8. La Befana: Italy’s Christmas Witch
In Italy, the night of January 5th is eagerly anticipated by children awaiting La Befana, a benevolent witch who delivers gifts and sweets. According to legend, she was invited by the Three Kings to join their journey to find the Christ Child but declined due to household chores. Realizing her mistake, she set out to find them but never did. To this day, she continues her search, bringing gifts to children in hopes of finding the baby Jesus (lagazzettaitaliana.com).
