- “All across Italy, on the feast of the Epiphany, I would fill the good children's sock with candy and the bad children's sock with coal, which in Winter is actually more valuable than candy.”
- ―Befana
La Befana, or The Christmas Witch, is a supporting character in The Santa Clauses. She is the Italian equivalent to Santa Claus who, as her name implies, is a witch who is tied to Christmas.
Background[]
Personality[]
Befana is a feisty old woman who has been living in the woods by herself for a while. She is slightly bitter due to the fact that her job of giving gifts has essentially been taken over by Santa Claus. While she can be terse, she is not evil or unkind and is very helpful to those who need it. It is shown that she still cares about the children of the world and will do anything to save the spirit of Christmas. She does get slightly offended by the typical portrayal of witches, though not outrageously so.
Physical appearance[]
Befana is a woman of average height whose outfit consists of a fluffy grey gown, black corset, and a black cloak with pink strands of yearn stuck to it. She has pink stripped socks and black boots and wears a black hat. She carries a wooden staff with her and her face has noticeable warts.
Powers and abilities[]
Befana shows some magical powers such as the ability to control ice and snow. She might also have cognitive abilities similar to Santa as she initially had the ability to deliver candy and coal to children. She technically has the ability to fly, though she has yet to present this.
Comics[]
In Italian Disney Comics La Befana is a recurring character during in the stories produced during the Holydays period. However, there is no single representation of the character: she could be a good-hearted witch from the Witch Country ( the same where Witch Hazel came from) or a simple Santa Claus's colleague. In the single-page stories published on Topolino megazine, a running gag during the Epifany is show La Befana mistaken for Magica De Spell (or vice versa).
Disney Parks[]
For years, La Befana has been one of the international holiday characters featured in Epcot's Festival of the Holidays, making appearances at the Italy Pavilion to tell guests her story.
Trivia[]
- La Befana is still a celebrated figure in Italy, though she is said to come out around January 5 and not December 25. She is also said to be a good housekeeper and cleaner and will sometimes sweep the floor before leaving a child's house. If Befana is seen, she will playfully thump that person on the shoulder.
- Her first origin is that the three Biblical magi stopped by her house while journeying to see the baby Jesus. After taking good care of them, they offered that she join them, but she refused. She later changed her mind, but could not find them, so instead she brings gifts to all the children of the world to make up for it.
- Her second origin was that she had a child who died young. Upon hearing of baby Jesus, she decides to bring the new child gifts, convinced that the child was hers. Baby Jesus loved her gifts so much that God christened her as the mother to all children and gave her the task of bringing gifts to them every Epiphany.
- In "Chapter Eight: Floofy", it is mentioned that Befana had one date with the elf Gary two hundred years ago and he hadn't gotten over it.
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