Twelfth Night

Tomorrow is the feast of Epiphany, the twelfth night after Christmas. It's the day that the Three Kings brought their gifts to the baby Jesus, and it marks the end of the Winter festival. The Three Kings, Caspar, Melchior and Balthazar, arrived from the East with their gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh, for the Infant Jesus.
The feast of Epiphany used to be celebrated in Britain. There was even a Twelfth Night cake, baked with a hidden bean inside. Whoever found the bean was king or queen for the day's festivities.
This custom is retained in France, with the Galette des Rois, cake of kings.

I  always have a ritual for putting up the tree, right at the end of November, playing Christmas songs and having a cup of tea and mince pies. I love decorating the tree and house. Some of my tree decorations go back to when my children were very small. There are still some made of bottle tops and tinsel. Drawings and paintings and clay plates painted with robins .It seems no time at all since we decorated the tree, and I'm really glad we 've got two more days to enjoy it.

In England we would take down the decorations and pack everything away by midnight on Twelfth Night. We'd be back at school on 5th January.

My Mum was very superstitious about it. When she came to stay with us in Italy, she got in a real panic because we still had them up, We hurriedly took them down for her.


Here in Italy though, we are still partying, we can take the decorations down at our leisure. We are all busy getting ready for the Befana to come, and for one more family party.

The Befana is an old, witchy looking woman, who comes from Rome. She has a broomstick which is often given as a present , to sweep all your cares away. The Befana traditionally brings a stocking full of sweets. There is a special Befana market, where you can buy sweet coal ( for the naughty  deeds) and sweet parmesan ( for the good deeds). She delivers her presents during the night, and is accompanied by a donkey.

When my father-in-law was a boy, he only had the Befana's presents, it is was a very strong tradition in Northern Italy. No-one will admit to being a Befana. She really is not very attractive. There are no songs about her being kissed under the mistletoe. My son's mother-in-law prepares stockings for all the family, about eighteen all together, right down to the baby's bootees. She delivers during the night, but if you ever dare thank her for them you get a hard stare "Do I look like the Befana" she'll say, affronted.

In Romania and Spain, everyone cleans there shoes thoroughly and leaves them outside, hoping they will find them filled with sweets and small presents.

La Befana vien di notte
Con le scarpe tutte rotte
Col vestito alla romana
Viva, Viva La Befana!

The English translation is:

The Befana comes by night
With her shoes all tattered and torn
She comes dressed in the Roman way
Long life to the Befana!