Wherever you are in the Maremma this week, you’re sure to find a La Befana celebration.
As a kid with Italian roots, but an Australian upbringing, I used to look at my contemporaries back in the Mother Country with envy.
They get Santa and La Befana? That’s hardly fair!
Back in my mother’s day in old Calabria, there was no Santa, only La Befana. The beneficent witch who came appropriately after Christmas Day bearing gifts.
It was a great idea. Italian children could properly appreciate the Catholic celebration and then get presents a week later.
In the Maremma, La Befana is tied to a handful of other legends about streghe (witches).
Some aren’t as nice as La Befana – a somewhat precocious old lady who is too busy cleaning to see the birth of Christ. When she later goes out, she can’t find baby Jesus, so she makes up for it by giving all the good children of Italy candy and small presents, while the bad ones get coal.
Another sadder version of the story tells of a woman who has lost her child. Delusional with grief, she thinks Jesus is her son and showers him with gifts. Baby Jesus, in turn, gifts her with the title of Mother of all Children, and so she becomes La Befana.
My favourite non-befana Maremman witch legend is about an evil hag that lives in a tree in the forests around Grosseto. She lures unsuspecting travellers into her grasp by singing beautiful songs. Then she traps them in the trees.
I’ve always wondered why Maremman children don’t grow up seriously confused. With so many evil witch stories like this one being told at bedtime, how can they not be afraid of La Befana?
However, the sentiment behind La Befana is stronger in country Italy then anywhere else. As modern Italian children happily embrace Santa, this well- meaning witch has become a little redundant.
But if you’re lucky enough to be in the Maremma on January 6, you can still experience the true spirit of this holiday with plenty of events. My favourite is La Befanata in San Martino sul Fiora, a tiny town just outside of Manciano.
For more than 30 years, locals have been dressing up as La Befana, her husband and their musical helpers and travelling from home to home singing traditional and, usually hilarious, songs connected to the holiday.
In exchange, the householders donate small, but tasty offerings. At the end of the evening, the singers meet in the main piazza to share their bounty of food and wine with everyone, and dance the night away.
The Maremma is one of the few places in Italy that still celebrates La Befana in the traditional way, and this dance is the most authentic part!
Buon Anno and happy Epiphany everyone!
Some other great Befana events:
1. Presepe Vivente
Historic Centre, Porto Ercole, 4.30pm-7pm
A beautiful reenactment of the nativity scene by the locals of Porto Ercole. Easily the most evocative and anticipated event of the day anywhere in the Tuscan Maremma. The Porto Ercolani fight to the death to get the best roles each year!
2. Dicesa La Befana
Castello Aldobrandesco, Arcidosso, 4pm
A fantastic, if somewhat dangerous, annual rite where La Befana climbs down the town’s fortress tower to hand out gifts and sweets to all the children present. Don’t worry about any accidents, the local fire brigade is there to help her if she gets stuck!
3. Arriva la Befana per per Poggiosolidate
Sala Parrocchiale, Poggio Murella, from 4pm
I love bingo anywhere and in any form and the Poggioli make it an event the entire community can get involved in. The evening kicks off with stockings for all the children and a kid’s bingo or, as we call it tombola, game, followed by an adult’s bingo (the prizes are bigger and boozer). There will also be a charity auction.
4. Mercato della Befana
Piazza Caribaldi, Castiglione della Pescaia, all day
The last of the Christmas markets with cute stalls selling festive knickknacks, roasted chestnuts and vin brule by the barrel-full.
5. Concerto della Befana
Historic Centre, Massa Marittima, 5.30pm
You wouldn’t expect anything else from Massa Marittima, and lucky, this concert promises to be a fantastic and really enjoyable event for children and adults alike. It always draws a massive crowd and the music is a fun mix of traditional, usually folkloric, songs and more contemporary hits, performed by a collection of local bands.
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