Video: La Befana’s festive journey: Sweets, coal, celestial tale
Before we met La Befana on the Disney+ show “The Santa Clauses,” Disney fans learned about La Befana, the kindhearted witch who visits sleeping young children on the Eve of the Epiphany, at the EPCOT pavilion during EPCOT’s International Festival of the Holiday.
La Befana has been a storyteller for years at EPCOT. For years, La Befana has been enchanting audiences with her narrative, recounting how she traverses the households of Italy on the night preceding the Feast of the Epiphany. Her mission is to bestow candies and gifts upon the well-behaved children, while those deemed naughty receive a lump of coal.
In the course of narrating her tale, Befana delves into the encounter she had with the Three Wise Men a few days before the birth of the Infant Jesus. Seeking guidance as they had observed a celestial star, they approached her home. Unfortunately, Befana was unable to provide directions. Although invited to join them on their quest to find the baby Jesus, she initially declined. However, a change of heart led her to venture out later in search of the infant.
Infusing her story with humor and delight, Befana shares the whimsical details of her journey and encounters.
