connected to the the
Saturnalia. So in ancient Rome, the period
surrounding the winter solstice was marked by the Saturnalia,
which was a festival honoring Saturn, the God of agriculture.
(21:32):
And these celebrations heralded the return of light and of
course invoked utility for the fields, etcetera.
So that could be an element. Some others refer to another
Roman influence which stem from the goddess Strenia, which is
associated with good fortune andthe exchange of gifts still
(21:57):
within the winter solstice period.
And this was a practice that perhaps later merged with the
exchange of gifts that we see inthe Befana tradition.
Some makes the reference to the rites of the 12 nights, the 12
nights, this period between the birth of Jesus and the Epiphany.
(22:19):
It's a liminal period where things different things happens,
things that would not normally happen.
So the Befana figure overlaps with this tradition, being a
liminal figure herself, if you like.
This is a period where the transition between the old and
the new year creates a little bit of chaos.
(22:42):
It's a period during which spirits or deities were believed
to visit homes, bestowing blessing or do mischiefs.
Perhaps she could have been one of these.
It's all day. It is Some other people tell us
that she could be associated with two specific mythological
figures are rooted in in Germanic, German and Alpine
(23:05):
folklore, Perchster and Holder, or Bertha and Holle.
They are very similar to the Befana and certainly similar to
the Befana that we see in the north of Italy.
But if there is a strict connection we are not quite
sure. It could be.
Some of the people tell us that she could be associated with the
(23:28):
goddess Equity. Equity is a mysterious and multi
faced figure in Greek mythology and then Roman mythology and she
had influence on various domains.
And there is something in the ecity rituals which is the
dinner or the ceremony where a real ceremony was performed by a
(23:51):
small group of people and the celebration often took place
indoors but the food offering was made outdoors.
So the food offering to ecity was made outdoors at the edges
of street or crossroads to allowthe goddess to receive them.
And during the ceremonies, participants would recite in
vocations, prayers or equity, asking for her protection,
(24:15):
favours and blessing for the forthe new year.
Actually, the dinner would happen every month.
So it's not just for the for thenew year.
Can we say that the Bethana has connections with any of them?
Maybe we can't. I mean, it's a mythological
figure. It's so complex that we cannot
(24:35):
really say really where she comes from, but we have some
historical pinpoints. What are the real historical
references to the Befana? So we've seen the possible
connections to pre Christian Europe, different rights,
etcetera, but do we have real historical references?
(24:58):
We do, but they're quite recent in the scheme of things.
So we we have to come to the 16th century to see one of the
first references to, to Befana, her tradition and how this
tradition was practised in, in, in Tuscany.
We're talking here, central, central Italy.
(25:22):
We are in 1553 and a person called Anton Francesco Doni.
He was a writer, a musician, a bibliographer from Florence.
In his one, in one of his works titled I think de Marmee, the
Marbles tells the story of the Befana tradition in Florence at
(25:44):
his time, where the the de Befanis or Befanis plural, so
kind of rag dolls all dressed upwould run into the streets.
In reality it was a procession of people carrying the the dolls
with torches and across the streets, making loads of noise,
(26:08):
beating things and making reallyodd music with instruments.
And the belief was that they would so this befane would be
benevolent towards the people that again were good people or
good children and not that benevolent towards the people or
(26:29):
children that had not been good.The general idea was that of a
dark and scary figure. So children would hide away when
they heard the procession approaching because they
believed that the befane they would Pierce the belly if they
had not been good children. The idea was that they had to
(26:51):
cover their bodies and their bellies with something, and
usually this something would be a large mortar.
I'm not quite sure why. It doesn't say why the mortar,
but that was the case. And the reason he refers to a
sad story where a child, terrified of being pierced and
(27:13):
killed by one of the Befani, slept with a mortar, a big
mortar on. I'm not quite sure if it was a
he or she, a girl or a boy, but the mortar on top of the body.
And because of the cold and the weight of the mortar, the child
died and everybody thought that he, he or she had been killed by
one of the Befani. So this is 1553.
(27:37):
So this is certainly talking of a Befana tradition.
The Befana tradition is well affirmed.
People had big possessions, it was a big event and everybody
was involved. And clearly the belief in the
power of the Befana was well placed.
(28:00):
And then the next, chronologically speaking, the
next reference is in 1766, a person called Domenico
Mariamani, a general writer. He wrote, in fact, he actually
wrote a little booklet dedicatedto the to the Befana and it's
titled in English would sound something like historical notes
(28:21):
regarding the origin and significance of the Befana.
And Domenico again describe the same procession.
