The Dead Of Winter

What do La Befana, Santa Claus, & Bronco Bama all have in common?

The answer is that they were all named by children. La Befana derives from l'epifania which means The Epiphany in Italian. The story is Italian folklore, and tells of an old woman who was visited by the Three Wise Men on their way to Bethlehem. She declined to go along when invited, but later changed her mind and now spends eternity seeking the Christ child. She is/was the traditional Italian Santa Claus, bringing gifts to good children on the evening of January 5th, the night before the Feast Of The Epiphany. Here is her story in a little video I made to accompany the vinyl LP I knew as a child:

There has been some hand wringing that American-style Halloween has co-opted La Befana's image:

La Befana was obsessed with sweeping, which explains the broomstick. Now I'm wondering where/how the Halloween witch/broomstick came into popular American culture. Anybody?

Santa Claus needs no introduction -- his name derived from Dutch as Sinterklaas which itself came from Saint Nikolaas. Dutch children believe that Sinterklaas brings gifts on December 5th, the night before St. Nicholas Day. If you say Saint Nicholas very quickly as a child might do, you get to Santa Claus. Curiously, the traditional Saint Nick was a rather slender individual and wore blue rather than red. Did Coca-Cola intentionally rebrand him as an obese flyover state type? Recall that red used to be the Democrat (Deep South) color.

"Bronco Bama" of course was coined by a six-year old during the 2012 Presidential election; I draw no intentional similarities between Barack Obama, La Befana, and Santa Claus.

The Fire Worshipers

Giotto's Adorazione dei Magi (early 14th c.)

The following story appears in Beginning Readings In Italian and originates with Marco Polo, who lived and traveled in 13th and 14th century Asia and Asia Minor. Polo was Venetian by birth and died there in 1324. The Fire Worshipers tells the story of three kings (Magi) who traveled to Bethlehem to see the infant Jesus. The story was first told to Polo in Persia after he visited the tombs of the three kings. link

The story is fascinating in that it gives a different perspective on a well known story. I have appended the mention of the kings according to the Gospel Matthew. Particularly interesting is the account of the origin of the gifts--gold, frankincense, and myrrh--and also the symbolism of the stone as it later appeared in the person of Peter and in the founding of the Church.

The Fire Worshipers

Three kings of that country [Persia] went to worship a new-born prophet and brought with them three offerings--gold, frankincense and myrrh--in order to know if the prophet was a god, or an earthly king, or a healer. They reasoned that if he took the gold, he was an earthly king; if he took the frankincense, he was a god; if he took the myrrh, he was a healer. 

Now when they came to the place where the child was born, the youngest of the three kings went in alone to see him: what he found looked like himself: a child of his age and appearance. The young king came out full of wonder. The second king (of middle age) entered after him, and to him the child also seemed a likeness in appearance and in age. The second king came out dumbfounded. Then the third king, the oldest, went in and the same thing happened as with the other two. And he came out very upset. When the three kings found themselves together, they told each other what they had seen. They were very much amazed and decided to all go in together. They went in together to look and found a child who looked the expected age of only thirteen days.* Then they worshipped him and offered him gold, frankincense and myrrh. The child took all three offerings and gave them a sealed box. And the three kings left to return to their country.

After riding for a few days, they decided to see what the child had given them. They opened the box and found a stone inside. They were surprised and uncertain. Because the three kings had seen that the child had taken all three offerings, they had concluded that he was god, a king and a healer. And the child, knowing well the faith born in the three kings, gave them a stone to signify that they had to be firm and steadfast in their belief. But the three kings took the stone and threw it down a well: they did not know why it was given to them. And just as the stone was thrown into the well, a burning fire descended from the heavens and came straight to the well in which they had thrown the stone.

Seeing the great miracle, the three kings were all amazed and regretted having thrown away the stone; they clearly saw that this was a symbol, both great and good. Taking of that fire immediately, they took it back to their country and put it in their church, a very beautiful and rich building. They keep the fire perpetually burning and worship it as a god. And every sacrifice and burnt offering which they make is made with this fire. If it ever happens that the fire goes out, they go round to others who hold the same faith and who also worship  fire and are given some of the fire that burns in their church. This they bring back to rekindle their own fire. They never rekindle it except with this fire of which I have spoken. To procure this fire, they often make a journey of ten days.

These are the reasons why the inhabitants of that country worship the fire.

The following is an except from the Gospel according to Matthew and is the only one of the four Gospels to mention the wise men from the East:

Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, 'Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the East, and have come to worship him.' When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; and assembling the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. They told him, 'In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it is written by the prophet: 'And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who is to shepherd my people Israel.' Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star appeared; and he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, 'Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I too may come and worship him.' When they had heard the king, they went their way; and lo, the star that they had seen in the East went before them, till it came to rest over the place where the child was. When they saw that star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy; and going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed for their own country by another way.

Matthew 2:1-12 (RSV)

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*The visit of the Magi is commemorated by the observance of Epiphany on January 6th.

