Out beyond ideas of right-doing & wrongdoing, there is a table—named after Italy’s legendary gift giver. I’ll meet you there.
-Dina-
Greetings! I’m Dina — and welcome to La Befana’s Table: a Substack, podcast, and gathering space inspired by Italy’s beloved folk figure, La Befana.
What to Expect Around Here
Curious conversations with dear friends, artists, healers, wise elders, culture bearers, community leaders, and everyday people who are using their gifts to make the world a more beautiful place
Occasional personal reflections plus updates on the latest happenings at La Befana’s Table including gatherings both online & IRL
La Befana’s Table as a Third Place
More than a podcast, La Befana’s Table is a gathering space for the weary yet hopeful—those who sense something is missing in how we’ve been taught to live, work, and relate, and who want to use their gifts to make the world a more beautiful place.
Join Our Circle of Gift Givers
Do you have gifts you long to share & want to help sustain the work of La Befana’s Table.
The Circle of Gift Givers is a year long rolling circle- that you can join any time—where we gather once a month around the virtual table for reflection, collaboration, & collective care.
This is not a space to perform or produce.
It’s a space to offer and receive—to remember that your presence, your voice, your story are already gifts.
At La Befana’s Table, we practice showing up as we are and supporting one another in cultivating the courage to become true gift givers.
🎁 Gift Givers | $5 month or $55/year
Monthly Connection Hour at the virtual table
Private chat to share daily gifts of gratitude, reflection, and spiritual/creative companionship
Discounts on gatherings both online & IRL, workshops, and retreats
Access to archive & paywalled posts/podcast episodes
🧹 Befana Squad — Founding Members | $180/year
For those who feel called to help sustain the work of La Befana’s Table
In addition to everything Gift Givers receive, Founding Members of our Befana Squad are welcomed with a box of Italian cookies from Dilena’s Dolcini cause at La Befana’s Table we believe that life is simply sweeter, together.
Our Story
After a long and winding journey of searching for a place where I felt like I belonged, a magical guide appeared in the most unexpected form—a puppet of Italy’s legendary La Befana.
Though I had never puppeteered before, a chance encounter at a friend’s Fourth of July party—with a woman who mentioned she had a puppet of Italy’s legendary La Befana tucked away on a shelf—catapulted me upon a three-year long journey of bringing this folkloric figure to life in the streets of New York.
At the height of the global pandemic, La Befana teamed up with City Relief, handing out cookies to those in need and providing much needed moments of comic relief.
Like any good guide, La Befana led me from loneliness and isolation into meaningful connections with my neighbors, creating a bridge not only between self and other, but also between an ancient legend from my ancestral cultural heritage and the one unfolding before my eyes.
Through the encounters I had with La Befana on the streets, I discovered a sense deep belonging, rooted in the realization that I was but a small part of a Living Legend.
Today, I carry the lessons learned from this transformative chapter of my life journey into my work as the Creator & Host of La Befana’s Table.
Ode to La Befana
Written by Raylene Abbott, Friend of La Befana’s Table
She flies on her broomstick, amongst the stars. She brings many gifts, she travels so far. Her wisdom is natural; she sees through the heart, she finds every child and nourishes their inner spark. For the spark of God is in everyone and everything we see, and it is from an innocent heart that we will fulfill all our needs.