So what the previous writer saw in Florence, Domenico describes
the same procession accompanied by light torches, horn sounds.
That would be on the the eveningof the 5th and then the next
(28:44):
day, on Epiphany Day, the rag dolls will be exhibited in the
windows of different people, he says.
In all the streets on the evening of the day before
Epiphania, you could see rag dolls lit up in the windows here
and there, most of them portraying ugly old women or a
caricature of the Magi or the wise men, or of some pest
(29:08):
personage. Many squads groups wandered
around the city, each one followed by a swarm of children
and youth with trumpets, guitars, whistles and every sort
of instrument. These groups were, of course,
always preceded by a great befana put on a pole, and they
wandered around carrying the befana until they were tired.
(29:31):
And then he said, the city was entirely a continuous noisy
party from one end to the other.So as you see, it was a big
affair. It was a big noisy affair.
And again here the befana is ambivalent because it would
leave small gifts for good children, but it would not be so
good with the bad ones. And the fact that the this
(29:56):
figure is ambivalent is substantiated by the fact that
people, to protect themselves from the bad befana, would have
apoptropheic acts in place. So some people would eat fava
beans and they they have fava beans are quite telling because
(30:18):
even in ancient Rome the fava bean would have an apoptopaic
effect to protect people from the dead.
So eating fava beans would protect you from supernatural
events if you like or people as I said will place a mortar on
the body or even recite a narration specific specifically
(30:41):
called the Ave. Maria de la Bafana.
So Ava Mary of the Bafana. Now, I, I have not found the
full Ave. Maria de la Bafana, so I'm not
quite sure what it says in fully, but I know that there are
some passages that I have found where people say don't basically
don't hurt me because I have eaten fava beans.
(31:04):
Therefore my belly is now really, really hard and you you
cannot stab me. So you see the word apotropic
things put in place for people to be protected by the Befana.
Therefore the perception of thisdual element, this ambivalence
of the of this character is he was definitely there.
(31:25):
He was definitely, definitely real.
So this one was 1766. The next historical reference is
between eighteen O 5 and 1811. This is the time that Napoleon
had the intention of conquering fact for a short period did
conquering Italy. He wanted to get to know he's
(31:47):
Italian people, so he put together something called the
Napoleonic enquiries regarding customs and traditions in the
Italian Kingdom. So questionnaires were sent from
Paris to different people in Italy, mainly school professors
or priests, who would then ask the children or the people from
(32:12):
the villages to respond to to these questionnaires.
And there is a section on the customs that brought back
evidence that people practised the Befana tradition.
And one, for example, says that the day of the Epiphany or the
evening before, the peasants go around from house to house to
(32:32):
sing the Befana in order to get cheese or eggs or similar
things. So you see during that period
definitely the Befana tradition was still practiced.
And then of course we have evidence of big markets
dedicated to the Bafana Fair, especially in Rome.
So in the mid 18102 small piazzas, Santo Sacchio and
(32:56):
Capriatari where the places where around the Epiphany time
big Bafana Fair would bit put up.
So here you would find toys, Euphana dolls and they were
displayed and sold while puppet shows entertained visitors
during the festive period after nightfall when darkness
(33:19):
descended early during this timeof the year, the entire scene in
the piazzas were illuminated by torches and you had the musician
play that played tunes and you had vendors, food vendors.
So it was a really lively fair. Later, the Befana Fair was
relocated to a larger place, andthat's Piazza Navona, where it
(33:41):
continues to be held today. So it's not something that, you
know, it lasted just a few years.
It lasted a very long, very longtime.
And even James Fraser in his golden ball, he mentioned the
Befana Fair of Piazza Navona. So you see it, the celebration
(34:03):
of this tradition has been consistent throughout the
century. She was mentioned by Jacob
Grimm, one of the renowned Grimmbrothers, and he observed that
actually he got it right becausehe said there was something
quite frightening about the befana for the children.
(34:25):
He didn't really elaborate precisely on what that was, but
he remarked, and I'm quoting. It is very remarkable that the
Italians too have a misshapen fairy, the Befana, a terror to
children who has sprung out of Epiphany Befania.
(34:46):
And on that day women and children place a doll made of
old rugs in the windows. She's black and ugly and brings
presents. Some say she's Herod's daughter.
So even he captured this dualityof this figure, a figure at once
menacing and generous at the same time, which kind of
(35:07):
blended, I don't know, the grotesque of being kind and
being evil at the same time. And then to skip to more recent
years, we have the tradition of a fascist Befana, if at some
point it was called the Befana of the Duche of of Mussolini.
