Even in 2026, as per tradition, every municipality organized the arrival of the Befana on Epiphany day, with free stockings for all the children present, followed by the burning of the Befana.
We always go to a different town just to mix it up and not repeat the same route every year. This year, where we went, they first organized an indoor puppet show for the children, which wasn’t too bad, with some particularly fun moments.
Afterward, we all moved outdoors and waited for the arrival of the Befana, who this time arrived on a tractor and started throwing candy here and there.
Then the distribution of the stockings began, which contained candies, chocolates, and coal (obviously sugar coal, not real coal), while at the same time, hot wine, hot chocolate, and pieces of panettone were being handed out.
Once the stockings were all distributed, it was time for the most typical Epiphany tradition: burning the Befana!
It’s a very old tradition, once performed by farmers to predict the harvest, by watching the direction of the sparks... Now, it has lost this meaning and is more of a way to say goodbye to the Christmas season and the holidays.
As you can see, the staff begins to set the fire, and the Befana is high up.
As time passes, the fire grows stronger.
Until the Befana herself is burned. The background with the red-pink sunset was a nice touch.
The final verdict was gloomy, “sparks to the east, abundant harvest; sparks to the west, not much at all”… And that day, the sparks went to the west!
