Posted by Pietro Bertucci on 1 NOV 2009 6:55:23
What I’m going to write about are remembrances on November 2nd “giorno dei morti
"or “commemoration of the dead”, back to my childhood.
2nd was a very special day for us kids to whom our parents let believe that
if we were "good" during the previous year, we would receive some gifts from
our Dead Relatives on the night of November 1st.
we kids went to sleep early, wishing to be remembered from our dead grandparents
or other dear relatives. In fact during the night our parents hid gifts
such as clothing, shoes, toys, dried fruit, typical Sicilian marzipan fruit
and "pupi di zuccuru "or small puppets made with hardened and multicoloured
sugar.
so that it was a further fun to find them out. Unfortunately only the " good"
kids could enjoy the gifts, as the bad ones got carbon only !!
kids in south Italy Nov2nd is like December 6th, but their dead relatives play
the role of San Nicholas.
rite for all, is to pay a visit to our dead relatives to the Cemetery on November
2nd, when people in Ustica go and bring fresh flowers on the graves and light
up " lumini " ( wax candles ).
in the U.S.A. has a story to tell about the " giorno dei morti " please tell
us, writing to pietro.bertucci@libero.it