(35:29):
And this so it started in 1928. And the idea was that to have
merchants and traders and well off people to collect gifts of
money, food, other things for the poorest families.
And it was a specific national recreational program during the
(35:52):
the fascist period. And I think it was in 1934 that
the La Bufana Fascista, the fascist Bufana was renamed as
the Duchess Bufana or the Bufanaof, of Mussolini.
It's, it's a figure that has, it's, it's always been there.
(36:14):
He's been appropriated by different people.
So probably it was, I don't know, a pre Christian figure
that was then included into Christianity.
And then it became a folklore figure.
And then it was absorbed into political ideas.
But the idea of the ambivalence of the figure and the idea of
(36:38):
giving gifts has been the essential point of her.
Many, many scholars have tried to explain her Halo.
Ginsburg, for example, he's an historian and social
anthropologist who has worked onthe history of witchcraft and he
(36:58):
doesn't make he mentions that the Befana could somehow be
associated to the idea of which is in fact the reason earlier
association between the Bufana and witches and that is San
Bernardino da Siena. And in so he lived end of 14th
century, beginning of the 15th century where he basically said
(37:23):
talking about a type of witch that is typical of the north of
the country. They're called, Maske is
basically saying in his sermons that they would arrive at the
Jordan River and they would basically practice some magical
things on the Epiphany day. So he's not talking of the
(37:44):
Befana per SE, but he describes these type of witches called
Masca, which were operative in the Epiphany day.
So you see, you have a little bit of a connection there.
The other writer who has coveredthe Befana is Francesco Cardini.
He's an Italian historian who has discussed the theme of the
(38:08):
Befana in relation to its cultural, historical, religious
evolution. And he's propends to say that
the Befana is a transition. It's a figure that is a
transition from a Pagan to a Christian cultural background,
if you like. And he sees the Befana as a like
a typical figure. So we're going back to the pray
(38:31):
Christian goddesses figure, figures that have been
translated into a Christian cultural background.
And then one of, well, the more recent writers touching on the
Befana is Paulo Portone. He's an historian and
anthropologist and he has explored the figure of the
(38:52):
Befana, trying to analyse and understand the origins and the
meaning in the context of Italian popular traditions.
Again he touches on on the pointof the Befana being
metamorphosis of the sacred of apossible pre Christian sacred,
(39:12):
or again a slight connection between the figure of the Befana
and the evil which is of folklore.
So basically he interprets the Befana as a symbolic figure that
testifies the transformation andadaptations of ancient Piga
traditions within the Christian context.
(39:32):
Perhaps the Befana is a bridge between past and present in the
Italian ritual calendar, if you like, which is, I think it's an
interesting concept. More recently, an American
anthropologist, Stephen Siporing, he has written, I
think it was 2022. He has written a lovely book
(39:54):
titled The Befana is Returning the story of a Tuscan festival.
And with his book, he provides aquite good in depth ethnographic
study of the, of the Befana and the tradition of the Befanata,
which is typical of the area where I, I grew up.
In fact, his book is, is focusedon southern Tuscany, which is
(40:18):
where I, where I come from. So this is a little bit of
background trying to get to the origin of this figure.
And it's not quite possible to be fair.
So as I said, this tradition is absolutely my favorite of the
entire 12 nights period. And I'm quite happy to tell you
(40:38):
both that I still, although I don't practice Christmas, the
Christmas tradition, as you know, as I did when I was a kid,
I definitely still practice the Buffana tradition.
And I don't know, it's somethingthat has stayed with me whilst
growing up until now. I think I'm the only person in
(41:00):
Yorkshire keeping this tradition.
I still take care on the the 5thof January to take down all my
decorations, Christmas decorations and to clean the
house, absolutely clean and thenprepare a little dish with some
(41:20):
food and some drinks for her. Because not that I believe that
she would come and check my house and leave me cold if she
find it dirty or something, but I rather don't take any chances.
I'll clean everything and prepare something for her and I
put it either outside or next tothe fireplace.
(41:43):
So that's that. But what are in reality apart my
personal tradition? What are the how is she
celebrated, how she was celebrated and how she
celebrated? Now I've taken as an example
Tuscany, because as I said, it'swhere I'm from and there are
(42:04):
public festivities or public celebrations and private
celebrations. Of the public celebrations,
there are two main kinds. One is called the Befanata and
the other one is the burning of the old lady.
The burning of yeah, the old lady.
(42:25):
That's the hug basically. So the befanata is something
quite traditional and he's been,I know of it, I saw it.
