What is Italian Epiphany?

On January 6 in Italy, as in other countries of the world, the Epiphany is celebrated. The epiphany is a party felt especially by children who on this day receive the stocking.

There are various traditions throughout Italy and the celebrations change from region to region; in some parades are organized, in others are traditional bonfires and in others, the streets of the cities are filled with markets.

The Epiphany is also the last day of vacation for children and the day to remove the Christmas decorations from the house. It is said that “L’Epifania che tutte le feste porta via” translated in " The Epiphany all the holidays take away".

The Befana has very ancient origins to date back to the times of the Romans. For the Romans, the Epiphany flying over the fields should have brought prosperity in the harvest.

According to Christian tradition, the Epiphany celebrates the arrival of the Magi to the manger of Jesus with gifts. 

For the most recent tradition, the Epiphany is a symbol of the past year, and that’s why it is represented old while bringing candy to children as a symbol of good luck for the new year.

The Epiphany is represented as an old lady with old, shabby clothes, broken shoes and on top of a broom. 

In the night between the 5th and the 6th of January, the Befana flies over the roofs of the houses and fills the socks of the children with sweets for the good children and coal for the bad children. I must say, however, that I loved coal as a child because it was made of black sugar. 

This is the tradition that is now the same among all the regions of Italy from north to south; while traditions change in the way of celebrating this day.

In my little town, you burn the old one. From small to large, everyone gathers near the river; located in the middle of the river there is a high pile of wood and on top of it there is the Epiphany: it is called Pan and Vin. The divers swim in with the torches in their hands and light the bonfire. According to tradition, the direction of the ash tells whether it will be a good year or a bad year. 

At the end of the bonfire, the stocking with sweets inside is delivered to children while for adults there is mulled wine and Pinza. Pinza is a traditional Venetian cake made with stale bread, milk and dried fruit. 

The tradition of the bonfire is very rooted between Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia where every small town has its bonfire placed in water or on land and its Befana to burn.

The Regatta is typical in Venice. The regatta is a parade of boats in the Grand Canal and becomes special for the Epiphany because the people inside the boats dress like the Epiphany or Santa Claus.

Every year in Milan the Epiphany is celebrated with a parade. From the Duomo to the Basilica of Sant'Eustorgio a procession of people dressed as the wise men parade through the streets with gifts to be given to a living crib. 

In Rome, the Epiphany is celebrated in Piazza Navona with stalls selling sweets and games and then people move to see the traditional parade "Viva la Befana". 

In Naples, the Befana is celebrated in Piazza del Plebiscito that every year is coloured and populated with markets that sell sweets, toys and typical Neapolitan food. ​

Each Italian region is unique and different and for this reason, each one has its own traditions to celebrate January 6 the important thing is to find the stocking full of sweets. 

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I always wondered, am I the only one obsessed with the Christmas Markets? 

I have a strange relationship with Christmas, I love the decorations, the atmosphere, the lights and of course, the markets but I don't really like Christmas day; but the beauty and the feeling that the Christmas markets give me are fantastic, and how beautiful are they? 

I am little sad this year because, of course, due to Covid I cannot go where I planned, that was Zurich, but in the past years I went almost every weekend of December to visit one, and I can say that I also saw enough for this year hahaha.

Well, I love the atmosphere of Christmas the colourful lights, the decorations on the trees and houses and all this little wood house selling handmade decorations or typical products, but the best part, in my opinion? The warm, mulled wine and the amazing food that is different from almost every market.  

I have a select bucket list for the Christmas Market, and I like, when I have the opportunity to visit one big market and some small around me. For example, last year I went to Galway and some smaller in Italy. 

(The descriptions are based on what I saw that particular year and they can change)

• London is fantastic in every season, but during Christmas, the city seems even more incredible. I went to London for just three days; I found a cheap flight I did not give me have any suitcase with me but only a small bag, I booked an affordable hotel that was horrible, and I found a lot of rain and cold. So I guess you are wondering why did I put London as first so far? Well, all the misadventure that I had in those three days hadn't stopped me from exploring the city with a beautiful Christmas atmosphere, and I spent three amazing days. First, stop in London was Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park this is a fantastic place with not only handmade artisan items or Christmas decorations but also with a lot of funny games, I also won a big Minion. Second stop, Leicester Square Christmas Market situated in the heart of the capital this market is a little bit crowded, but it is lovely as well. I guess that I don't have to say that I bought many artisan items and decorations, and it has been so hard going back home with just a bag. 

