Who In The World Fills Italian Stockings?
Hint: it's not Santa. Learning about traditions for children in Italy.
Let’s take a quick trip back to Italy, 2009. My first Christmas on Lake Como was a snow-covered immersion of new traditions, foreign words with what seemed like a million rolling rs, and a fantasy world of new tastes and foods. I was basically floating around on a magic cloud of holiday romance and Italian dreams.
I had no idea then that my first holiday in Italy was laying the foundation for eventually raising my own Italian child in these traditions and language. My Italian boyfriend and I were just living in the US then. Bizarrely, after being a meticulous travel researcher and planner for every previous international trip of my life, I did zero research beforehand. I put myself entirely in the hands of my Italian boyfriend and his family and let the holidays unfold. In retrospect, this was pretty naive but that’s a story for another day.
The visit was full of joyous festivity. Some highlights:
Christmas Eve aperitivo in the main piazza with the kind of never-ending bar-long aperitivo spread that I just doesn’t happen anymore.
My first after-meal passeggiata along the lakefront among the bright Christmas lights and northern Italian cold,
Taking off and landing in a seaplane (lakeplane?) with little future nephews over the steep pre-Alps mountains and pastel villas of the steely grey lake.
A heavy snowfall with zero wind that silently capped the city with a thick snow hat overnight.
Top L-R: December 2009 snow-covered Lake Como, boarding for the seaplane tour, palm trees and persimmon in the snow, grey winter lake, a chilly seagully, view up the lake toward the Italian Alps
So what about the stockings?
On Christmas Eve, when I arrived at my future in-laws casa perched high above the lake, there were familiar and unfamiliar Christmas decorations: bright red potted poinsettias, a large nativity scene, and strategically placed bowls of gold-foil-wrapped long pyramid-shaped thingies. I soon discovered the wrapping was hiding the exquisite original form of Nutella, giundiuotti, creamy hazelnut chocolates from Turin. The extended dining table was set for 15 with old family silver and lined with candles. But in my mind, something was missing. Where were the hung stockings for Santa to fill?
This is when I learned:
My 38-year old boyfriend did not have a stocking
because adults don’t get stockings.
Only Italian children get stockings aka calze.
My BF’s little Italian nephews, age 10 and 12, would have stockings but would not put them out on Christmas even, but on the eve of January 5th, the eve of Epifania.
I grew up in a pretty darn religious Lutheran family so when the Italian word ‘Epifania’ was tossed out, it wasn’t a stretch to understand that the stockings would be filled on Epiphany, the day the 3 wise men brought gifts to the new baby Jesus. Knowing this…
What did you choose?
If you picked: “a generous hag with a broom”, you’re right! Introducing la Befana, a generous old lady with a broom who fills the stockings and looks witchy but is not a witch! In a Santa-esque twist, she only fills the calze with candies and toys for the good children. Bad kids get coal or garlic…or in poorer times, sticks.
No one knows the exact origins of the Befana, but a possible sory links her to the three wise men. The tale goes that the 3 got lost on their way to Bethlehem and asked this old woman for directions. She obliged and so they invited her to come with them to find the baby Jesus. The woman declined but then immediately regretted it, so she prepped some treats and went looking for the 3, never finding them. Instead she gave her sweets to children as gifts along the way. And thus, the legend of the Befana was born.
Befana closes out the holiday season
“Epifania, tutte le feste porta via” is a common Italian saying at this time of year. Meaning: Epiphany signals the end of the Christmas holidays and ‘takes them away’. Italians take down their Christmas trees and decorations on January 6th; schools will start up again the following day. It’s a nice fresh start to the new year.
I’m so curious about your traditions around Christmas stockings, the Befana, or if you maybe don’t even use stockings! Please tell me more in the comments.
In the meantime, here’s a fun little filmino for you from last year about me filling my son’s stocking:
Thank you for being here!
In the coming months I’ll be writing about what working moms in Italy have to do when they’re sick, how to pick an Italian high school (it’s more like choosing a college major), - and a new series: How to feed an Italian kid 10 ways!
If you’re possibly under the weather as my son and I were this past week, or just need a snuggle in a bowl, try every Italian kid’s ultimate comfort food: pastina in brodo. I also just posted my very favorite authentic and easy winter pasta recipe for you - 30 minute Orecchiette with Rapini aka Cime di Rapa. Grazie for being here and wishing you all the happiest holidays from Lake Como!
x
Lolly
Soo cool
I've always thought we're missing out in the US by not celebrating Epiphany! It makes the post-Christmas let-down less of a let-down because there's still one more special day to look forward to at the end of the weird and glorious in-between week after Christmas. We celebrate in our family with king cake, and lighting candles, and blessing the house, and small gifts. It's a tradition I hope my kids carry on with their own families some day.