I took part my parents before meand when my parents were growing
up. So it's, you know, and we have
evidence that is something has been practised at least for the
(42:46):
last 150 years. But usually would you would have
a person, usually a man dressed as an old and intentionally,
intentionally unattractive woman.
And this old woman have to be bent with a, you know, humpback
and wearing a scarf around her head.
(43:07):
And she's typically, she has typically warts on her face and
curries a cane or a spindle withthreads hanging from it.
And the befana is usually accompanied by her husband, the
befano, again, another man dressed as an elderly band and
sometimes limping figure. And the pair are joined by men
(43:31):
and women known as the Befanotti, dressed somewhat
scruffly, carrying musical instruments, baskets.
And not anymore, but while I wasgrowing up, still definitely
there a donkey. So they would travel either from
house to house with a donkey playing songs.
(43:55):
Traditionally, I don't remember this but my dad confirmed that
traditionally the befano. So the husband of the befano
would have a cowbell around his neck and when the party reached
the house the door rather than knocking that he would make the
cowbell ring. So the owner of the house would
(44:18):
come out and welcome the party. Once inside the house the the
Befana Befano and Befanotti would start singing songs.
They would be offered food and drinks and also food and drinks
to take with them. And that food would then the
(44:39):
food collected would then redistributed after, after the
event, my father and my aunties and my uncles and and great
uncles, they remember that the the night of the 5th, they would
put a little bit of hay outside of the door and together with a
(44:59):
glass of milk and a cookie or a fruit or some nuts for the
Bethana and her donkey. And then either later on or the
day of the Epiphany on the 6th, the Befana and her husband and
her entourage would arrive and sing songs.
(45:21):
And the songs are usually, they're basically saying, if you
give me food and drinks, I can make sure that you have a good
year or good health or get married, etcetera.
Nowadays the Befana and her entourage going from house to
house is no longer much practice.
(45:44):
Stephen in his book, I think hisbook was published in 2022 and
his survey was done 2009, something like that.
At the time, the Befana, the Befanata would the group would
move from house to house. Nowadays a little less they
would do like a parade across, Idon't know, the main village or
(46:08):
for the main city and, and they would go to restaurants or
shops, especially restaurants. So the owner of the restaurants
would let them in and they woulddo the same, sing songs and give
good wishes, give little presents for the children and
they would get some food and some drinks back.
(46:28):
And then they these will be redistributed.
So the Befanata is still a thing.
More recently we have for example in my hometown,
Griseito, we have the firefighters who on the 5th
evening, one of them would dressas a Befana, would kind of crawl
up a building to represent the Befana and and then there will
(46:51):
be the Befanata. So the Befana and her husband
and her entourage waiting outside to go on a parade and
give little presents here and there.
And so it's a big, big communityevent.
This is the bifanata. So the coming together of the
(47:12):
Bifana and her entourage, sometimes a donkey going from
place to place, singing songs, specific songs.
Oh, by the way, the songs have been attested since the mid 19th
centuries. There is a tradition of Bifana
songs and usually the song is tosay dear housewife, the I don't
(47:37):
know, man of the house, if you give me this, I can assure that
you have good health, etcetera. I think there is a specific name
for this type of group singing, and I think they're called, if I
read it somewhere, itinerant begging rituals, which would
then redistribute to the rest ofthe village society, if you
(48:00):
like. This is the bafanata.
The other public celebration is the burning of the Bafana.
And it's, it's a ritual. There's not specifically only
for the Bafana. It's it's the bonfires are
practice for different reasons at different times of the fall
(48:20):
calendar. But there is definitely a
burning of the old lady or the hug.
In my home village. For example, on on the 5th of
January, in the evening in the main square full of stalls,
food, drinks, there is a bonfirein the centre.
And in the evening the fire is lit and Bethanadol with some
(48:43):
cords, she will, she will be dropped.
So she will come down towards the fire, into the fire and she
has to burn. Because if the Befana doesn't
burn, the coming year would not be a successful year, would not
be a fertile year. So there is still a folk element
(49:06):
that is important in the burningof, of the Befana doll
basically. And I've, I've been part of it,
organizing it. I have helped my parents, my dad
dressed up as a Befana with a wig and had a dunk and all that.
It's a really lively tradition. And then of course there is the
(49:29):
private celebrations. So it's placing of the stockings
either near the fire or near windows or doors.
And I have still living relatives that tell me that they
have practiced this tradition since they were children.
The father of a friend, he was born in 1928, and he said that
(49:52):
he does not remember Father Christmas until the Second World
War. He told me that the Americans
brought Santa Claus, Father Christmas.