• The second market on my list is Salzburg. As London going to Salzburg was a crazy and impulsive decision. I was living in Italy at that time, so I thought that 5 hours of the car was nothing, but I wasn't expecting the snow all the way. Anyway, I arrived in Salzburg, and I fell in love with it. The city is fantastic, and all the snow around makes me feel the Christmas, was terrific. The Christmas market in Salzburg is all around the city and the most beautiful and lovely at Cathedral Square. I loved these three days in Austria. I was already happy with the great market in the streets of Salzburg, thousands of Christmas lights, the smell of good food and the many shops but then everything went even better when it started to snow, and all the landscape became even more memorable.
  

• Moving to Italy, the first market I recommend is in Merano and Bolzano; I keep them together because I usually visit both on the same trip since they only located 30 minutes apart. I went a couple of time on this market and even if the first and second times I didn't enjoy it because they were too crowded I anyway recommend them. After all, if you are able to find the right weekend without many people, these markets are wonderful. Meran and Bolzen are cities in northern Italy in the region of Trentino Alto Adige that bord with Austria and Switzerland. The markets in Meran and also Bolzen run all around the principal square and street and like every excellent Christmas market the atmosphere, the delicious food, mulled wine and handcrafted shop reign supreme. 
  

• We are always in the Trentino Alto Adige region but this time in Trento. Trento is the capital of the region and is a little beauty surrendered by high and white mountains. The Christmas market covers all the principal square and also the streets of the city with a Christmas atmosphere and amazing colourful light. I just went one time to this market, but I perfectly remember that I liked them so much, especially because I had a fantastic plate of canederli and I am crazy about this delicious. 
  

• Following with Italy, we move to Verona and its fabulous Christmas Market in the big square with Arena's view and also around the city. I love Verona; it is an amazing city because it is a huge jewel with many historical places and many things to do. A complete guide about Verona will come soon but in the meantime let's talk about my obsession of the moment: Christmas Market. Also in Verona, the markets are stunning, as I already said they run all over the city and you can find artisan products, natural cosmetics, of course, food and mulled wine and the best part… the Santa village. A giant house with a lot of Chrismas decoration that you can buy.
  

• Let's move to Austria in particular to Villach. I went to Villach for just one day on a Sunday of December, and from Italy, it took me only 2 hours and 30, not too bad at all. I particularly liked these markets because It was snowing and, in my opinion, with the snow, you can smell and feel better the Christmas time. The Chrismas market in Villach is located in a different part of the city, and they also are quite different from each other, but you will always find these fantastic little wood house and many, many lights. 
  

• I could not miss a Christmas Market in Ireland of course, for this reason, I went to Galway. I went for a weekend in December and even if the market were great, the first thing I remember about this weekend was the cold and wind. I arrived by train on Saturday morning, and it was great. My friend and I had an amazing time. We went to see the markets, we played few games, we got on the carousel of horses (yeah I know it was for kids, but it was amazing), we took the panoramic wheel, and we drunk a lot of mulled wine (in my defense they have a lot of types of mulled wine, with red wine, white wine, with gin…). But then something happened: the wind from the Atlantic Ocean; It was so strong that it moved me, even though I was still. In any case, the Galway Christmas Market is smaller than the others told, but it is also worth visiting because the city is all decorated with amazing lights.

• Last but not least, Belfast. I was living in Ireland so going to Belfast was relatively easy, I took the bus, and in 2 hours and something I arrived. I went a couple of time to Belfast and all the time was raining, so I did not enjoy it, but this weekend in December the weather was perfect, and so the day I spent in the city. The Christmas Markets in Belfast is located in the ground of Belfast City Hall inside the gates, and I really liked them. The day I went to was really really crowded. Still, I enjoy them anyway because they were divided based on what they sold, for example, all the food truck were all together in the same corner of the square, and they allowed you to enjoy the food or enjoy the artisan shops. 

• The last place I want to tell you about is Amsterdam. I did not go to Amsterdam for the Christmas Market, but I went for New Year's Eve. I want to tell you about it anyway because I don't know if it is every year, but when I went, there were lights play all around the city, and I loved it. 

I hope you enjoyed this post, feel free to share it on Social Media and please leave a comment and let me know what do you think about it.

Since this year I can not go to see any Christmas Market Join me on Social Media and let me see your best photos of the Christmas Markets, so I will travel with the imagination! #tastravelnow

I am not a big fan of Halloween probably because I grew up in Italy and there it is not a "thing"; I never wore a scary costume, I never went to a Halloween party, and I think I went just one time to trick or treating.
 
