La Befana

Because Befana's household chores kept her from finding the Baby King, she searches to this day, leaving gifts for children on the Feast of the Three Kings.

One day, Cristina encounters a strange old woman near the market in her village who says she lives nearby on a local hill. When Cristina's family later has a picnic on the hill, Cristina wanders off in search of the strange woman. Will curiosity get the best of her? La Befana is based on the traditional Italian folk tale about an old woman who visits children on Epiphany Eve to deliver presents and candy.

On the night of January 5, in certain areas of southern Tuscany, a costumed, singing troupe of characters visits residents' homes, expecting to be fed and feted. This is the Befanata, a mumming tradition centered in Tuscany, whose main character--the Befana--is a kindly old woman or grandmotherly witch who delivers toys, candies, and gifts. The Befana Is Returning is a deeply researched, deftly insightful presentation of this living tradition that adds a large missing piece to the array of contemporary ethnographic scholarship on mumming.

A poetic adaptation of the tradition of La Befana, and the Italian Epiphany celebration. La Befana is an old woman who hears of the birth of Christ from several visitors who knock on her door late at night looking for supplies and directions to the new "child king". She sends them away, preferring to be left to her cleaning, but then she sees the star in the heavens and has a change of heart. It starts her on a quest and she begins delivering gifts to the children she passes as she searches for the Christ child.

The Legend of La Befana. the dear old lady who brings gifts to all Italian children on the 6th January is centuries old. Yet even though she is portrayed as ugly, children see her as giving. Naughty children fear her, yet good children love her. La Befana is greatly celebrated in Italy and all over Europe. There are many versions of her story...this is mine.

In this issue, Deanna Jaxine Stinson - Psychic explains about Tarot Cards in 7 installments. Also added are various HPI (Halo Paranormal Investigations) investigative stories. Step into the unknown with HPI!

An introduction to Christmas discusses the origins and development of the holiday and its traditions, its religious and cultural significance, its commercialization, and related topics.

Prego! is easy to use! For this exciting new edition, we listened to our many adopters and made significant revisions to adapt Prego! to the changing needs of your students. Every aspect of this program is based on the strong foundation of vocabulary and grammar presentations unique to Prego along with communicative activities and expanded cultural material to help students develop language proficiency. As a result, the program is even stronger, offering a truly integrated approach to presenting culture that inspires students to develop their communication skills. All print and media supplements for the program are completely integrated in CENTRO, our comprehensive digital platform that brings together all the online and media resources of the Prego! program. These include the Quia online versions of the workbook and laboratory manual, the video program, the music playlist, and new interactive games. Instructors will also find an easy-to-use grade book, an instructor dashboard, and a class roster system that facilitates course management and helps reduce administrative workload.