Monthly Archives: May 2023

La Befana

Nationality: Italian American
Age: 76
Occupation: Retired schoolteacher
Residence: Westfield, NJ
Performance Date: April 3, 2023
Primary Language: English
Language: Italian

[A]: My father spent most of his youth in a small town in the Campania region of Italy…I believe he was 13 when he came to America with his parents. It was so sad…they came here at a time where immigrants were treated very poorly for having accents and…or speaking a different language, so he had lost a lot of his Italian traditions by the time he was married and starting his own family. One of the things that he made sure carried over to our new generation though was the story of La Befana…let’s see if I remember it correctly…in a lot of parts of Italy the big gift exchange happens on January 6th instead of Christmas day…I remember distinctly because I always got more presents the day after my birthday…and the night of January 5th kids would hang their socks or stockings along the chimney in hopes that La Befana (the witch) would come in the night and fill them with candy and all other sorts of treats. If you had been bad that year, supposedly, La Befana left you a hard black candy called carbone (coal) —a lot like what Santa does! I don’t know how much I remember about her background or why she would do this…but I think she was considered a sort of…add-on to the story of the birth of Jesus Christ. If I remember correctly, she lived near Bethlehem and on the night Jesus was born the Three Magi stopped to ask her for directions to the town and for food and shelter. She helped them but before she sent them on their way they invited her to come with them but she…I believe politely declined and so they went on their way. But that night she was awoken by this incredible bright light that she took as a sign to go find the Magi and baby Jesus…I don’t remember what happened in between but she couldn’t find them and the story goes that every year on January 5th she flies all around, still looking for baby Jesus and she drops treats off for sleeping children…something about hoping baby Jesus is with them or safe or something like that. When I was younger I remember my father buying small broomsticks and leaving them outside our doors to try to keep the magic alive…I guess it worked! I can’t believe I didn’t do that for the boys…frankly it’s been many years since I thought about that story.

A is a 76 year old woman who’s spent her entire life in a suburb in northern New Jersey. Both of her parents come from an Italian background, and her father specifically lived in the south of Italy until he was roughly 13.

A is a family member, and I was on the phone with her thanking her for sending me an Easter card when I realized I had the perfect opportunity to ask her if she could think of any stories that would help me with my project. She didn’t totally understand what I was asking at first, so I told her about some of the other pieces I had collected already and when I mentioned ghost stories and monsters she pretty quickly remembered the story of La Befana. She told the story with a kind of reverence and nostalgia that you only feel from someone like an older relative when they recall a magical story from their youth, and I could tell she was so very happy to remember that small piece of her father that she’s lived without for the past 30 or so years.

One of the things that sticks out most to me from hearing this story from A is the power that folklore has. A hadn’t thought about this story since she was a young girl, and although she would likely argue the point, she remembers it extremely well. This tale about a witch from thousands of years ago traveled across the ocean in the early 20th century with a little boy who managed to practically tell it across generations, and now I’ll likely remember the story for years and years to come.

La Befana serves as a sort of Santa-like figure to children, but can also be interpreted as a piece of religious folklore. The story of the birth of Jesus Christ and the 3 wise men is relatively fundamental to most forms of Christianity, but I’d never heard the addition of La Befana before and likely won’t hear it outside of the context of Italian culture. It struck me as both odd and interested that La Befana is affiliated with the story of the birth of Jesus because although I’ve never had much religious education, from what I understand about Christianity, witches and witchcraft is frowned upon; yet, nothing about what A told me frames La Befana in a negative light. She actually seems like a very positive character, as she gave food and shelter to weary travelers.

New Year’s Day Sauerkraut

Age: 24

Text: “On New Year’s day my family eats sauerkraut for good luck. It’s a German thing. We have smoked sausage and mashed potatoes with it. We’ve been doing this since I was a kid, and my mom did it as a kid as well. We do it for good luck. To start the year off right.” 

Context: The informant grew up in Ohio and his parents did as well. His mom is part German, and passed on some of her German traditions to her kids. His mom grew up in Hamilton, Ohio where there is a portion of town called “Germantown” because a lot of German immigrants settled there. The German tradition is thought to bring about good luck and was brought to his Midwest my immigrants.

