La Befana

Boy….How time flies ! Seems like I just started this class, but the semester is already over, and today I graduated from the first grade!

Anyways, as a final exam for the semester, we were given a list of topics from which to compose a short story. We chose to write about the Italian holiday… “La Befana”. They’re going publish our individual stories in the school newspaper sometime next spring.

I’m sure the grammar isn’t perfect , but this is the paper I wrote …….( and you thought I was just a dumb marathon walker).

La festa della Befana è celebrata in Italia il 6 gannaio ed è una festa nazionale.L’Epifania celebra il 12 giorni di Natale quando i Re Magi arrivano all stalla portando regali al bambino Gesu.

Numerose varianti della leggenda della Befana sono venuti attraverso i secoli come la tradizione è ilfolclore , ma il tema comune a tutte queste storie è come segue :

Alla vigilia dell’Epifania (il dodicesimo giorno di Natale), i Magi, (i tre saggi Re delle mistico orientele) fedeli è determinati, loro seguono la stella più brillante nella cielo nella loro implacabile ricerca di un neonato Re per dare il benvenuto a Lui come rappresentanti dei loro regni.

Lungo il loro cammino, loro incontrano una vecchia donna, mentre lei diligentemente spazza la sua piccola casa,loro chiedono a lei direzione per Betlemme.

I Re invitano lei a accompagnano Re loro, ma lei rifiuta, perchè, spiega, lei e troppo occupatò pulire la sua casa è non può andarsene. Loro continuano senza di lei, ma piu tardi, la vecchia donna decide di intraprendere il proprio viaggia lunga in cerca di questo nuovo misterioso bambino.

Volando attraverso il cielo sulla sua scopa magica, lei non lo trova, ma ovunque vede una bambino addormentato,lascia un dono speciale solo nel caso in cui Lui è il neonato Re. E lei adempie tale scopo la vigilia dell’Epifania vigilia per secoli.

In Italia, la celebrazione dell’Epifania include le leggenda di una buona strega chiamata befana. E descritta come una vecchietta brutta con capelli bianchi, è vestiti sporchi di fuliggine. Arriva su una scopa durante la notte del 5 gennaio. Porta giocattoli è dolci a bambini buoni è carbone a cattivi. I bambini sospendono le loro calze la vigilia dell’Epifania nell’attesa della visita della Befana.

The English Translation:

La Befana , a Christian holiday (also known as the Epiphany) is celebrated in Italy on January 6th and is also a national holiday. The Epiphany celebrates the 12 days of Christmas when the 3 Kings (the 3 wise men) arrive at the manger of baby Jesus bearing gifts.
Many variations of the legend of La Befana have come down through the ages as tradition and folklore, but the common theme in all of these stories is as follows:

On the Eve of the Epiphany (the 12 days of Christmas), the Magi, ( the three wise Kings from the mystical east) faithful and determined, follow the brightest star in the heavens in their relentless search for a newborn king to welcome him as representatives of their own kingdoms.

Along their journey, they encounter an old woman, La Befana, as she diligently sweeps her little house and they ask her for directions to Bethlehem. The kings invite her to accompany them, but she declines; because she explains, she is too busy cleaning her house and cannot leave.
They continue on without her, but later, old Befana has misgivings and decides to embark on her own long journey in search of this new mysterious child. Flying through the sky on her magical broom, she never finds him, but wherever she sees a sleeping child, she leaves a special gift just in
case that one is the newborn king. And she has been fulfilling this purpose on Epiphany eve for centuries.

Epiphany is the climax of the Advent/Christmas Season and the Twelve Days of Christmas, which are usually counted from the evening of December 25th until the morning of January 6th, which is the Twelfth Day.
In Italy, the celebration of the Epiphany includes the legend of a good witch who is called “La Befana.” She is described as and ugly old women with white hair wearing torn shoes and clothes that are soiled from soot. She arrives on a broom late on the night of January 5th and enters the house through the chimney. She brings toys and sweets to the good children and coal to the bad ones.
The children hang their stockings on epifany eve in anticipation of her arrival.