The Tradition of the Feast of the Dead in Sicily

The feast of the dead in Sicily, which falls on the day of November 2, is a very heartfelt appointment that has nothing to do with witches, skeletons and pumpkins. In Sicily, tradition has it that the night between 1 and 2 November, the deceased bring gifts to children, which has always made the commemoration an event of celebration. Once upon a time a nursery rhyme was recited the night before November 2:

“Armi santi, armi santi, io sugnu unu e vuatri siti tanti, mentre sugnu ‘ntra stu munnu di guai, cosi di morti mittitiminni assai”.

"Holy souls, holy souls, I am one and you are many, while I am in this world of trouble, gifts of the dead put me many".

With this rhyme the souls of the dead were invited to leave the gifts: so in the night between 1 and 2 November, some gifts were hidden for the children, who woke up looking for them at home. Once they had found the gifts, they were told that those gifts had been brought by the souls of the deceased relatives to whom, later, everyone visited the cemetery together.

U Cannistru ri Morti

The commemoration of the dead in Sicily takes on a very particular meaning and is deeply linked to the culinary tradition, as indeed most of the Sicilian festivities. 'U cannistru ri morti', literally the basket of the dead, is filled with sweets for the little ones on the occasion of this holiday, once instead, gifts were items like clothes and shoes! Among the main sweets in the basket the most common are: the delicious and colorful Fruit Martorana widespread in Palermo, the Bones of Dead famous for their hardness, the Sicilian Tutus classic cupcakes covered with icing, the Reginelle or biscuits with cimino and sugar puppets!

This Sicilian event, with a strong educational value, represents a bridge between the old and new generations, turning a relatively sad day into a party, making sure that children keep in mind and in their hearts the missing family members, without fear of the world of the dead and death in general.