Italians on Tuesday celebrated
the Epiphany, a national holiday inspired by the story of the
arrival of the Three Wise Men in Bethlehem with gifts for the
newborn Jesus.
In Italy the festival is also known as La Befana after the
legendary old woman who delivers gifts on her broomstick.
She is said to visit children on the eve of January 6 to
fill their socks with candy and presents if they have been good
or a lump of coal or dark candy if they have been bad.
In Milan, authorities set up what they touted as the
world's longest Epiphany stocking - two kilometers long, it was
made with thread derived from recycled bottles in the colors of
this year's world's fair, Milan Expo 2015.
In Venice, a regatta was held in the Grand Canal with
rowers dressed up as old women competing for best costume.
In Rome's Piazza Navona, the holiday was focused on
children with actities aimed at kids and the arrival of the
three kings on horseback.
In the seafaring port city of Genoa, the Befana arrived on
a water scooter, and Befana divers deposited a crown on the sea
floor near Gallinara island.
Florence celebrated with a procession down the Arno river
by 100 vessels from the city's rowing club, while in Naples,
firefighters organized a feast for children that also taught
them about fire safety.
In the southern city of Brindisi, the Hellenic Community
carried out a traditional blessing of the port.
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