Befana

Befana or "La Befana" is a friendly spirit in Italian folklore, similar to Santa Claus. Her name means 'giver of gifts', and she visits all the children in Italy on January 5 to fill their stockings with candy if they are good or a lump of coal if they are bad. The child's family will always leave a plate of broccoli and spice sausage plus a small glass of wine for Befana.

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She is usually portrayed as an old lady, riding a broomstick through the air. Unlike a witch though, she is often smiling and she has a bag or a hamper filled with candy and/or gifts.

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Italian folklore: REDIRECT Culture of Italy...

Santa Claus: :For places in the United States with this name, please see Santa Claus (disambiguation)....

Italy: Italy (Italian: Repubblica Italiana or Italia) is a country in southern Europe. It comprises a boot-shaped peninsula and two large islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia, and shares its northern alpine boundary with France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia. The independent countries...