La Befana: The Italian Epiphany Witch
Today marks the end of the holidays in Italy as La Befana arrived last night. You don’t know La Befana? Read more about her here in my post from last year at this time.
As always, I’m sad to have to take down all the Christmas decorations; the house just feels a bit more empty, a bit more somber.
I suppose that’s not such a bad thing as it’s time to get down to the business of starting this new year and focus is always a good thing.
Friends, I *have* been focusing. Although it is the Italian tradition to return to work tomorrow, I’ve been quite busy the past few days–and perhaps that’s making you feel a bit neglected here.
One of the main things I’ve been working on, though, is a brand new look and home for this here blog, and I think you’re going to like what I’ve come up with.
But you’ll have to wait just a bit longer.
In the meantime I’ve had tons of positive energy from the blogosphere to keep me going, and I’ll tell you all about it soon.
Hope you’re having a lovely weekend!
24 Beans of Wisdom to “La Befana: The Italian Epiphany Witch”
Michelle Kaminsky is an American attorney-turned-freelance writer who lived in her family's ancestral village in Calabria, Italy for 15 years. This blog is now archived.
Calabria Guidebook
Recipes
I can’t believe I’ve missed all these posts!!! I set up google reader over my vacation, and for some reason, I’m not getting your new posts. Do you know what the problem might be?
We are taking down our decorations today, too. And I have NOT been busy – that all starts tomorrow. I hope you’ve had wonderful holidays and now I get to catch up!
What a cute tradition. I’d never heard of it. We celebrate Three Kings’ Day. The kids gather grass in a box to leave for the Kings’ camels and they leave them a little treat. It’s sweet. We celebrated early (did the grass thing last night) and the kids’ treats await them. But they’re not up yet. Imagine that!
Can’t wait to see what you’ve cooked up for your new blog “look”.
I’ve got a new book for you….
“The Lost Ravioli Recipes of Hoboken” , by Laura Schenone. I would love to send you a copy.
This is so funny, Karen – I just wrote about that book on my blog today and was planning to recommend it to Sognatrice, too!
I just wanted to let you know that I gave you a “You Make My Day” award on my blog today. 🙂
Can’t wait to see your new blog look!!
We just did the 3 King’s deal, too, here visiting the family in PR. Thanks for the reminder about the Befana! I need to read up! 🙂
Happy Befana!! I am writing about my girl’s Befana visit right now.
I can’t wait to see what you’ve been cooking up with your new look. How exciting!
I so love this tradition! If I ever have kids, I am adopting it.
Hi Sognatrice! I had never heard of “La Befana”! How interesting!
Can’t wait to see the new blog look! Happy 2008!
What a charming story! I think we all need a little treat, a little something to sustain as as we return to our routines. Maybe that’s why, even though the tree is down, I couldn’t pack the lights away, just strung them from the mantel to enjoy until later…
Looking forward to seeing your new look! Happy New Year!
I hope that La Befana brought you something good!
La Befana came and left me Stephen Colbert’s new book, “I Am America (and so can You!); a marked improvement over the bags of charcoal last year. She is a good little witch. I found your blog through “Queen of Roads”, and I love it! Buon’ Capod’anno!
Yesterday was three kings and we are supposed to take down the Christmas decors too but since I work on Sundays, the tree is still up, I bet, wanting to get rest already.
I just joined MotherTalk and quite excited with it.
-Dubai’s Grace-
I love the La Befana tradizione! So, you have been busier than ever creating a new blog, eh? I don’t know where you find the time! You do so much. Give me your secret, please!!!
Buon anno! Jeni
*Jen, I’m not sure what the problem might be; I got my feed OK through Bloglines.
I’ll be taking down the decorations today. So not looking forward to it.
*Ninotchka, how cute! I’ll have to remember that for if/when we have bambini around here….
*Karen, that’s so sweet of you! I’ll send you an email shortly.
*Jen, great minds, eh?
*Deb, woohoo! Thanks 🙂
*Esperando, hope you had a lovely day!
*Giulia, I hope there’s no carbone involved….
*Susan, it’s exciting for me too. I can’t wait to unveil!
*Flutter, best thing is you can just pull out a Halloween witch and pretend she’s La Befana 😉
*La Delirante, glad to be of service!
*Live, you’ll have to wait just a bit longer….
*Anno, I hear you. Excellent point about the treat.
*Gil, well at least she didn’t bring my sinus infection back. I don’t think so anyway….
*Cercando, welcome! And what a wonderful Befana gift 🙂
*Grace, you’re going to love MotherTalk 🙂 All my stuff is still up as I type. Eh. I’ll get to it 😉
*Jeni, the secret is…oh this Blogger eating everything. See, this is why I have to get on my own domain 😉
Sorry I’m late, but because I am the Befana I was very busy delivering your coal, pals. Don’t believe it? Because the list was so long this year I delivered it as dust. You look; you’ll find it.
I’d neglected to check the gas level, so with no heat I figured, “What the heck, I’ll just cover them all this year.” I started with people who use packaged foods, worked through the take-out orderers, a few more bad person divisions, and finished up with people who didn’t share their chocolate.
See you next year!
Judith in Umbria
http://www.judithgreenwood.com/thinkonit/
I like her story (both versions).
Yesterday, I brought up the boxes for putting the decorations away, I guess today I must actually put the decorations IN the boxes. One can find some help in putting them up, but putting them away, never.
It sounds like you are happily busy. 🙂
La Befana was good to us here in Sicily also! This year she arrived in a helicopter!!
I’m looking forward to see the new look…
I took down Christmas yesterday too. It’s always a sad thing to do because it really signifies the end of the season. But then when I walked in my house last night and could see out of my balcony window again (since the tree was no longer blocking it) there was a nice “clean/fresh” feeling in the house. It’s bittersweet I guess.
*Judith, well the chocolate rule explains a lot….and yes, the dust is most definitely here.
*Taffiny, “happily busy” is a good term for right now. And my decorations are *still* looking at me….
*Jilli, wow, La Befana is really getting fancy 😉
*Karina, you know you’re right. There is a great clean, fresh feeling once all the decorations are gone. And I hope to experience that later today. Really I *need* to take these decorations down 😉
Thanks for visiting La Befana on my site. I had so much fun playing the part and everyone truly appreciated it. Aside from my chin wanting to fall off, it all went well. haha
Pesky chin! Really you looked fabulous–as fabulous as a witch can look of course 😉
I hope you know I want a personal email alerting me to when you change your blog location and where you will be!
I can’t wait to see the new look!
Done and done 😉