“Befana” is Italian for “Epiphany”. It’s also the name of a character from an interesting legend that strongly influenced the Italian traditions for celebrating this holiday.
On their way to deliver gifts to the baby Jesus, the Three Wise Men came across a woman named Befana. They asked her to come with them, but she refused, saying she had too much housework to do. Later she realized she had made a mistake. She ran off with her broom in search of the Magi, bearing her own presents for the baby Jesus. But she never caught up to them. It’s said that Befana is still searching for the baby Jesus.
In Italy, it’s Befana, and not Santa Claus, who goes around giving gifts to all the children, in imitation of the Three Wise men bringing gifts to Jesus.
Befana looks like a friendly witch, with a mole on her face and in tattered clothes. She flies on a broom and goes down the chimneys to deliver gifts to all the children.
Here’s a nursery song children chant in Italy for La Befana in Italian and with an English translation…
La Befana vien di notte
La Befana vien di notte
con le scarpe tutte rotte
col cappello alla romana
viva viva la Befana!The Befana Comes at Night
The Befana comes at night
In worn out shoes
Dressed like a Roman
Long live the Befana!
Happy Befana Day!
Lisa
This article was posted on Tuesday, January 3rd, 2006 at 9:35 pm and is filed under Children's Songs, Countries & Cultures, Epiphany, Holiday Songs, Holidays Around the World, Italian, Italian Children's Songs, Italy, La Befana Day, La Befana Songs, La Befana vien di notte - The Befana Comes at Night, La Befana vien di notte - The Befana Comes at Night, Languages. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.
16 Responses to “In Italy, on January 6th, Befana Comes with Gifts for Kids for the Epiphany”
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January 8th, 2006 at 11:37 pm
Hi and Grazie for this song.
My mom who is from Italy used to sing this to us all the time and she has now taught my 4 year old and 2 year old this legand and song but she sings a slightly different song:
La Befana vien di notte
con le scarpe tutte rotte
ai bambini piccolini lascie tanti chocolatini
ai bambini cativoni lascie cenere e carbone
excuse my spelling it may not be correct but it is the song they sing in Roseto Valfortore, a little mountain town in Puglia
the english would be
The Befana comes at night
In worn out shoes
To the little children she leaves a lot of little chocolates
To the bad little children she leaves ashes and coal
You know this is a great legand and I hope all Italians and those of Italian origan keep up the legand and teach this to our children
I also have a little poem I saw in your site of children’s songs, about Cicerenella, this is in dilect though again, our dilect from Roseto Valfortore in Foggia
Cicerenella teneva ‘nu gallo,
tutta’ a’ notte ce ieva a cavallo
E ce ieva tanto bello,
chist’ e o gallo di Cicerenella
Cicerenella teneva nu ciuccio
ieva venenno cavalo e cappucce
e venenneva tanto bello
chist’ e o ciuccio di Cicerenella
Cicerenella teneva na votta
metteva pe incoppa e asceva pe sotta
E asceva tantu bello,
chist’ e a votta di Cicerenella
Italian
Cincirinella aveva un gallo tutta la notte ci andava a cavallo
E ci andava tanto bent, puesto e il gallo di Cicirinella
Cicerenella aveva un asino, andava in giro vendendo brocolli
e cavoli capucci. E vendeva tanto bene, questo e L’asinodi Cicerenella.
Cicerenella aveva una bottoe, il vino che lei ci metevva di sopra uscieva di sotte
e usciva tanto bene
questa e l botte di cicerenella
again excuse me for my spelling in dilect and italian. It’s 10:30 pm and i can’t see straight, running after a 2 and 4 year old.
But thank you so much for this site, and let’s keep the Italian Heritage alive and well
Tanti Saluti
Maria Sabatino-Cabardo
January 12th, 2006 at 11:18 am
Here’s an English translation of Cincirinella by Monique Palomares…
Cincirinella had a rooster
Riding a horse all night long
And it was riding very well
This is the rooster of Cincirinella
Cincirinella had a donkey
Walking around in circles selling broccoli
And green cabbages
And it was selling very well
This is the donkey of Cincirinella
Cincirinella had a cask
The wine that he was pouring in its top (lit. putting)
Was going out from its bottom
And it was going out very well
This is the cask of Cincirinella
Thanks Monique!
