L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2025 www.italoamericano.org 10 L'Italo-Americano D o we really cel- e b r a t e t h e d e a d ? W e r e m e m b e r t h e m , h o n o r them, mourn them, but to celebrate them, isn't that an o x y m o r o n ? A p a r a d o x ? Death is the opposite of cele- bration, a time of sorrow, a moment when we grieve the physical loss of someone we loved. Yet Sicily has always had an ambiguous relationship w i t h t h e l a d y h o l d i n g t h e s c y t h e . T h e i s l a n d n e v e r t r u l y a c c e p t e d d e a t h a s a definitive loss, instead giving it new life – if one can put it t h a t w a y – i n t h e a n n u a l c o m m e m o r a t i o n o f t h e departed on November 2, a t r a d i t i o n t h a t s t r e t c h e s deep into the past. To understand how Sicil- ians relate to death, one only has to think of the mummi- fied bodies in the Capuchin Catacombs of Palermo, a site that draws countless vis- itors intrigued by these eerie "altars" that seem to mock mortality itself. But if we follow the path of November 2 celebrations, we must start from their ori- gins: the visit to the graves of loved ones, followed by the many customs that accompa- ny the day. Until just a few decades ago, Sicilian chil- dren didn't receive presents a t C h r i s t m a s , t h e i r g i f t s came instead on the night of N o v e m b e r 2 , b r o u g h t b y their deceased relatives. The children went to bed com- pletely covered, head to toe, b e c a u s e i f t h e y c a u g h t a glimpse of their ancestors l e a v i n g g i f t s , t h o s e s a m e ancestors would "scratch" their feet. The anticipation was intense, and the ritual, full of innocence, carried a poetic charm: the blending of the sacred and the every- d a y , a n d t h e c o m f o r t i n g b e l i e f t h a t t h e d e a d s t i l l watched over the living. I n p a r t s o f A g r i g e n t o , families even left lights on at night, at the entrance of their homes or on their balconies, to guide the spirits of their loved ones back to visit their relatives. What awaited the children the next morning, hidden in the corners of the house? Beyond a few small toys, the centerpiece was always the cannistru, a basket brim- ming with dried fruits and sweets known as murticeddi ("little dead ones"): ossa di morto ("bones of the dead"), h a r d c o o k i e s m a d e w i t h s u g a r a n d c i n n a m o n , l s o called muscardini, mustaz- z o l a , c a r c a g n e d d i , o r pupatelli filled with toasted a l m o n d s ; t a r a l l i , r i n g - s h a p e d c o o k i e s c o a t e d i n icing; nucatoli; tetù, either white with powdered sugar or dark with cocoa; frutta di martorana, marzipan fruits with their fascinating history; and the brightly col- ored pupi di zucchero , sugar figurines. As with many Sicilian cus- toms, these traditions echo much older rituals dating back to ancient Rome. Dur- ing the refrigerium and the Parentalia, families honored their dead by sharing food at their tombs, a custom that, until not long ago, survived in Sicily as the humble meal o f b e a n s a n d a s a n d w i c h filled with cheese, oil, and a n c h o v i e s e a t e n d u r i n g cemetery visits. Let's go back to frutta di martorana and pupi di zuc- c h e r o , a s t h e i r o r i g i n s deserve to be told. According to the accounts of ethnogra- pher Giuseppe Pitrè, to w h o m P a l e r m o ' s E t h n o - graphic Museum is now ded- icated, the nuns of the Mar- torana convent once found t h e m s e l v e s e x p e c t i n g a papal visit. Wanting to pre- s e n t t h e i r g a r d e n i n f u l l bloom but finding their fruit trees bare, they crafted real- istic fruits out of a paste of almond flour and sugar. The result was astonishing: visu- ally delightful and, when tasted, even more pleasing to the palate. It's worth recalling that the convent took its name f r o m i t s p r o x i m i t y t o t h e Church of Santa Maria dell'Ammiraglio, built in 1143 by George of Antioch, admiral to the Norman King Roger II. The nearby Bene- dictine monastery, founded in 1194 by the noblewoman Eloisa Martorana, later gave both the convent and the sweets their name. E v e n t o d a y , f r u t t a d i martorana remains an irre- p l a c e a b l e s y m b o l o f t h e November 2 celebration, not only in Palermo but across Sicily. Their vivid colors and delicate almond scent make them a feast for both the e y e s a n d t h e s e n s e s , a n d they keep their fragrance and texture for months. The story of pupi di zuc- chero, lso called pupaccena, is equally fascinating. These figures are made solely of sugar melted in water over high heat in copper pots, mixed with lemon juice and cream of tartar to whiten it, t h e n p o u r e d i n t o m o l d s . H o l l o w i n s i d e , t h e y a r e painted in bright natural colors on the front, while the back remains plain white. Two different traditions e x p l a i n t h e i r o r i g i n : o n e credits Venetian and Sicilian artisans – Sicilians being a m o n g t h e m a j o r s u g a r exporters from Palermo – who created these sugary sculptures in honor of King Henry III during his visit to Venice in 1574. The royal cook, Sansovino, with the help of skilled craftsmen, set a banquet table with uten- sils, plates, and napkins all made of sugar. Legend has it that when the king dropped his napkin, it broke upon hitting the floor, to his great surprise. The second version takes u s f u r t h e r b a c k , t o A r a b Sicily. It tells of a nobleman fallen on hard times who, w i s h i n g t o e n t e r t a i n h i s guests, served these anthro- pomorphic sugar figures, inexpensive yet beautiful, since sugar was abundant and cheap in Palermo at the time. Sicilian humor, which is never absent, not even in the face of death, also gave rise to a nursery rhyme that cap- tures the island's spirit and its ability to smile even at life's saddest moments. It's a rhyme that, for centuries, has accompanied the cele- bration of November 2, and it still goes like this: What did the dead bring you? A doll with crooked hips, The cat that played music, The mouse that danced. H e r e c o m e s t h e b r i d e , W e a r i n g h e r s i l k d r e s s ; T h e s i l k g e t s w e t , R i g h t i n y o u r g r a n d m a ' s face. Y o u r g r a n d m a d i e d — A s G o d w i l l e d i t s o . Here comes her sister-in- law, Wearing an embroidered gown; H e r e c o m e s t h e b a r o n , With his drooping trousers; Here comes the innkeeper, With a bottle in his hand. T i r i t u p p i t i e l a r i u l à , Fried fish and salted cod! HERITAGE HISTORY IDENTITY TRADITIONS The Day of the Dead in Sicily TERESA DI FRESCO Traditional All Souls Day's cookies: the "ossa dei morti," the dead's bones (Photo: Ulrike Leone/Dreamstime) Martorana fruit is made with sugar and almonds (Photo: Stain_Phil/Shutterstock)

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