13 of the most bizarre Christmas traditions from around the world | London Evening Standard
Publish date: 2024-05-14

Picture Father Christmas as a woman. Italian children wait for Befana; a kind old witch (not like those Norwegian ones) who flies around on her broom delivering gifts. She fills their stockings with toys, candy, and fruit, if they have been good, or a lump of coal, onions, or garlic, if they have been bad. But more practically, she also uses her broom to indulge in a spot of tidying before she leaves - so it's no wonder that Italian mums and dads leave her a glass of wine as a token of their appreciation.
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