The sixth of January is Epiphany, or, for the pagans among us, the Twelfth Day of Christmas--the day the kings arrived at the stable.In Italian tradition, la Befana--a sort of Christmas witch--flies around on a broom, climbs down chimneys and delivers gifts and firewood. These days, she fills children's socks with candy.
There's some debate whether she's a counterpoint to Santa or derives from the Roman goddess Strina. A few weeks ago, I had a surprisingly lengthy discussion in the grocery store parking lot with a nice Italian man who considers Santa Clause a creation of Coca-Cola but la Befana completely authentic. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Befana)
The child in our house figures it's just one more acknowledgment of his birthday.
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