Christmas in Italy: The Epiphany is quite different in Venice
By: Lia Contesso
Submitted: 2012-01-11 09:33:16 | Word Count: 574
The tradition of the Befana is the one that characterizes the day of the Epiphany in Italy, the date that also marks the end of the Christmas festivities and that is one of the most awaited moments of the year for children of all ages.
January 6th is celebrated in many parts of the world but it is Italy the one country that has the exclusivity of celebrating the figure of the amiable witch Befana. The legend says that the three wise men, also known as the three kings, stopped by the witch's house on their way to give the newborn Jesus gold, frankincense and myrrh. They asked her the way to Bethlehem and she indicated the right direction, but refused their invitation to join them. Later in the night, the Befana regretted her decision and went out looking for the three men. Since she could not find them, she left a gift in every house she passed, in the hopes that the newborn would be inside one of them.
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Two are the events in Venice that no one missed last week, since in these town the Epiphany is celebrated in an alternative, funnier way, that invites its inhabitants to meet and have a nice time together. The "Pan e Vin" (Bread and Wine) will be held on January 5th in Jesolo, and on Friday 6th, the historical centre of Venice will be the scenario of the boat race "Regata della Beffana".
The first celebration in Jesolo derives from a tradition that has remained almost intact throughout the centuries that had the goal of turning away bad luck and calling back the sun, that would make days longer and harvest better. This occasion was celebrated for many years on December 25th, until the Christian calendar moved it to the Epiphany day.
The typical bonfires lit during the Pan e Vin are supposed to have directed the three wise men to Bethlehem, and are today the centre of family and town reunions in which people drink vin brulè and hot chocolate, as well as the "pinza", a Christmas cake made of corn flour and dried figs. An alternative historical source symbolizes the fires as them actually being Mother Nature who offers herself as wood, exhausted from all the year's work, in order to flourish again in spring.
The 6th of January, one the Befana had already left candy for the good kids and coal for the bad ones, the town of Venice hosted a boat race in which competed the members of the oldest rowing society in the city, dressed up as the honoured witch and followed by boats filled with wise men and Santa Claus. The race, that lasted around fifteen minutes, started ant the S. Tommaso vaporetto station at 11 a.m. and ended at the bridge of Rialto, making the Grand Canal a spectacular racing track. At the arrival in Ponte Rialto, hot beverages and candy were distributed.
If you happened to be in Venice those days, I hope you took some time to visit Jesolo on the 5th and did wake up early to get the best view of the Regata on Friday 6th. Definitely a very different and original way of celebrating the Epiphany in Italy.
