The Befana Is Returning

Download or read book The Befana Is Returning written by Steve Siporin and published by University of Wisconsin Pres. This book was released on 2022-08-16 with total page 341 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: On the night of January 5, in certain areas of southern Tuscany, a costumed, singing troupe of characters visits residents' homes, expecting to be fed and feted. This is the Befanata, a mumming tradition centered in Tuscany, whose main character--the Befana--is a kindly old woman or grandmotherly witch who delivers toys, candies, and gifts. The Befana Is Returning is a deeply researched, deftly insightful presentation of this living tradition that adds a large missing piece to the array of contemporary ethnographic scholarship on mumming.