This is how the original text which I translated appears in Beginning Readings In Italian:

Gli Adoratori Del Fuoco

Tre re di quella contrada vanno ad adororare un profeta nato da poco e portano con loro tre offerte--oro, incense e mirra--per conoscere se quel profeta è dio o re terreno o medico. Poiché pensano: se prende oro, è re terreno; se prende incenso, è dio; se prende mirra è medico. Venuti al luogo dov’ è nato il bambino, il più giovane di questi re va da solo a vederlo: e lo trova che somiglia a lui stesso, chè pare della sua età e della sua figura. Esce fuori pertanto molto meravigliato. Dopo di lui entra il re ch’è d’età mezzana: ed il bambino gli pare come all’altro, della sua figura e della sua età. Esce fuori anche lui tutto stupefatto. Ci va quindi il terzo, il più anziano, e gli succede il medesimo che agli altri due. Ed esce fuori anche lui molto turbato. Quando si ritrovano tutti e tre insieme, i tre re si raccontano quello che hanno visto. Ne fanno le più grandi meraviglie e decidono di andarci tutti e tre insieme. Si recano quindi tutti insieme a vedere il bambino, e lo trovano dell’aspetto e dell’ età che ha: chè ha soltanto tredici giorni. Allora lo adorano e gli offrono l’oro, l’incenso e la mirra. Il bambino prende tutte e tre le offerte. Poi dà loro un bossolo chiuso. Ed i tre re partono per ritornare nella loro contrada.

Dopo aver cavalcato per alcuni giorni, decidono di vedere ciò che il bambino ha dato loro. Aprono il bossolo e vi trovano dentro una pietra. Restano meravigliati ed incerti. Il bambino l’aveva data loro per significare che dovevano essere fermi come pietra nella fede incominciata. Poiché i tre re, vedendo che il bambino aveva preso tutte e tre le offerte, ne avevano conchiuso ch’egli era dio, re terreno e medico; e il bambino, ben sapendo che nei tre re era nata quella fede, aveva dato loro pietra per significare che dovevano essere fermi e costanti nella loro credenza. I tre re prendono la pietra a la gettano in un pozzo: chè non sanno perchè è stata loro donate. Ed appena la pietra è gettata nel pozzo, scende dal cielo una fiamma e viene diritto al pozzo dove hanno gettato la pietra.

Veduta quella gran meraviglia i tre re ne rimangono tutti stupiti, e si pentono di aver buttata la pietra, ben comprendendo allora che quello è un simbolo grande e buono. Prendono subito di quell fuoco, lo portano nel loro paese, e lo mettono in una loro chiesa, molto bella ricca. Non cessano mai di farlo ardere e lo adorano come un dio. Cuociono con quell fuoco tutti i loro sacrifizi e olocausti. Se per caso quell fuoco viene a spegnersi, ricorrono agli altri che hanno la medesima fede e sono pure adoratori del fuoco, si fan dare del fuoco che arde nella loro chiesa e tornano a riaccendere il loro; nè mai lo riaccendono con fuoco diverso da quello di cui v’ho parlato. E molte volte devono fare, per trovar di quell fuoco, dieci giornate di marcia.

Sono questi i motive per cui gli abitanti di quela contrada adorano il fuoco.

The Auction

June 30^th, 1978:

Car doors slammed in the summer morning, jarring me awake.  Looking out my window, I saw cars quickly lining the curbs and people gathering at a neighbor's house a few doors down. I went out to investigate.

A strange truck was parked in front of the M. family's house. "Earl Culp & Sons, Auctioneers" read the signage on the truck's door.  I quickly figured out what was going on. The strangers were buyers who had come for an auction. A neighbor had died and an estate auction was in action.

My neighbor, Mr. M., had been a professor at the local university.  Thinking back, I still picture him as Dr. Quest from the cartoon Jonny Quest--right down to the red hair and beard.  We kids never thought to call him professor or doctor--only just Mr. M.  For one thing it would have been incorrect and improper to call him by those other titles because at that time and place we only called medical doctors "doctor". 

We all knew that Mr. M. was smart. We had heard that he had played some important role in the space program in the 1960s -- or so our mom had told us.  She said that Mr. M. had computers in his basement which was weird because back then nobody had computers at home. My mom had also heard that Mr. M. had to install cellar doors to get them into his basement because they were so big. 

[I found out only recently that he had been an astronomy professor at the university and that his research had helped to put weather satellites into orbit]

By that June of 1978, Mr. M had been dying of cancer for a year or two, slowly thinning and weakening, and finally he died. Before that, I used to see him at the local diner where I worked part-time after school. He had many friends with whom he used to share coffee and good times. Mrs. M. had been mentally ill for several years and was "hospitalized." My mom met her when we moved into the neighborhood in the early 1960's -- before she really went downhill. Mrs. M that is. My mom said that Mrs. M. had started hearing voices and that she suffered from dementia.

