Meaning: / Meaning:
1- * “Imaginary figure of vecchia brutta, poorly dressed, more beneficial, che nella notte dell'Epiphany porta doni ai bambini ascending from the cappa del camino.
2- Donna molto brutta; sgraziata: ‘he Ha sposato una befana.’
3- Festa dell'Epiphany.
4- Doni che si fanno and ricevono all’Epifania.”
1- Imaginary figure of an ugly old woman, poorly dressed, but beneficial, who on the night of the Epiphany takes little gifts to the children down the chimney duct.
2- Very ugly girl; bastard: 'He married an ugly woman. ’ (in Brazilian popular for this example you can translate befana = ‘dragão’, ‘bagulho’, ‘witch’ etc.).
3- Feast of the Epiphany.
4- Little gifts that are made and received on the day of the Epiphany.
* Definition taken from the Dizionario Italiano Sabatini – Coletti edits dalla Casa Editrice Giunti.
La Befana comes di notte with the scarpe tutte rotte. Il vestito alla Romana, viva viva la Befana. (Detto popolare per chiamare la Befana)/ Befana comes in at night with her shoes all ruined. The Roman dress, long live Befana. (Popular saying to call Befana)
Of this meaning, if you see che la Befana può essere diverse cose però parlerò only su 2 signification: / From the meaning, it can be seen that Befana can be several things, but I will only talk about 2 meanings:
(1) Una vecchia brutta, barely dressed and che porta doni ai bambini nella notte del 6 gennaio. Ogni returns to Befana is described as a strega dalle persone. / An ugly old woman, poorly dressed, who brings little presents to the children on the night of January 6th. Befana is sometimes described as a witch by people.
(2) Festa dell'Epifania, a Christian feast that secondo the tradizioni rap presents the manifestation of Gesù agli uomini eats messiah and col pass degli anni questo girono serves per ricordare alle persone della venuta dei Re Magi. In Brazil, in questo giorno si festeggia il ‘Giorno de Re’ il festeggio si chiama ‘Folia de Reis’, però is a tradition of sta sparendo during the time. / Feast of the Epiphany, a Christian feast that according to tradition represents the manifestation of Jesus as Messiah to men and over the years this day serves to remind people of the coming of Kings Wizards. In Brazil, on this day we celebrate the Kings' Day, the celebration is called Folia de Reis, but it is a tradition that is disappearing with time.
Che racconta la Storia / What the story tells
Il giorno che si festeggia l'Epiphany, secondo the story, comes from the time che le persone credevano in diversi Dei. If racconta ancora, che in quesepoca i contadini credevano vedere volare sopra i campus seminati la Dea Diana, Dea della fertilità e, così la festeggiavano per chiedere buona raccolta ed anche campi fertili. / The day that celebrates the Epiphany, according to history, comes from the time when people believed in different gods. It is also said that at this time, citizens believed they saw the Goddess Diana, Goddess of fertility, flying over the sown fields, and so they celebrated her to ask for a good harvest and fertile fields.
Al medioevo, però, La Chiesa Cattolica condannò the party that passes ad essere pagan and il contadino that per case the festeggiassi dinterebbe eretico. If you want to know it's in question, it's starting to racconti sulle streghe and give loro voli sopra la scopa. / In the Middle Ages, however, the Catholic Church condemned the festival, which became pagan, and the citizen who happened to celebrate it would become a heretic. It is also said that it is at this moment that the tales about witches and their flights on a broom begin.
Secondo anchors the story, it is in the 16th section that the talk of it starts, Befana becomes a female figure that turns from notte to bear paura ai bambini. Dopo a paio di anni, this figure amuses a buona vecchietta, sopra la scopa carrying doni ai bambini al 6 gennaio. / Still according to history, it is in the 16th century that people begin to talk about Befana as a female figure who walked around at night, causing fear to children. After a few years, this figure becomes a good old lady, on a broom taking little gifts to those on January 6th.
It is important to know the giorno della Befana (il 6 gennaio) if festeggia in tutt’ Italy and anche in diversi paesi d’Europe come ad esempio: Spagna, France, Russia ecc.. / It is important to know that the day of Befana (January 6) is celebrated throughout Italy and also in several European countries, such as Spain, France, Russia, etc..
See what today is raccontato, with a leggenda that spies the birth of the myth of Befana. poi poi conosciuta da tutti and dice così: when i Re Magi furono i doni a Gesù, only una vecchia si rifiutò di sigali. And when she pentita, perchè her in andò con i Re Magi, she cercò di raggiungerli, però non ci risosci. Dunque, tutte le notti tra il 5 and il 6 gennaio la Befana, flying with la scopa and with a bag sulle spalle, passes by the case to bear there bambini i doni che she non è risoscita a dare Gesù. / In addition to what I have already told, there is a legend that explains the birth of the Befana myth. It is, therefore, known to all and says thus: when the Three Kings went to take the gifts to Jesus, only one old woman refused to follow them. And when, repentant, because she hadn't gone with the Three Wise Men, she tried to join them, but she couldn't. So, every night between the 5th and the 6th of January to Befana, flying on the broom and with a sack on his back, he passes by the houses to take the presents to the children that he was not able to give to Jesus.
And oggi, com’è? / And today what?
Oggigiorno, la Befana is a party ai bambini che lasciano le loro calze appese al camino o alla finestra per il passaggio della Buona Strega che ci portano dolci, cioccolatini, giocatolli oppure carbon./ Nowadays, Befana is a party for children who leave their socks stuck in the chimney or window for the passage of the Good Witch, who bring them sweets, bonbons, games or charcoal.
La Befana tradizionale porta arance, noci, picolli dolci Casalinghi and carbone. Chi non sa, il carbone is always given to quelli bambini che som stati cattivi during the l’anno che chè che chèlli che disubbidiscono al patti. / The traditional Befana takes oranges, walnuts, small homemade sweets and charcoal. For those who don't know, charcoal is always given to those children who have been mean during the past year or to those who disobey their parents.
Oggi, the carbon dato is di zucchero with the form of the carbon, but continues with the carbon, showing the Tradizione della Befana is not alone a party that you own dolci ecc., but a way of educating i bambini. / Today, the given charcoal is sugar in the form of charcoal, but it continues to be charcoal, demonstrating that the Befana tradition is not only a party that gives sweets, etc., but it is also a way of educating people. kids.
Isabela Reis de Paula
Brazil School Collaborator
Graduated in Languages with Qualification in Portuguese and Italian
By the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro - UFRJ
Italian - Brazil School
Source: Brazil School - https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/italiano/curiosita-di-natale-la-befana.htm
