Members of the Lorain Montenero Italian Society greeted La Befana, the Italian Christmas Witch, at the annual Christmas dinner Dec. 7 at the Italian-American Veterans Post No. 1, 4567 Oberlin Ave., ...

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — To celebrate the legend of La Befana, a Christmas tale in Italian folklore similar to St. Nicholas or Santa Claus, board members of the Garibaldi-Meucci Museum will host a day ...

“Did the broom run out of gas? I’ll go check again,” Ida Ivanovic tells a couple dozen children sitting on the floor, waiting patiently for the arrival of la Befana at the Ciociaro Social Club of ...

The Italian Cultural & Community Center will celebrate the Italian Christmas tradition of la Befana. Children of all ages and families are welcome to attend this event to learn more about Befana and ...

Italy is reviving a beloved character from the 13th century known as La Befana. La Befana is a witch-like old woman who travels on broomstick, delivering gifts and candy to children throughout Italy ...

Let’s be frank: Santa Claus is overexposed. Even before Thanksgiving, Americans are bombarded with Santa songs, movies, and commercials, most of which seem to invoke the nonexistent children’s ...

Not many people outside Italy are familiar with “La Befana“, the Italian Christmas Witch. Actually, even in Italy La Befana is much more popular in the south of the country than she is in the north.

ROME — For generations of Romans, Epiphany, not Christmas, was the holiday season’s main day for receiving gifts. They are dispensed overnight, according to Italian folklore, by the Befana, a ...

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In a spirit of penance for her bad manners, the witch Befana, as she is known, drops down Italian chimneys, depositing gifts for good children and bits of coal for the bad on Epiphany eve? Unlike ...