Analysis: For many people, the new year is an opportunity to make changes, set positive intentions, and start over, in a sense. And so, many rituals often surround the idea of prosperity and good fortune—This tradition does just that. Sauerkraut is believed to have certain healing properties including improved liver function, removal of bacteria and parasite, and is even thought to prohibit the growth of cancer. And so, I believe that the tradition of eating sauerkraut in the new year is done so in hopes of bringing good health and good luck in the new year.

Thankful on Thanksgiving

Age: 22
Occupation: Student

Text: “For Thanksgiving, my family always celebrates the day before Thanksgiving and we sit at the table and go around saying what we’re thankful for. We’ve been doing that every year for as long as I can remember. And since we celebrate the day before, on actual Thanksgiving, we reflect on those things and it sets the tone for the day.”

Context: The informant grew up in Las Vegas, NV. Her parents are divorced, and so she grew up celebrating with one side the day before Thanksgiving, and the other side the next day. However, the sharing tradition is only on her dad’s side of the family.

Analysis: I believe that this tradition was implemented by the informant’s father’s side as a way of drawing attention away from the fact that her entire family doesn’t celebrate all together, like they may have in the past. I believe that it was a method put in place by her parent figures to bring positivity and gratitude to a situation that may have been less than ideal for a younger child. I also think it is a way of practicing mindfulness and communication with important people in your life meant to encourage similar discussion at other times. 

New Year’s Black Eyed Peas

Age: 22
Occupation: Student

Text: “My family is very superstitious and every year on New Year’s Day, we make Texas Caviar which is a dish made up of black eyed peas, black beans, corn, jalenpeños, onion, avocado and a vinaigrette dressing. Everyone who comes over to our house to celebrate the New Year absolutely has to have a bite of Texas Caviar to ensure they’ll have good luck for the whole year. The black eyed peas are what specifically create this good luck. I remember when I was younger, I didn’t really like beans and hated being forced to eat them but my family would always force me.”

Context: The informant grew up in Fort Worth, Texas and her mom is from there too. Her dad is from New Jersey. They have been partaking in this tradition for as long as she can remember. Her mom’s side of the family partook in the tradition of eating black eyed peas on New Year’s Day before her family did, but they ate them straight out of the can rather than in Cowboy Caviar.

The tradition of black eyed peas goes back to the Civil War, when eating black eyed peas was considered a privilege and lucky. They are supposed to symbolize luck and prosperity, and the informant’s family views them as such still. 

Analysis: The new year is a particularly superstitious time for many people and I believe it is because it is the start of a new cycle. People often see it as a reset, a chance for change, and a new beginning. Because of this, the first day of the new year can be extremely important, as it may set the tone, or the outcome of the rest of the year to follow. So, I believe that in partaking in this tradition, it is the informant and the informant’s families hope that the new year is prosperous and brings good luck.

Opening Christmas Presents Christmas Eve — Hispanic Tradition

Age: 21
Occupation: Student

Text: “We open our Christmas presents on Christmas Eve instead of Christmas Day. It’s a hispanic thing. I don’t know why we do it that way, I just know, like, every Hispanic person does that. We’ve always done that—We do Christmas even with my closer extended family. When I was little we would open them at midnight, but now we do it at 7 or 8 pm.” 

Context: The informant was born and raised in Chino Hills, CA, but her mom is from Bolivia and her dad’s family is Cuban/Columbian, though he was born and raised in America. Her Hispanic roots are strong on both sides and she grew up partaking in a lot of Hispanic traditions, one of which being opening Christmas gifts on Christmas Eve rather Christmas Day. Spanish was her first language, and her parents are still very connected to their Spanish roots as well. The informant grew up in the Christian church.  

Analysis: Given that when Spaniards came to America, they brought with them Catholicism and Catholic practices, this tradition makes a lot of sense. I believe that because Catholic people see December 25 as Jesus’ birthday, it’s only natural the festivities would begin around midnight in celebration. Religion has long been very important and influential in Spanish culture. I believe that this is why the tradition is still carried on, and why it is so deeply a Hispanic tradition.