Why was La Befana considered a witch?

Answer 1

That she possibly evolves from the pre-Catholic, Roman/Sabine goddess Strina of the New Year, that she is long-lived, that she looks like an old woman, and that she rides a broomstick are reasons why La Befana sometimes is considered a witch. The legendary holiday figure's name literally means "the witch" even though it actually may be just a deformation of la festa dell'epiphania ("the feast of the Epiphany") -- the night of January 5th -- upon which she appears.