January 6th, the Epiphany (l'Epifania), is a public holiday in Italy — and for children it belongs to the Befana. She is pictured as an old woman in a shawl, with patched clothes and broken shoes, flying on a broomstick and coming down the chimney during the night.
- Children hang a stocking (la calza) the evening of January 5th.
- Good children find sweets and small gifts in the morning.
- Naughty ones get 'carbone' (coal) — today usually carbone dolce, a black sugar candy, so everyone gets something sweet.
La Befana vien di notte con le scarpe tutte rotte.
The opening of a traditional children's rhyme. 'Vien' is a poetic short form of 'viene'.
The Befana also marks the end of the holiday season, as a well-known proverb says: L'Epifania tutte le feste porta via — 'Epiphany carries all the holidays away'. After January 6th, decorations come down and school starts again.