When I moved to Ireland it was the end of September, and I immediately saw that Halloween was a big deal. Many amazing decorated houses and shops, fireworks for almost a month, party for two weekends and of course, dressed up people with amazing and scary costumes. Even at work, there were a "party" and prizes for the best costume; as I said, Halloween is a big deal!

Do you know the story about Halloween?
 
Halloween was born in Ireland; people thought that October 31 was the end of the light part of the year and the beginning of the dark part of the year. During this passage, souls who had died during the year could return to give a final goodbye to their loved ones, but evil souls could come back too. To prevent evil souls from leading you to the side of the dead, people began to dress as monsters in order not to be recognized. In addition, to prevent evil souls from inside the houses, they began to decorate the houses with scary witches, ghosts or monsters. And, of course, you could not miss some food-based treatment to keep evil souls away from home (in the past the treatment was nuts and fruit now are candy; just trick or treat).

This year 2020, the shitty year, of course, you cannot celebrate Halloween, but I still found something to do which is complete safety, and I must say that I loved it and it was very fun!
I went on a dark tour. The tour consisted of a two-hour walk around Dublin with a guide telling us ghost stories and dark stories, and I liked it for three main reasons:
 
1. It was a fantastic sunny day, and other people on tour were Irish or lived in Ireland for many years, so the atmosphere was more "familiar" to everyone.
 
2. The guide was amazing. He was happy to share with us the stories, and you could feel it because he was enthusiastic and very friendly with us. He was also an amazing storyteller.
 
3. Finally, but not least, Ireland and the Irish people of the past (and in a different way also now) were very dark, some stories are really disturbing and scary, while others, fortunately, are funny.

The tour started from Dublin Castle with a creepy story set on the only left tower of the castle. Then we moved to Saint Patrick Cathedral, a long stop to Christchurch with scary stories, and we finished to the other side of the river; in total 2 hours walk surrounded by dark and mystery.
 
I want to share four stories that I liked most.

• The first story of the tour was about a ghost living in the Olympia Theatre. It is said that a funny ghost haunts the theatre. The ghost is funny because it is used to makes jokes with humans like flush the toilet while you are still sitting or close door with you inside... The guy also told us that if you go for an interview at the Theatre Olympia, they are going to ask if you are afraid of the ghost; is this just to scare you or it is a true story?? 

• The second story is about a famous character: Bram Stoker (writer of Dracula). Bram was working inside the present Dublin Castle in an office when during a dark night he was thrown against the wall opposite his desk; the whole scene was seen by a groundskeeper who was working outside. Immediately the groundskeeper entered to ask Bram what had happened and Bram Stoker, after much hesitation, he told him that a platoon of skeletons began to run from one side of the room to the other; he was inside the path of the race, and for this reason he was thrown against the opposite wall. For this story, there may be two reasons: first: at that time to work more hours people used drugs and opium and Bram Stoker was one of them; second: many years before the birth of Bram there were people who tried to climb the walls of the Castle to enter inside, but when they were pushed back, they fell right under the window where Bram Stoker worked, and in fact, the remains of people with broken necks were found right underneath. Which one do you believe?

• In Dublin near Christchurch, there is now a pub called Dark Kelly but, in the past, it was a whorehouse. Kelly was the owner of the whorehouse and the first murderer in Dublin. Kelly killed many clients, men with stab wounds to the back, and buried them under the floorboards in front of the bordello... I found it exhilarating that there is a pub in Dublin named after the city’s first mass murderer, but as I said, the Irish like dark stories.

• The last story is about Billy in a bowl. Billy was a very handsome man with no working legs and for that, he used to walk around the city in a bowl. How "work" robbed women with a particular technique. He hid behind the bushes and made noises similar to the cries of children or animals and when a woman looked into the bushes, he stole her jewellery. One day a woman tried to fight him, but he had strong arms, and she choked to death. From that day on, Billy realized that he had no regrets for killing the woman and that it was even easier to kill because he could steal more things. So he started killing women, and, of course, no one was thinking about him because of his leg problem. But one day he decided to steal from two women together loaded with jewels. He attacked the first and was about to choke the other when the first woman, after a while, recovered and attacked Billy. The two women fled the attack and Billy died. Apparently today it seems that near Smithfield at night you can hear Billy in a Bowl whispering behind a bush.

Do you like Halloween? I would love to hear stories form your city, your traditions during this holiday and what you like about it. Leave a comment and let me know :)