The All Souls' Day, or Day of the Dead is a celebration of the Catholic Church preceded by a Novena. In the liturgical calendar follows the feast of All Saints, which uses it today, November 1. The idea of \u200b\u200bcommemorating the dead for the souls born under the inspiration of a Byzantine rite, which celebrated all the dead on the Saturday before the Sunday Sexagesima, ie the eighth after Easter, a period roughly between the end of January and the month of February. The cult of the dead, however, as we know, is typical and common of all the greatest civilizations in history, so that you can get easily get to say that when the memory and the cult of the dead enter into crisis and has failed, it is merely synonymous with cultural decadence and thermometer, to the extent a people who would break away from their historical and cultural roots, as the deep respect for its past, can not meet a clear and conscious future. Traditionally, the day dedicated to the memory of the dead, visit the local cemeteries and bring the gift of flowers on the graves of their loved ones. In many Italian places is a widespread custom to prepare some sweets, called Indeed sweets of the dead, to celebrate the day. Here in Sicily, in particular, during the night of All Saints, the belief has it that the deceased's family to leave gifts for children along with Martorana fruit and other sweets. In the province of Massa Carrara, Tuscany, the day is the occasion of the well of the dead, with whom the deceased was originally bequeathed to the family the burden of distributing food to the neediest, while those who owned a winery offered everyone a glass of wine, the children also was placed around his neck a necklace made of boiled chestnuts and apples. Also in Tuscany, in the area of \u200b\u200bMonte Argentario and the entire province of Grosseto was traditional sewing large pockets on the front of the clothes of orphaned children, so that everyone could put something on offer, food or money. There was also the custom of putting the little shoes on the graves of dead children because it was thought that the night of November 2 of their souls (those little angels) to come back among the living. In Puglia, especially in areas of Foggia, Barletta, is typical of the Day of the Dead in the preparation of so-called Colva, a dessert consisting of cooked grain, pieces of dark chocolate, walnuts and almonds, pomegranate seeds, raisins and seasoned with sugar and vin cotto.
In the communities of Southern Eparchy Lungro of the Eparchy of Piana and the commemoration of the dead according to the Eastern tradition of greek-Byzantine rite. But the celebrations are carried out in the weeks before Lent.
According to the traditional culture of many Italian towns, the night of Day of the Dead souls of the dead comes back from carrying out processions in the streets of the village and almost every town there is some anecdote or tradition of the period of the dead to remember, beyond those mentioned above.
In some areas, further confirmation of what happens in the world during the Anglo-Saxon the Halloween party, it was customary to dig and carve pumpkins and then put a candle inside to use as lanterns, although it is noted that, in general, the celebration of Halloween itself is not part of our historical tradition, but can be considered for very large parts such as a party for the consumption of imported consumer ed'emulazione mainly ... more or less acceptable because alien to our history and our cultural roots that should be retrieved rather socially and with the fundamental contribution of institutions, schools and families (which would educate children about our traditions and history, notable and appreciated and studied around the world) as well that import only purely and often uncritically by others.
