I. - The old woman pictured above in a painting by Felice Casorati (1883-1963) is not a befana but she looks the part. When I went looking for a suitable illustration of this beloved Italian folk character I turned up all sorts of oddities. Not only did my inquiries turn up mostly young women, many of them looked like escapees from a Silvio Berlusconi's 'bunga bunga' party.
The word befana is a corruption of the Italian word for Epiphany. The befana is an imaginary character who, in the guise of an old woman, brings gifts to children on the eve of the twelfth day of Christmas (January 6), in remembrance of the gifts that were brought to the baby Jesus by the three Magi.
And then there is this from the German writer Goethe who described the presepes in his book Italian Journey (1786-87):Legend has it that the befana was the only old woman or vecchietta to accompany the three wise men on their journey but she arrived too late to see baby Jesus and so she repents her loss by bringing her gifts to good children each year. She descends through the chimney to fill stockings hung by hopeful children who have thoughtfully put out their own gifts for the befana– a mandarin orange and a glass of wine. In return the children find barley sweets, chestnuts and walnuts, their reward for two months of good behavior. If the children are bad, their lot would a stocking filled with lumps of coal, ashes, onions, garlic and carrots. But children are usually good for the befana and celebrate her visit by feasting on pancakes.
Although now part of a Christian holiday, the character of the befana dates from folk cultures of earlier ages; she may be a descendant of the pre-Olympian Pandora, whose box opened to expose treats rather than in the later version where she unleashed woe to the world.
Its customs are also alive and flourishing in the Neapolitan nativity scenes called Presepe. Expansive and exuberant, these tableaux of communal life show the nativity as an integral part of ordinary life, only partly a representation of theological niceties. Not just a religious symbol, it tells a story of a communal life. Just so, the befana who behaves as a wise angel is embodied by a dark, gnome-like creature wearing a shawl, an apron with pockets (to hold those toys and sweets), and a kerchief on her head called, a cappellaccio..
![]()
II. - Presepe is the Italian word for crib and, in the context of the Christmas holiday, it refers to the creche or nativity scene. St. Francis of Assisi is credited with popularizing the manger tableau to accompany Mass at Greccio in 1223 but the first known written mention of a manger scene came from Naples and the Church of Santa Maria in the year 1025. In its Neapolitan incarnation presepe evolved into an artistic version of Neapolitan ice cream, a delight of many layers. Not confined to a manger, a presepe became an entire village complete with butchers and bakers, laundresses and shoemakers, fishermen and - of course - a befana. Today there is a street and an open air market devoted to nothing but the making and selling of hand-made presepe, Via San Gregorio Armeno. Its customs are also alive and flourishing in the Neapolitan nativity scenes called Presepe. Expansive and exuberant, these tableaux of communal life show the nativity as an integral part of ordinary life, only partly a representation of theological niceties. Not just a religious symbol, it tells a story of a communal life. Just so, the befana who behaves as a wise angel is embodied by a dark, gnome-like creature wearing a shawl, an apron with pockets (to hold those toys and sweets), and a kerchief on her head called, a cappellaccio..
" Here is the moment to mention another entertainment that is characteristic of the Neapolitans, Il Presepe […] builds a slight palchetto in the form of a hut, all adorned with trees and saplings always green; and there you puts the Madonna and the Child Jesus and all characters, including those that they hover in air, sumptuously dressed for the feast […]. But what gives the whole show a note of incomparable grace is the background in which s the frames the Vesuvius with its surroundings. "
Images:
1. Felice Casorati - Vecchietta, 1918, Civic gallery of Modern Art, Turin.
2. unidentified photographer - Dragotti Presepe, Bramante Hall, Piazzo del Popolo, Minstry of Culture, Romw.