But what are the origins of the Epiphany myth? As often happens, we must go back to ancient times. The term “befana” was probably a corruption of the lexical Greek word “epiphany” (“I reveal myself”) whereas the figure of the old hag is linked to agri- cultural pagan traditions of the past year which are now ready to be reborn as the new year: in olden times, the death and rebirth of nature was celebrated on the twelfth night after the winter solstice, by means of the figure of the pagan Mother Nature. The appearance of the “befana” as an old hag therefore represents the old year, a figure that, in fact, celebrates the end of the interval between the end of the calendar year (the winter solstice, December 21st ) and the start of the lunar year which was of utmost importance in ancient times to mark the cycles of sowing and reaping. Nowadays ,it mar- ks the end of the Christmas holiday season overlapping the celebration of the Epiphany linked to the Magi. One thing is certain: the Epiphany has spanned the centuries making many generations of children happy. Even nowadays, January 6th is synonymous with sweets and coal, even if the latter has been re- placed by an equivalent version made with sugar. One thing is certain, then: “The “Befana” comes by night in worn- out shoes, in a skirt with patches on it. Long live the “Befana!”