THE MOST BIZARRE CHARACTERS OF THE ITALIAN NATALE
Good morning or afternoon to all our dear readers, the Buongiorno Italians team sends warm greetings to all the latitudes from where you read us.
Did you know that in Italy, the Holy Family, Santa Claus and the Three Wise Men are not the only characters that are the protagonists of the Christmas period?
Well, in Italy we have other secondary characters such as the Befana and the Krampus.
Below we will tell you a little about them:
LA BEFANA:
She is an old woman who brings gifts to children on January 6. According to legend, when the three wise men were on their way to Bethlehem, they asked this old woman for help in finding the baby Jesus. She refused at first, but later repented and, to ask forgiveness for this action, decided to start giving gifts to all the children she met on her way in the hope that one of them would be the baby Jesus. Since then, he wanders around the world giving candies to all the children. Attention! only to the children who behave well, otherwise he leaves them a sack of coal.
THE KRAMPUS:
It is a mythological character of very ancient origin, typical of Alpine countries such as Austria, Germany, France, Italy, Slovenia, Switzerland and Hungary. He has diabolical and monstrous characteristics and is related to Santa Claus.
According to legend, he appears on the night of December 5-6, looking for children who have misbehaved or have no Christmas spirit. The krampus takes the misbehaved children in his sack to the underworld.
In Italy it is a tradition in South Tyrol, but also in Trentino, to hold parades with lots of krampus that become real displays. They usually roam the stalls of Christmas markets with long whips and cowbells.