In Italian folklore, the Befena (pronounced [beˈfaːna]) is said to be an old woman and many refer to her as a witch, who visits all the children in Italy on the eve of the Epiphany, celebrated on January 6. She fills the children’s stockings full of either candy or coal, depending on their behaviour the year before. She carries a bag full of candy and is said to be the best house keeper in all the land due to her habit of sweeping the houses of the children she visits before she leaves.

The Carnival of Venice (Italian: Carnevale di Venezia) is an annual festival held in Venice, Italy, famous throughout the world for its elaborate costumes and masks. The Carnival ends on Shrove Tuesday (Martedì Grasso or Mardi Gras), which is the day before the start of Lent on Ash Wednesday. Carnevale is one of the most colorful celebrations in the world. In Italy, though, every town, even the smallest, has its own Carnevale parade. Every village celebrates, every family cooks up a storm to honor this century long tradition of dancing, masquerading and feasting before the fasting and meditating of Lent. Elaborate costumes and masks allow people to set aside their everyday individuality and experience a heightened sense of social unity[3].

3. Bakhtin, Mikhail. 1984. Rabelais and his world. Bloomington: Indiana University Press. Original edition, Tvorchestvo Fransua Rable i narodnaia kul'tura srednevekov'ia i Renessansa, 1965.

pictures of the many picnics and the wonderful food and the members

Nov 18/22; From BGC lethbridge: Earlier this week, we received a generous donation from the Italian Canadian Cultural Centre ! Thank you so much, Italian Canadian Cultural Centre, for being rock stars in our community. https://bgclethbridge.com/