[I recently learned that she also suffered from pernicious anemia and passed away a few years after her husband]

The M. family loved the outdoors. They kept a small pop-up tent trailer in their double garage and they had a canoe which hung next to it on the wall.  Sometimes at night walking by, I caught a glimpse of a telescope and model aircraft through an unshaded window.

The auction was necessary to sell the M's remaining belongings. After registering with the auctioneer, the buyers circulated among the furniture and household items which had been moved from inside the house to the front lawn. Much of the stuff must have had personal value to the M. family--the kind of stuff one sees at a garage sale. Several folding tables had been set up and were heaped with various groupings of household items sorted into lots of three, four and five related items.  My attention fixed on one particular lot comprising a silver teapot, two collector's liquor decanters, a ceramic planter, and some pieces of home made embroidery.  I looked around at the buyers and waited for the auction to begin.

Many buyers, having arrived in the early cool of the morning, sought shade as the full noon sun began to beat down. It must have been 90 degrees in the shade. The house was open and so I went inside for the first time in my life. Only my mom had been inside before--she used to have coffee in there with Mrs. M.  Most of the furniture had already been moved outside. Only the bigger and heavier items were left inside. The single storey house had a big picture window that looked down on a backyard. I walked over to it and looked out.

They had a very private backyard--it was ringed by enormous pine trees and bushes so thick that they secluded the grassy area in the middle. From inside the house, that space looked like a clearing in a pine forest. Just beyond the ring of pines and bushes stood an enormous solitary oak tree--so old that it pre-dated the entire neighborhood. The tree was actually not on their property but stood just outside it. When I was kid there was open field back there so we didn't have to trespass to get to the tree. That oak was the biggest and best climbing tree in the neighborhood. Someone long before had nailed boards into the trunk so that we could actually get up into the thing. The oak rose higher than the bushes and pines ringing their yard and it too looked down on the grassy middle that I was looking at. I had seen that same grassy space from a perch in that oak as a much younger child.  I'd even been in that grassy space once or twice with other kids when we snuck in there when we thought nobody was looking, just to look at the concrete-lined fish pond where they kept goldfish year round [a koi pond?]  We'd never seen anything like that before in Wisconsin--especially in the 1960s.

I thought back to how we used to play on that tree as kids. Because of the slight slope to the yard, the picture window was about level with where I used to sit and play in that big oak. The perspective was different--when I was kid I could see the window I was looking through now from the tree but I couldn't see inside the house.  Now, years later, I was looking through that window at the same tree across the same yard where I used to perch.

The auctioneer snapped me back to attention and I so went back outside.

One of the Culps (maybe the old man Culp himself) started the auction promptly at noon. I had been to but had never bid at an auction before and was excited. Buyers quickly gathered around the first table heaped with various household articles. The auctioneer began chanting:

...one-dollar-bid-now-two-now-two-would-you-gimme-three-now three now three?
two-dollar-bid-now-three-now-three-now-three-would-you-gimme-four?...

One by one, each household lot was sold; some buyers moved away, having bought their target lot; others moved in, bidding on different lots. I stood back watching, listening to the auctioneer's chant. Each table was bought clean, leaving behind a barren surface and the stark legs of the folding table. I circled among the buyers and around the other tables still laden with things, always keeping my eye on "my" lot, patiently waiting. At last the bidding moved to my table and to my lot. I quickly bid, then again, then waited while the last round of bidding circled the table. The auctioneer nodded to me and I was pleased with the bargain and moved to the shade of a tree to watch the other buyers and to rest.

Near the end of the auction, Mrs. M. arrived with her son John. I hardly recognized them and hadn't seen either of them in years.  The M's were both older than my parents and their kids were in high school when we were little so we didn't play with them at all.  Pale and weakened, Mrs. M. walked with difficulty, steadied by John.  She had an ace bandage wrapped around her head and she moved unrecognized among the buyers, talking softly to herself while her son spoke softly to her as if to comfort her and also, perhaps, to calm her. They stopped in front of a large queen-sized headboard made of carved dark wood that a young couple had just bought. 

"How much did the bed sell for?" asked Mrs. M.  A young man, not knowing at all to whom he was speaking, confided his bargain. Mrs. M. just shook her head and looked confused, but her son whisked her away before she could protest. Mother and son then continued to survey the auction, their identities known to me and perhaps a few others. They didn't recognize me at all.

And so the M. family's possessions were sold and scattered: one couple struggled to load a heavy dresser while another carried away the living room sofa. At the day's end, the house stood empty looking even more hollowed out. The buyers departed, returning to where they had come from. The house itself was eventually sold to a young family.  I remember feeling a little sad afterwards--enough to write down a few details so that I wouldn't forget.

[Now I sometimes worry that guys like my neighbor, Mr. M., guys who did all the brain work in the '60s that we all take for granted will just dry up and disappear one day. And all that will remain will be a headstone in some cemetery]