La Befana - Epiphany

by Louisa Loring

The last day of Christmas, known as the Epiphany is not only a celebration of the three kings who brought gifts to baby Jesus on January 6th but also, a final day of celebration for Italian children. Children go to bed, their shoes laid out, empty but awaiting to be filled with a surprise in the morning. It is a tradition that goes back to the XIII century and is still to this day a favorite amongst children.

According to Italian story, the Befana, a women flies around on a broomstick, coming to each child to deliver a final gift to end the holiday season. She wears a cape and is covered in soot because she enters through the chimney like Santa Claus. Tradition has it that she leaves candy and small gifts in the shoes of those children who have been good and a lump of coal for those who have been naughty.

To celebrate the arrival of the Befana, Italians generally celebrate with fresh Cenci, meaning rags, which are a traditional Carnival pastry from Venice which is a kind of crunchy friend dough covered in powdered sugar. For the Epiphany Feast, Tuscans celebrate with plates of local cheeses and meats. To follow, broccoli is served with crostini and chicken liver pate. The primo might be as simple as pasta dressed with good olive oil or ravioli with ragu. For the main dish, pork sausages or lamb is prepared and for something sweet, a spice cake is served which is usually baked with a small bean or prize hidden inside which is meant to name the king of the feast for he who finds it in his slice. It is also custom to hide two, one for the king and one for the queen.

Cenci or frappe

To end festivities, Florence celebrates with a performance parade comprised of 800 people that runs from Palazzo Pitti to the Piazza del Duomo starting at 14.00. It is truly a sight to be seen for both children and adults with a pit stop in Piazza Signoria for a flag throwing show. The parade is full of falcons, flag throwers, women and men dressed in traditional costume, and of course, the Three Wise Men who deliver gifts to the baby Jesus in the Nativity scene in Piazza del Duomo.

Contact us! info@istitutoeuropeo.it - www.istitutoeuropeo.it

Like us! Facebook Istituto Europeo

A Florentine Christmas

by Louisa Loring

There is an old saying in Italy ‘Natale con i tuoi, Pasqua con chi vuoi’ which means Christmas with family and Easter with whom you like, friends or family.  Christmas is an important time of the year in which everyone comes together from afar ‘a tavola’ or around the table, where Italians tend to spend a lot of their time.  Christmas is not unlike other Italian traditions, that is, long, eventful and full of good food and company.  A typical Florentine Christmas celebration really starts on the 24^th with a fish dinner before evening mass at 23.00. Called the Seven Fish Dinner, which comprises of seven courses of different fish dishes from smoked swordfish to steamed mussels to pasta with clams, because traditionally, it is custom to refrain from eating meat before the birth of Christ.  In some regions of Italy as many as twelve courses are served to represent the twelve days of Christmas.   

The next morning, children wake up to stockings, traces of Babbo Natale (Santa Claus) and gifts are exchanged with family, only to be followed by another meal, this one though, full of meat.  Most Italians eat at home but various restaurants are open for Christmas lunch in Florence serving up platters of cured meats and cheeses, piping hot bowls of tortellini in broth and mounds of boiled meats and vegetables.  To top things off, Panettone or Pandoro (bread of gold), a sweet bread from Northern Italy is served with a strong espresso to pull you out of your food coma.

After Christmas lunch, it is most traditional for families to go to the cinema. For those who want to walk off their lunch and get a breath of fresh air, it is also tradition to take a stroll in the countryside or in a beautiful area in Florence, if weather permits.  Other families, however, stay at home and play tombola, an Italian game similar to bingo in which each player aims to cover their number board first and yelling out ‘tombola!’ The evening closes with a light dinner of the broth made from cooking the boiled meats served for lunch.

And that’s not all!  The 26^th is the national holiday of Santo Stefano, which is primarily a day of rest.  Most everything is closed in town, except the movie theaters, for those who didn’t make it after Christmas lunch.  Most Florentines take it easy and wake up with no schedule; they sleep in and enjoy it.  After all the hard work and preparation for the previous days, it is surely time for a rest, and that it is: no one does the cooking because leftovers are the star of today’s meal.

The tombola

But Christmas is still not over.  Celebration lasts for a full 12 days, hence ‘The Twelve Days of Christmas’ until the 6^th of January, known as ‘La Befana’ or the Epiphany feast, which celebrates the story of the three wise men or kings who come bearing gifts to Jesus.  The story behind the Befana comes from a fairytale about a woman on a broomstick who flies all over Italy bringing presents to children.  Florence is no different in embracing this holiday by organizing a grand parade in the afternoon that runs through the city center.  It is a final time to see Florence all done up, decorated, and beaming with Christmas spirit before the next year to come.     

Contact us! info@istitutoeuropeo.it - www.istitutoeuropeo.it

Follow us! Facebook Istituto Europeo