L'Italo-Americano

www.italoamericano.org 20 L'Italo-Americano THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2017 H alloween and all i t s h o b - g o b l i n h o o p l a s e e m s t o be gaining ground in Italy these days. C u e t h e J a c k - O - L a n t e r n s , costumery, plastic spiders, and e v e n s o m e D o l c e t t o o Scherzetto (little treats or little tricks) exuding from excited bambini going door to door. Only in recent years has this American tradition seeped into I t a l i a n c u l t u r e a n d c o n - sumerism, much to the disdain of those not in favor of diluting the long-standing observations of Ognissanti (All Saints Day) and Giorno dei Morti (Day of the Dead). La Festa di Ognissanti Since the dawn of Christiani- ty, Italy's many patron - and popular - saints have been given feast days of their own. But what about the lesser-known saints not granted an exclusive feast day, or the myriad of mar- tyrs often killed in unnamed groups? Various sectors of the church throughout Christendom recti- fied the problem by declaring a specific day to cover all saints, named and unnamed. But there was no unified date for recogni- tion throughout the western and eastern Christian communities. That is, until 609 A.D. – the year the Pantheon in Rome was gifted to Pope Boniface IV by E m p e r o r P h o c a s . T h e P o p e declared May 13 th as the cho- sen date to recognize all saints and martyrs, at least within the w e s t e r n R o m a n C a t h o l i c church, and renamed the Pan- theon "St. Mary and the Mar- tyrs" in honor of this. This was all well and good until the mid 8 th century whereupon Pope Gregory IV decreed November 1 st would be the recognized All S a i n t s D a y . B u t w h y t h e change? U r b a n l e g e n d s a y s t h e change of dates was directly tied to Samhain, the pagan cele- bration on November 1st mark- ing the beginning of winter. Samhain was the Celtic death l o r d , a n d w i t h s o m e o f h i s mighty powers, myth holds, he would release the spirits of the dead on the eve of October 31 st . P a g a n s a c r i f i c e , d i s g r u n t l e d spirits marauding as goblins or witches or even cats, and all other sorts of mischief were said to occur on this ominous night before the dark of winter set in. Sounds a little familiar, eh? Throw in a couple of late Octo- ber Roman pagan feasts initiat- ed in the early Christian era, and it's easy to see that the Pope might've wished to override t h e s e s h e n a n i g a n s w i t h A l l Saints Day. Giorno dei Morti Just like the foot bone's con- nected to the ankle bone, so too is Giorno dei Morti, Day of the Dead or All Souls Day, connect- ed to Ognissanti. Maybe even so much so that the two almost s e e m t o r u n t o g e t h e r . F i r s t recorded as a Christian com- memoration in the 10 th century, this festival for the dead begins with an early morning mass on the day of November 2 nd . I Morti, however, brings a shift of focus from deceased saints to that of deceased rela- t i v e s . T h o s e p a s s e d o n a r e r e m e m b e r e d a n d h o n o r e d . Prayer, alms, and the peal of church bells are offered for all departed souls, but especially for those thought to be cooling off in Purgatory. Across much of Italy, tradi- tion decrees that families spend at least part of the day at the cimitero (cemetery) on I Morti. Graves have been cleaned and prepared days earlier in antici- pation of All Souls Day. Often, they are decorated with mums, the flower customarily repre- senting mourning and sadness in Italy (hint: a potted mum does not make a good hostess gift). B e s i d e s g e t t i n g a d a y o f f f r o m w o r k a n d s c h o o l f o r PAULA REYNOLDS All Saints & remembering the Dead in Italy Ognissanti how are these hal- lowed days observed in Italy other than by attending mass and picnicking with family- passed? Dipende. Southern Italy seems to hold a death-grip on keeping customs alive – a celebratory thing in this quickly changing world. The night before Ognissanti, belief holds that the heavens open and the spirits of the dear- ly departed return. Children are warned by dutiful parents to be good in hopes that i bonarmuzza re muorticieddi (the good souls of the dead) will bring gifts and sweets during this special night. Any youngster who's toed the line throughout the year will c e r t a i n l y f i n d c o l o r f u l m a r - torana (those amazingly realis- tic almond paste fruits) or Ossa dei Morti (bone shaped cookies) a'waiting inside their carefully placed shoes. The tradition of graveside meals, is practically obligatory in Sicily. Families dress in Sun- day-best and see the visit as a joyful event where loved ones are reunited. Children happily s a y g r a z i e t o G r e a t - G r e a t - Nonna, thanking her for the toy or treat. Bonds are strengthened while death is celebrated as a part of living. Sardinians celebrate in what s e e m s m o r e A m e r i c a n - H a l - loween mode than ancient tradi- tion. Gleeful children traipse door-to-door, requesting sweets to ease the souls of those in Pur- gatory. Even carved pumpkins, Concas de Mortu (heads of the dead) are set out to help guide lost souls. And like some Hal- loween nights I remember, dish- es are left on the table sporting leftovers to feed the departed who will be roaming through the night. Rome, of course, offers the ultimate Ognissanti and I Morti mass at St. Peter's Basilica, and possibly even a blessing from the Pope. A visit to the less- crowded Pantheon, the birth- place of the unified All Saints Day, is befitting, as well. For reasons not quite understood, many couples in Rome tradi- tionally announce their engage- ment on All Souls Day. The region of Umbria offers a saintly draw during November 1 st and 2 nd . After all, this area boasts more saints cranked out per-capita than any other! If you're interested in getting up close and personal with a saint d u r i n g t h i s r e v e r e d e v e n t , Umbria's plentiful churches house the full remains or simply a relic or two of many-a-saint. N o r t h e r n r e g i o n s s u c h a s Piemonte and Lombardia also leave food offerings for the vis- iting departed, but in a manner not near as extravagant as their southern neighbors. A glass of water to quench the thirst of a roaming soul or a slice of bread to ease the hunger of a tired spirit are lovingly placed at the family table to ease the night. And although not widespread, locations in various northern regions also set out lit pumpkins (nothing new under the sun!) or candles to show the way to a wayward spirit. Veneto sweetens their cele- b r a t i o n w i t h f a v e d e i m o r t i ( b e a n s o f t h e d e a d ) , s w e e t almond cookies shaped to look like fava beans. One could say they have ancient roots; fava beans are noted in funeral tradi- tions as far back as the ancient Greeks, Peruvians, and even Egyptians. Supposedly these lit- tle legumes hold magical pow- ers for communication between the living and the dead. As the dark and cold of win- t e r o v e r t a k e t h e l a n d , i t ' s a befitting time to ponder death a n d t h o s e p a s s e d b e f o r e u s . Ognissanti and I Morti certainly offer ample opportunity for this and more. However, life…the living connection to the dead… the remembering from whence we came…this is the true cele- bration, and Italians do it win- ningly. A comforting message for these times, for any era. Frutta Martorana, made of marzipan, is typical for All Souls Day in Sicily LA VITA ITALIANA TRADITIONS HISTORY CULTURE

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