Warm regards to all and we hope your 2009 is off to a great start!

While the traditional Italian holiday of la befana (the old crone who flies on her broom bringing gifts to children) was last Tuesday, what few know is that the arrival of the Three Wise Men on the 6th for l’Epifania (the official Catholic version of the holiday) is anything but guaranteed in Italian households with children.

The inexorable march of the Three Wise Men figurines from one end of the home towards the presepe or nativity scene that is built more or less elaborately by each family can, and depending on junior’s behavior, often will be, well… delayed.

Yes, the Three Kings might take a detour on their way to reach baby Jesus… Junior behaves, the statuettes of the kings are happy and therefore move a few feet towards the manger each day. Junior causes trouble instead, and the Three Kings are very sad and get lost some and so are moved away from the presepe, thus delaying Junior’s gifts that would normally be delivered on the 6th.

Not too certain what that says about your editorial team, we would like to communicate that the befana was recently spotted delivering the following (ItalianNotebook.com, new version), together with the usual bit of coal that she gives anyhow for good measure.

La Befana vien di notte,
con le scarpe tutte rotte,
neve, gelo, tramontana,
viva viva la befana!

La Befana comes at night,
wearing her ruined shoes,
snow, frost, winter winds,
long live la Befana!