St. Mary of Mount Carmel/Blessed Sacrament Parish in Utica celebrated the Feast of the Epiphany on Jan. 5. The Three Kings made a visit and presented their gifts to the baby Jesus. Also making an appearance was La Befana.
On that same day throughout Italy, excited children prepare for a late-night visit from La Befana by hanging up socks to be filled with small delights. Befana, a grandmotherly woman who resembles a kindly witch, brings gifts to good little children, depositing them in stockings hung above the hearth, then tidying up a bit before taking her leave.
Befana arrives after children have gone to bed on the eve of the Festa dell’Epifania (Feast of Epiphany), which is a celebration of the visit of the Three Kings or Magi to the newborn Christ child in Bethlehem. It’s thought that her name derives from the word “Epifania.”
