La Befana (La Befana) – this is the name of the Epiphany holiday, also known as the day of Epiphany, in Italy.

Befana is the final holiday in the series of Christmas celebrations and one of the most popular in Italy. It is on this night that Italian children expect gifts (and not on Christmas Eve, as in many other countries).

Florence celebrates La Befana on a grand scale. In fact, on this day the city hosts a Christmas carnival.

Three kings leave the Pitti Palace. This is the starting point of the carnival at La Befana in Florence.

This holiday was revived in this city by the influential Medici dynasty in the 15th century. According to legend, on this day three kings of the Magi (Melchior, Balthazar and Gaspar) arrived with gifts to the baby Jesus to express their respect to him.

A festive carnival cortege is formed near Pitti Palace. From there, Florentines dressed in suits begin to move towards the city center. Crossing the city, the solemn procession reaches St. Mark’s Square.

The carnival procession goes through the streets of the historical center of Florence.

Three kings walk ahead of the procession with gifts to Jesus. Behind him come mummers in historical costumes of Florence – nobles, princesses, knights, archers, drummers, jugglers, and ordinary people. Also here you can see representatives of other nationalities dressed in national costumes – people from Sri Lanka, Albania, India, and other countries.

The final point of the procession is Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore. A crowd of people gathers here and has been waiting for the carnival procession since the morning. As the gifts are presented to Jesus, at the end hundreds of colorful balls are released into the sky.

The final point of the carnival is the square near the Baptistery and the Duomo Cathedral.