L'Italo-Americano

www.italoamericano.org 8 THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2020 L'Italo-Americano T r a d i t i o n a l l y , I t a l y h a s n e v e r really celebrated H a l l o w e e n , a feast we impor- ted in the past 20 years from the Anglo-American world and that became particularly popular among children — hello "trick or treating!"— and the younger generations — hello, spooky parties! But the days between the e n d o f O c t o b e r a n d t h e b e g i n n i n g o f N o v e m b e r have always been dedicated to the worship and the care of the Dead, an idea which is in fact at the heart of the "real" Halloween, the Celtic f e s t i v a l o f S a m h a i n . Culturally tied to the Judeo- Christian heritage and spiri- tually still largely a Catholic nation, Italy remembers the D e a d o n t h e 2 n d o f November and, a day ear- lier, she celebrates all the Saints, even those who do not have a day dedicated to them on the calendar. B e s i d e t h e i r r e l i g i o u s meaning, All Saints and All Souls day are a moment fil- led with traditions that may differ from region to region, but have all in common one t h i n g : t h e y i n v o l v e t h e Departed. In this, yes: Italy d o e s h a v e h e r o w n "Halloweens." In Piemonte, for instan- ce, people add a plate to the dinner table for the family's Dead and, in the past, chil- dren used to received little presents from their souls, often left in the kids' shoes o r o n t h e i r b e d ( s p o i l e r alert: it was mom and dad). Parents would also asked their children to make their beds before heading to mass on All Souls day, because the Dead would come visit the house and take a rest in t h e m . T h e l i t t l e p r e s e n t s were a "thank you" gift, my grandmother would say, for l e t t i n g t h e m t a k e a n a p there. It's interesting to see how the traditional habit to carve and light pumpkins is com- m o n i n m a n y a r e g i o n o f Italy and isn't an imported t r a d i t i o n , a s m a n y m a y b e l i e v e . I n T u s c a n y , f o r instance, pumpkins carved to resemble a human face were lighted with a candle, "dressed" with rugs and pla- ced in half hidden places to play tricks and scare passer- sby. Interestingly, the tradi- tion of carving and lighting pumpkins was pretty com- mon across the P i a n u r a Padana, too, at least until t h e f i r s t h a l f o f t h e 2 0 t h c e n t u r y . H o w e v e r , t h e y weren't used to spook peo- ple off, but to provide light in particularly dark alleys and corners. There was also a r e l i g i o u s a n d s p i r i t u a l connotation: in Veneto, for instance, the candle inside t h e m s y m b o l i z e d Resurrection. Moving to the Centre and the South of the peninsula, o t h e r p e c u l i a r c u s t o m s appear. In Abruzzo , but also in Emilia-Romagna, it was tradition to go around knocking on doors to ask offers for the Dead, a sort of less child-oriented "trick or treat" extravaganza. The sli- ghtly unsettling thing was t h a t , s o m e t i m e s , o f f e r s weren't to honor dead peo- p l e , b u t t o p l a c a t e t h e i r rage. Spooky. Campania and Puglia h a d t h e s a m e h a b i t a s Piemonte: on All Souls day, the table would be set both for the Dead and the living a n d C a l a b r i a … a h , Calabria would go all Paleo- Christian and have its peo- ple dine directly on their loved ones' graves: indeed, this was an extremely com- mon habit among the early C h r i s t i a n s , o n e t h a t t h e y had inherited from pagan rites. Eating by a tomb was at once an offering to the s o u l s o f t h e D e a d a n d a moment of conviviality and sharing, in which the Dead themselves were believed to p a r t i c i p a t e . N o r t h a n d South meet again in Sicily, where children receive pre- sents from the Dead, just like young Piedmontese of yore. In Sardinia, pumpkins once more take centre stage. I n G a l l u r a , a d u l t s w a l k around town making noise with all sorts of tools, inclu- ding axes and knives, while children carry around, you guessed it, carved pumpkins with a candle inside. The aim of all that racket is to scare the pumpkin-carrying k i d s . I n t h e m e a n w h i l e , Young adults and slightly older kids would go around t o w n b a n g i n g a l l s o r t o f o b j e c t s t o g e t h e r t o m a k e noise and announce their presence in the street: they would then knock on doors a n d a s k f o r s w e e t s a n d c o o k i e s a s a g i f t . S o u n d s familiar? If something can be lear- n e d f r o m t h i s b r i e f H a l l o w e e n / A l l S o u l s t r i p through Italy is that, as we say here in the Stivale, tutto i l m o n d o è p a e s e , i t ' s a small world. A world where traditions and habits often find their most ancient ori- gin in the same customs, or in customs which had once b e e n i n f l u e n c e d b y o n e a n o t h e r . I t i s t h e c a s e o f H a l l o w e e n a n d t h e o l d pagan and Roman rituals related to the cult of the Dead that were to be embra- ced by Christians and that we see around Italy, someti- mes, still today. The com- mon denominator for both is the already mentioned Celtic festival of Samhain, which is known to be the "original Halloween," but w h i c h i s a l s o b e l i e v e d t o have somehow influenced t h e R o m a n s ' c u l t o f t h e Dead, which in turn was at the heart of early Christians' way of caring and praying for loved ones' souls. So, this year, while you c a r v e y o u r p u m p k i n , remember there is someone, in a small village in Italy, who's probably doing the same and not because it's H a l l o w e e n , b u t b e c a u s e they've been doing so for centuries! GIULIA FRANCESCHINI Italian Halloween: spooky traditions around the Belpaese Halloween decorations made with food: while Halloween is not typical of Italy, celebrating the Dead this time of the year certainly is (Photo: Photodee/Dreamstime) Selling Homes Throughout The Bay Area Adele Della Santina "The Right Realtor makes all the di昀erence." 650.400.4747 Adele.DellaSantina@compass.com www.AdeleDS.com DRE# 00911740 Expert in preparation, promotion, and negotiation! LIFE PEOPLE PLACES HERITAGE

• Cover