ROME, Jan. 5 (Xinhua) -- Almost half of Italian families plan to hang a stocking to celebrate the Epiphany, a national holiday falling on Jan. 6 that marks the end of the Christmas festivities, according to a study by Coldiretti farmers association out Saturday.

In Italy the festival is also known as La Befana, after a legendary old woman who delivers gifts to kids on her broomstick.

She is said to visit children on the eve of Jan. 6 to fill their stockings with candy if they have been good, or lumps of coal if they have been bad.

At least 45 percent of families plan to hang a stocking for their children to find on Sunday, filling them with presents costing an average of 70 euros per household (+15 percent over last year), according to Coldiretti.

The Coldiretti study also showed 2.5 million Italians this year are taking a holiday trip over the Epiphany weekend (+10 percent over the same period in 2018), privileging mountain destinations and ski resorts.

The Epiphany weekend is also a major shopping event in Italy because it marks the start of nationwide winter sales, in which retailers offer their wares at large discounts.

Over 15 million families are expected to look for bargains, spending an average of 325 euros per household and 140 euros per capita, with overall estimated turnover of 5.1 billion euros (in line with 2018 numbers), according to a Jan. 4 report by Confcommercio retailers' association.

Most shoppers, or 95.7 percent, said they will look for discounted clothes, while 80.3 percent will focus on shoes and 34 percent on accessories, according to the Confcommercio study, which also showed a rise in online shopping: 18.9 percent of respondents said they will look for bargains online this year, against 15 percent in 2018.

The Epiphany is inspired by the story of the arrival of the Three Wise Men (also known as the Magi) in Bethlehem with gifts for the newborn Jesus, and several cities will mark the day with concerts, parades, and activities for children.

In Florence, organizers announced that about 700 people in Renaissance costumes, some of them on horseback, will take part in the traditional Cavalcade of the Magi through the city, which was held as far back as the 15th century.

In Genoa, a convoy of Fiat 500 car aficionados dressed up as Befanas will bring gifts to sick children at the city's Gaslini Pediatric Hospital, in an event that is now in its 21st edition.

In Venice, a regatta of Befanas will sail down the Grand Canal, to be followed by a ceremony led by city officials in which participants will compete for the title of "Befana of the Year". Enditem

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