Before that was the Befana that brought toys to children, gifts
to children. I hope this has given you a good
(50:14):
idea of how much there is to sayabout her.
And I mean, this is a, a, a livetradition.
It's been there for sure since the 16th century, maybe more.
We have historical evidence that's been there since the 16th
century. There's been in the 1970s and
80s, there's been like a drop in, in the actual festivities
(50:38):
around this tradition, but it never disappear.
It never disappeared. It's always been there.
So there you have it. Thank you so much.
That's really a remarkable tradition going back at least
500 years, definitely a few 100 years older than Santa Claus.
Is there a greeting like, you know, Merry Christmas, happy
(51:01):
holidays? Is there a Bufana greeting
between family or community members?
Absolutely yes. You have Bufana cards.
For example, I have a family WhatsApp group and absolutely on
the 6th of January everybody will send a Befana card.
(51:21):
Now even in my memory there has been a change of the figure of
the Befana. So when I was growing up, the
Befana was the old lady bent with the nose and the warts.
Now in the cards, you have a sexy Befana riding a broom with
all the things that you would accept from a sexy Befana.
So there is being a change, but definitely there is an exchange
(51:45):
of cards. I don't ever remember exchanging
Christmas cards. Christmas cards.
I it's something I have learned to do here in in England, but we
didn't do that. But I definitely remember the
Befana cards and definitely they're there now, yes.
Mary Bingham is back with Minutewith Mary.
(52:06):
I was thrilled that Deborah Moretti introduced me to Befana.
To me, this mystery woman who only existed in folklore
traditions represents many folk traditions today of which little
history is actually known. Did you all know the Babylonians
partook in a festival known as Akitu?
(52:28):
I only read about it today. During this festival, which
marked the beginning of the spring, the Babylonians made
promises before the gods to pay back what they owed to their
community. Since they didn't want to go
back on their word to the gods, you can bet they were returning
all borrowed goods to their rightful owners.
(52:50):
As for me, I resolved the last few years to not make
resolutions, but this year is different.
My resolve to put in hard work to write those columns, get a
publisher for that book, continue to educate on historic
and present witch hunts. What about you?
We'd love to read your comments on what you think of Bethana,
(53:13):
other folk traditions, and if you'd like your own New Year's
resolutions. Thank you.
Thank you, Mary. And now Sarah has End witch
hunts news. From all of us at End Witch
Hunts, best wishes for 2025. We look forward to bringing you
another year of expert conversations and advocacy for
(53:36):
human rights. Thank you for listening,
learning, sharing, and changing the world by standing up for the
vulnerable right where you are. We all share the responsibility
of loving humanity through action.
Join us on February 1st at 1:00 PM for remembering the innocent
victims of the Connecticut WitchTrials, a special 2 hour
(53:57):
commemoration of those who lost their lives in colonial
Connecticut's witch trials. Award-winning performers Deborah
Walsh and Jenny Wolf will open with a dramatic reading,
followed by an expert panel featuring the Connecticut Witch
Trial Exoneration Project Founders, historian Richard
Ross, Connecticut RepresentativeJane Garabe, and Connecticut
(54:17):
Senator Saud Anwar. This afternoon culminates in a
walk of remembrance to the Memorial Bricks at the Ancient
Burial Ground, where author Richard Ross will share insights
from his popular history walks and offer closing reflections.
Connect with fellow community members as we work together to
shine a light on this crucial chapter of our history.
Don't miss this powerful blend of performance, education, and
(54:40):
commemoration that aligns with Connecticut's recent legislative
recognition of these historical injustices.
Reserve your free ticket throughour Eventbrite link.
Thank you, Sarah. You're welcome.
And thank you for joining us on Witch Hunt.
Spend time with us again next. Week.
Have a great today and a beautiful 2025.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Cardiac Cowboys
The heart was always off-limits to surgeons. Cutting into it spelled instant death for the patient. That is, until a ragtag group of doctors scattered across the Midwest and Texas decided to throw out the rule book. Working in makeshift laboratories and home garages, using medical devices made from scavenged machine parts and beer tubes, these men and women invented the field of open heart surgery. Odds are, someone you know is alive because of them. So why has history left them behind? Presented by Chris Pine, CARDIAC COWBOYS tells the gripping true story behind the birth of heart surgery, and the young, Greatest Generation doctors who made it happen. For years, they competed and feuded, racing to be the first, the best, and the most prolific. Some appeared on the cover of Time Magazine, operated on kings and advised presidents. Others ended up disgraced, penniless, and convicted of felonies. Together, they ignited a revolution in medicine, and changed the world.
The Joe Rogan Experience
The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.