La Befana
I used to be quite impressed by the fact that the Italians still have strength to keep partying on the 6th of January. (The only thing that happens in Estonia for the 6th of January is that people throw out their Christmas trees and stop calling the new year new.) It seemed to be another reminder of the main difference between Protestantism and Catholicism - the latter have more parties.
As the day has come and gone, I'm left wondering if it's really a festivity in itself or just a piece of Christmas gone astray.
Befana is an old woman, represented as a kind witch, who enters the houses through a chimney to bring the kids candy if they've been good, or a piece of coal if they've been bad (or a representative black rock-candy as on the photo). As the tradition is older than Christianity, Befana might have been a local version of Santa Claus and originally celebrated for the Winter Solstice, 21st of December. The fact that after delivering the candy Befana will be burned as a vaguely anthropomorphic wood statue placed in the central piazza, gives the whole event a slightly morbid feel. So what is it, a pagan tradition that couldn't have been discarded completely, has thus been postponed to the Epiphany instead and fitted with an Inquisition-style stamp to make it theologically correct? One of the explanations is that burning the figure of an old woman is a representation of leaving behind the old year and starting with the next. Fire seems to have a direct connection to the Sun that will start to gain strength again after the lowest extreme.
In Estonian terms this could be a combination of Santa's little helpers (päkapikud) that bring (or don't bring) candy to the slippers of the children all through December until Christmas and the bonfires of the Summer Solstice celebration (jaanipäev) and a generic a-reason-to-drink day as, say 30th of April, volbripäev (something similar to Halloween). But I can't think of any festivities that would actually include a witch or burning it.
The modern Befana-celebration bears the unmistakable marks of being a clearly non-Christian festivity. Rather than the last chance to take a look at the elaborate preseppe (nativity scene) in the local church, it seems to be a chance to take a day off work, meet everyone at the piazza, take a vin brulé (mulled wine) or a frittella (a type of thick pancake) off the street stands, discuss the past holidays, make plans to go skiing and warm your backside at the burning Befana.
As for the tradition of calling the holidays finished - our plastic pine is still firmly standing in the living room. After all, it's still allowed to wish people a happy 2007. There's no rush.
As the day has come and gone, I'm left wondering if it's really a festivity in itself or just a piece of Christmas gone astray.
Befana is an old woman, represented as a kind witch, who enters the houses through a chimney to bring the kids candy if they've been good, or a piece of coal if they've been bad (or a representative black rock-candy as on the photo). As the tradition is older than Christianity, Befana might have been a local version of Santa Claus and originally celebrated for the Winter Solstice, 21st of December. The fact that after delivering the candy Befana will be burned as a vaguely anthropomorphic wood statue placed in the central piazza, gives the whole event a slightly morbid feel. So what is it, a pagan tradition that couldn't have been discarded completely, has thus been postponed to the Epiphany instead and fitted with an Inquisition-style stamp to make it theologically correct? One of the explanations is that burning the figure of an old woman is a representation of leaving behind the old year and starting with the next. Fire seems to have a direct connection to the Sun that will start to gain strength again after the lowest extreme.In Estonian terms this could be a combination of Santa's little helpers (päkapikud) that bring (or don't bring) candy to the slippers of the children all through December until Christmas and the bonfires of the Summer Solstice celebration (jaanipäev) and a generic a-reason-to-drink day as, say 30th of April, volbripäev (something similar to Halloween). But I can't think of any festivities that would actually include a witch or burning it.
The modern Befana-celebration bears the unmistakable marks of being a clearly non-Christian festivity. Rather than the last chance to take a look at the elaborate preseppe (nativity scene) in the local church, it seems to be a chance to take a day off work, meet everyone at the piazza, take a vin brulé (mulled wine) or a frittella (a type of thick pancake) off the street stands, discuss the past holidays, make plans to go skiing and warm your backside at the burning Befana.As for the tradition of calling the holidays finished - our plastic pine is still firmly standing in the living room. After all, it's still allowed to wish people a happy 2007. There's no rush.
2 comments:
It's great to have this sort of contact with you, if not in presence, at least reading whatever you decide to post.
Congrats! The blog suits you, you're recognizable (God! i hope the word exists!!).
Hope you've enjoyed Christmas in Italy. I've had my fair share of the mediterranean version of the celebrations, although it seems that globalization smashes differences everywhere (hey, george michael and the bloody "last christmas..." chorus are all over the shops, railway and metro stations, etc...). I can't even describe you authentic traditions, because I have forgoten some of them, or even is some cases, never even had the chance to get to know them.
I'll visit your blog regularly :P
baci,
Celso Rocha
thanks a lot, Celso! I hope to hear from you more often as well this way. As a reminder to you: the Portuguese go singing and drinking door-to-door at Christmas, eat the king-cake and (surprise surprise) bacalhau.
beijinhos!
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