Befana Heiii girls are you ready?
have set into motion the broom is time to leave us waiting a long night!
I am ready with socks and sweets and I'm in a hurry, but before I go I want to tell the legend of Befana:
- The story of the birth of the Epiphany has its roots in a tradition of cultural matrix pagan superstitions and magical stories.
The Christmas period is set in a time of year that historically was full of rituals and customs related to land, the beginning of the new harvest and to propitiate the idea of \u200b\u200bluck and prosperity in the new year.
The ancient Romans celebrated the beginning of the year with festivities in honor of the god and goddess Strenia Janus (hence Christmas gift). These parties were called Sigillaria, we exchanged greetings and gifts in the form of figurines of clay or bronze and even gold and silver. These statues were called "sealed" from the Latin "Sigillum", short for "signum" statue. The Sigillaria was expected, especially with children who received the gift of their seals (usually sweet pastry) in the form of dolls and animals.
La Befana is a character who has taken ideas from diverse cultural legends and transpositions. Initially, and still speaks of the polytheistic Roman period, people worshiped Diana, the goddess of hunting and fertility in the nights preceding the start of the new seed is said to pass, with a large group of women, over the fields, just to make them fertile and fruitful, the next harvest.
Treccani encyclopedia gives the following definition: is for the people of a mythical character in the form of horrible old woman who goes through life from 1 to 6 January. At the last night of his home world is full of wonders: the trees are covered with fruits, animals talk, the rivers and the sources are transformed into gold. Children expect gifts, the girls draw the fire of the horoscopes on the future wedding, with olive leaves on hot ashes, teenagers and adults, in a group, go to the village singing ... in some places is made with rags and tow a puppet and is exposed at the windows ... The peasants instead of the Tuscan Romagna wont carry it around on a cart, with shouts and whistles, to the square of the village, where light bonfires for burning la Befana...Gli studiosi vedono nel bruciamento del fantoccio (la Vecchia, la Befana, la Strega), che persiste un po’ dappertutto in Europa, la sopravvivenza periodica degli spiriti malefici, facendo risalire il mito della befana a tradizioni magiche precristiane...
Col passare dei secoli la deriva pagana diede spazio alle interpretazioni cristiane; siamo ovviamente in un medioevo fatto di persecuzioni alle streghe e di forte fervore religioso. Ed è qui che avviene un primo incontro di culture, la bella Diana diviene una brutta donna e i riti dei falò (si bruciava il vecchio per dare spazio al nuovo) divengono dei veri e propri roghi della vecchia, dove una simbolica attempata strega viene posta al di sopra di questi roghi. Le contaminazioni pagan and Christian and then generate a profile of women that is a mixture of both cultures, one part Diana and the other lives the good the bad witch to be burned.
This rite, to which we can witness today, was then embraced by the church and that is where the legend was born beautiful Epiphany. It is said that the Three Kings en route to Bethlehem had asked about the road to an old woman, who had insisted that she go with them to bring gifts to the Savior. The old woman refused, but later, repenting, he prepared a basket of sweets and went in search of the Magi and the Child Jesus
not finding them knocked on the door and gave sweets to the children they hope to so do forgive the absence. With the mediation of the Epiphany Christianity thus becomes a kind of witch, dressed in rags, ugly and flying over the rooftops with a broom, and therefore has a wicked side that makes it a very fascinating character. If there were many other benefactors such as Santa Claus or Saint Nicholas bring gifts to all, the Befana brings gifts to those modest and much coal was not good.
The etymology of the name Befana is closely linked to the name of the party, is in fact a derivation of the forms by which the people expressed in dialect the word "Epiphany." The dualism that underlies the fascinating figure of this old is probably why it never became a true and its commercial property, with certain exceptions for the past year.
If St. Nicholas is a patron saint, Santa Claus and a ruddy rotund little man that pleases all the children, the Epiphany is the substance instead of a long tradition of female pagan peasant ritual.
no money, and has failed to craft a group of elves to make gifts, the Befana brings traditional oranges, nuts, small cakes and coal, but coal ultimately sweet, and reminds us that after the holidays to return to work "toil" for the fruits of the land.
It is no coincidence the custom of saying "the epiphany takes away all the parties." For it is after January 6 that the farmer began again with the new planting, which will recover the fervor to create a home again, and it was hoped, prosperous harvest.
La Befana is a very quote in Italian culture, but this legend is reflected in the pre-Christian traditions of Dutch or German.
And so the Germans at the north is that Frau Holle in southern Germany, became Frau Berchta. Both "Lord" embody good and evil are kind, benevolent, they are the goddesses of vegetation and fertility, the patron of spinners, but at the same time show evil and ruthless against those who hurt or bully and violent. Moving or flying on a broom or a chariot, followed by "sir della notte", le maghe e le streghe e le anime dei non battezzati.-
Bella storia vero? Spero che Vi sia piaciuta.
Ora scappo, anzi volo
....che sappiate non ci vorrà mica una patente speciale vero?
BUONA BEFANA A TUTTIIIIII!!!!