January 12th, 2006 at 11:20 am
Maria Sabatino-Cabardo wrote about La Befana…
In my dad’s family, each child got oranges, nuts, a small toy (sometimes) and also a small lump of coal. Nonno said it was to remind them to be good! or else… Thanks for a great site, you have found a lot of songs I almost forgot from my childhood. And lets keep up the Italian traditions, in fact, all our mother countries traditions.
thanks again
Maria Sabatino-Cabardo
http://www.pacificpearl.tv
November 16th, 2006 at 6:20 pm
Hi, I love the Befana nursery rhyme and would like to teach it my children – only I don’t know the tune! Does it have a tune similar to any other
rhyme?
Many thanks,
Katie
November 17th, 2006 at 6:33 pm
I believe it’s recited. If anyone would like to send a recording, of course I’d be happy to post one!
It seems that the family leaves out for La Befana a tangerine or an orange and a glass of wine.
She consumes both and leaves behind a handprint of ashes on the plate (that she got while coming down the fireplace).
November 20th, 2006 at 10:00 pm
Cecilia sent me this email…
Hi Mama Lisa,
I am trying to track down the English translation for these words that come from a version of “La Befana” that I have. I am currently on exchange to Canada from Australia, and don’t have any of my Italian friends with me to help!
They are as follows
La Befana…
1 Ecco la Befana,
Lallira, lirallera.
Ecco la Befana
Lallira, liralla.
2 Cerca Gesu bambino,
‘Cerca gesu bambino’
‘Vola sopra i tetti’
‘Ha un sacco di regali’.
I hope you can help me – I found this site quite by accident, and it is lovely!
Cecilia Littlewood
If anyone can help out, please comment below.
Thanks! -Lisa
November 21st, 2006 at 10:23 am
Monique Palomares sent me these translations…
1 Here comes la Befana
Lallira, lallira
Here comes la Befana
Lallira, lallira
2 Look for Baby Jesus
He’s flying above the roofs
He has a bag of presents.
Thanks Monique!
February 2nd, 2007 at 9:32 pm
Your site brought back many memories my parents were from Roseto Valfortore immigrated to USA in 1920. like to add a verse i remember:in the Rosetano dialect, Cicerenella teneva nu cane muzicava li cristiani muzicava li donne bell’chist’e u cane di cicerenella. Cicerenella had a dog he bit all the christians[people] he bit all the pretty ladies,this is the dog of Cicerenella
September 2nd, 2007 at 11:08 pm
Hello there:
My parents were also from Roseto Valfortore and I just read this last entry about Cicerenella, I’ve never heard it. But its so cool!! I have to remember it. I asked my mother, and she remembers hearing it from her grandfather so it must be a long lost verse. Maybe there are more! Any one remember any others?
Take care all and have a great day.
Maria
November 28th, 2007 at 8:06 pm
this site brought back memories of my birth when la befana was a memoir to me because it gave me a reason to be faithful to all of the people in Italy who worshipped and praised La Befana. your an inspiration so go out into the world knowing you make a difference in lives, hearts, souls and communities!!! your stunnning….BLAh
January 5th, 2008 at 3:17 pm
I came across this site by accident and loved reading about everyone’s memories…it brought back a lot of my childhood! I have been on the search for a recipe for “Befanini”…my mother used to make them for La Befana when we were kids. Unfortunaltely, like almost all other Italian mothers, she never wrote down the recipe and now has passed. Has anyone heard of them or does anuyone have a recipe they’d like to share…I’d love to get it. Thanks and Have a great New Year filled with wonderful memories!
April 11th, 2009 at 3:04 pm
Happy Easter.. Buona Pasqua to all!! April 11, 2009
I was looking for a Roseto recipe for a soup made with baby lamb,
spinach then a mixture of eggs and grated cheese is put over top cooks like a soufle and I came across this site. Very interesting. I was born in Roseto Valfortore, then my family came to Ontario, Canada in 1954. It would be totally eXciting to speak to others from Roseto.
~ Ciao .. Josie
December 9th, 2009 at 5:49 pm
I was in the middle of the desert and a French-Indian gave me a laptop!!!
January 5th, 2010 at 2:35 am
thanks so much for the great songs! My Nonna was from Cremona. A few years ago my father and I wrote a book about La Befana for my kids to help explain why we celebrate Epiphany in our house. We have always been the only family we knew of in our area that had La Befana visit us. It is great to hear other stories! If you are interested, the book is in verse and available through amazon.com: La Befana, and Italian Night after Christmas.
January 5th, 2010 at 1:01 pm
Does anyone know who orginally sang the La Befana song?
January 5th, 2010 at 10:44 pm
That looks interesting! I have the book called The Legend of Old Befana by Tomie de Paola.