Befana

Today I went in search of the Befana, she usually comes to visit on the evening on the 5th to 6th of January with small gifts for children. She is an elderly lady usually portrayed looking like a witch or old hag on a stick. Old Hags seem to be hard to find on a cold day in Aberdeen, they are too covered up in warm clothes possibly. Even if I found an Old Hag or witch it would be ungentlemanly to describe her as such.

Instead this lady on the top of the wall of the Silver Darling looks far too young and attractive to be the Befana, but she will have to stand in her place as a symbol.

As the building on which she stands is at the entrance to the harbour, and next to the Fittie fishing village, I take her to be a young fishwife watching out for the safe return of her man. Today neither he nor any other men or women came in from the sea while I was at the harbour today. She will continue her cold and lonely vigil.

It was very cold again, with a high of roughly 2º, but was probably below freezing most of the day. The sky reappeared however, though it seems as though it may have been a brief return.