The once
beautiful woman swept the floor, sighed, and started sweeping again. He can’t
be dead she thought to herself, not my beautiful baby. Grief over the loss of her beloved son so
recently after being widowed, began to age her. Some say she went mad.
In an
endeavour to eliminate the child professed to become the new king, Herod had
ordered the death of all male children born in the year of Jesus. The soldiers
had rampaged through her village and taken her baby boy along with all others.
In her
sorrow she became obsessive about keeping her home spotlessly clean, sweeping the
floor incessantly. One day three wise men knocked at her door. Although she was poor with only rags for clothes and broken shoes, she made them welcome in her
humble, but cosy, cottage giving them food and a room for the night. They told
her they were following a bright star that would lead them to the new born baby
Jesus and showed her the special gifts of gold, incense
and myrrh they carried for the Christ child.
The next morning, they thanked her for her
hospitality and invited
her to accompany them. She declined saying she was too busy with her housework
and she had nothing worthy to give the special child.
Delusional with grief, she wondered if this
baby could be her own, saved from the evil King Herod’s cruel plans. She left
her home, still with her broom in her hand, to catch up to the wise men, taking
all her son’s clothes and toys. She also bundled up food she had prepared.
Magically, she began to fly on her
broomstick and eventually found Jesus.
Realising this was not her child she presented him, and his parents,
with her son’s belongings and the food as gifts.
By this time, her faced had aged more with
many lines and hair had turned completely grey. Joseph, the child’s father,
looked at the face of this stranger bearing gifts and wondered about her past
and what extreme sorrow she had suffered.
Delighted at the gifts, and in gratitude to
her generosity, Jesus and his father blessed her and gave her a gift in return.
For one night a year, and for all eternity, she would be honorary mother of
every child as if they were her own.
The twelve days of Christmas finish with
the Epiphany, a celebration of renewal, on 6th January. Overjoyed
with her blessing, this is the time she takes to her broom delivering gifts to
every child; blessing good children and punishing bad ones. She became known as
La Befana from the Roman dialect pronunciation of the Italian name for the
religious festival, Epifania.
On the eve of the epiphany she climbs down
chimneys to find stocking hanging near the fireplace. From her basket to places
candy, fruit, toys
and books in the stockings of the good children goes;
but naughty ones receive coal, onions or garlic. In return the families leave wine and cakes
for her.
A smiling but very old woman with a slight
hunch, she still wears rags with colourful patches covered with soot from
climbing down the chimneys.
La Befana does not like to be seen so here
is a word of warning. If you ever spot her on her rounds do not look at her or
she will smack you across the face with the end of her broom.
Enchanting.
ReplyDelete