El carbón de la Befana (The Befana's coal)
MCER A2124 palabras
When I was small, in my town near Bologna, the sixth of January was more important than Christmas. That is the day of the Befana. She is an old woman with a broom, and she leaves sweets in the socks of good children and black sugar coal in the socks of the bad ones.
One year I got only coal. I was six, and I cried in the kitchen for half an hour. My mother said nothing.
Then my grandmother arrived, ate a piece of my coal and told me it was sugar. It was the best thing I ate that winter.
Now I fill the socks for my brother's children. And every year I put a small piece of coal in each one.
Palabras que quizá no conozcas
- broomescoba
- sockscalcetines
- coalcarbón
- sweetscaramelos, dulces
Preguntas
Se contestan con el texto delante. No es memoria: es entender.
When is the day of the Befana?
The sixth of January — The sixth of January, y el texto dice que en su pueblo era más importante que la Navidad.
The Befana brings the same thing to all children.
False — Falso: dulces para los buenos y carbón de azúcar negro para los malos.
The writer was ___ years old the year of the coal.
six — I was six: seis años. No confundirlo con el día seis de enero.
Why did the grandmother eat a piece of the coal?
To show the child that it was only sugar — El texto no dice para qué lo hace: lo come y le dice que es azúcar. Con un niño llorando, comerse el castigo delante es la manera de enseñarle que no lo es.
What was 'the best thing' the writer ate that winter?
The sugar coal — El carbón, que era de azúcar. Lo que parecía un castigo termina siendo lo mejor del invierno.
Why does the writer put a piece of coal in every sock now?
Because of that day with the grandmother — En EVERY sock, incluidas las de los que se han portado bien: si el carbón fuera un castigo, no lo pondría en todas. Lo pone por lo que aprendió con seis años.