Nine out of 10 Italian households will exchange Befana stockings Tuesday morning after the mythical hag-like witch that brings sweets to good children and coal to naughty ones flies in on her broomstick to homes across the Bel Paese on the Feast of the Epiphany.
According to a survey by the Italian Food Union, some 70% of Italian adults will hang up stockings Monday night named after the Befana, which is a corruption of Epifania.
Befana is also used as an insult for ugly women.
Consumer group Federconsumatori lamented that ready-made stockings were 14% dearer this year and chocolate sweets 13% pricier.
According to a retail group, Confcooperative, Italians will spend some 2.4 billion euros for this year's Befana.
