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From: Celebrate Christmas around the world
Children traditionally wait until Epiphany (jan 6) to receive their girts from La Befana. Legend describes Befana as a tiny old woman dressed in black and riding a broomstick from house to house on the eve of Epiphany. Sometimes she uses her broomstick to slide down chimneys, and other times she comes through a window. But she always leaves gifts in the shoes of good children, a piece of firewood for the poor, and lumps of coal or bags of ashes for the bad children.
Benfana travels in search of the Christ Child. The story says that she was busy sweeping when the three kings came searching for Jesus. The stopped at Befana's house and asked her to go along, but she refused because she had so much work to do. She said she would join them when she finished, and they went on without her. After she finished cleaning, she gathered some gifts and set out to find them but instead she got lost. She is still searching for him today and leaves a gift in every child's home on Epiphany Eve.
This book has pictures/patterns of Befana and the three kings to make flannel board pieces to tell the story (or to use however). The art project it has it to make a Presepio (nativity) Silhouette. There's also a couple recipe's and a song. It's a great book - I've used it a lot this month.
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