Tables set at night and sweets for the dead. Prayers, chrysanthemums, and cemetery visits. This is how the commemoration of the dead is celebrated in Italy and around the world.
We are all familiar with the traditional commemoration of the dead, celebrated every year on 2 November, the day after All Saints’ Day. From a young age, many of us may have seen our families bustling between chrysanthemums and moments of prayer, and we were almost certainly taken to the cemetery, which is never as crowded as it is in the unexpected chill of the first days of November. When we asked why we had to do this, the answer, which sounded mysterious and somewhat sinister to our young ears, was: “It’s the Day of the Dead.”
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In reality, the Commemoratio Omnium Fidelium Defunctorum is a very important event for the Catholic Church, which counts it among its Solemnities – one of the most significant liturgical celebrations, especially after the liturgical reform of the Roman Rite initiated by the Second Vatican Council. Previously, if 2 November fell on a Sunday, the Commemoration of the Dead was moved to the following day, as Sunday always took precedence.
As the name suggests, the Commemoration of the Dead, or the Day of the Dead, serves to remember the deceased – not only our loved ones, relatives, or friends we’ve lost. On this day, which is a celebration despite its sorrowful appearance, prayers are offered for the souls of all the dead, helping with their potential passage through Purgatory. It is, in fact, a Solemnity of Byzantine origin, rooted in the truth of faith in the Apostles’ Creed, particularly in the communion of saints. This belief holds that Christians are not to be seen as individuals, but as integral parts of the mystical body of the risen Jesus Christ, in the remission of sins, allowing access to the Kingdom of Heaven, and in the Resurrection of the flesh, where at the end of time, all the dead will rise and souls and bodies will reunite. Indeed, the final part of the Creed reads:
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the Holy Catholic Church, the Communion of Saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and life everlasting. Amen.
But at the heart of the Commemoration of the Dead lies the hope and deeply human desire to embrace our deceased loved ones again one day. For believers, death is just a transition – the beginning of a loving and faithful wait that will reunite us in the ultimate encounter with those we love.
Since the Commemoration of the Dead requires prayerful preparation, from 24 October, people may begin to recite the Novena for the dead.
And what about the chrysanthemum? Known in other countries as the sixteen-petalled daisy, this peculiar flower blooms right at this time of year. It is a short-day plant, meaning it flowers when the days grow shorter, and the hours of darkness exceed nine per day.
It is also interesting to note how, over the centuries, the Day of the Dead has taken on various characteristics, often blending with pagan and folkloric traditions of the countries reached by the Catholic Faith. Traditions around the world vary greatly, such as the picturesque Día de Muertos (Day of the Dead) in Mexican culture, where graves are decorated with flowers and gifts, food, toys, and even alcohol are placed upon them. In every household, an altar for the dead is set up, and families await their deceased relatives to visit those still living.
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The History of the Day of the Dead
When did Italy begin celebrating the Day of the Dead on 2 November?
The last days of October and the first of November have always been considered propitious for the dead and thus dedicated to celebrations in their honour. This preference stems from the belief that the Great Flood occurred at this time of year.
According to the Byzantines, however, the commemoration of the dead should take place between late January and early February, on the Saturday before *Sexagesima* Sunday, two weeks before Lent, around sixty days before Easter.
St Augustine urged the faithful to pray for the dead not only on the anniversary of their death but also on other dedicated days.
In 998, Abbot St. Odilo of Cluny, a key figure in the Cluniac reforms of the Benedictine order, introduced several innovations, including that after Vespers on 1 November, the bells of Cluny Abbey should toll for the dead. The following day, he celebrated mass offering the Eucharist pro requie omnium defunctorum – for the souls of all the dead. From then on, the Day of the Dead was fixed on 2 November.
Celebrations of the Day of the Dead in Italy
There are many Italian traditions associated with the commemoration of the dead. In Sicily, the festival has its roots in pre-Christian rites and the Roman cult of the Lares, the ancestral spirits who watched over and protected the gens and the familia. On the night of All Saints, the dead are said to visit the homes of their relatives, leaving gifts for children along with the traditional sweets for the dead: *frutta di Martorana* (marzipan fruits), *pupi di zucchero* (sugar figurines), and biscuits called “bones of the dead”.
In Puglia, as in Mexico, people believe that on All Saints’ night, the dead return to visit their relatives and friends. Thus, the table is set for them with bread, water, and wine. In some areas, pumpkins are carved, like the Halloween tradition, and children receive sweets and gifts left for them by deceased relatives in stockings hung around the house. The table set for the dead can also be found in parts of Trentino, Piedmont, and Valle d’Aosta, while in the province of Cremona, beds are prepared for the dead.
In some areas of Lombardy, people make sure the returning dead have water to drink, leaving fresh water for them, while in Friuli, bread and a lit candle are left.
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In Tuscany, there is the tradition of the Ben d’i morti: those who have lost a loved one give food to the needy. Young children wear the sfilza, a necklace of boiled chestnuts and apples, but in the past, the ben dei morti was a mix of beans, chestnuts, and dried figs, given to children going door to door, just like today’s trick-or-treaters. Remember that children dressed as ghosts represent the souls of the dead, asking for gifts and remembrance. In Sardinia, children go from house to house with faces smeared with charcoal, asking for sweets and dried fruit while chanting, “Seus benius po is animeddas” (we have come for the souls) or “mi das fait po praxeri is animeddas?” (will you give me something for the good of the souls?).
In some regions, people not only visit the cemetery to bring chrysanthemums and pray but also to eat, just as they do in Mexico. In particular, fava beans, always considered a sacred food and thus suitable for funeral ceremonies and banquets, are eaten. In Liguria, dried fava beans called bacilli are prepared, along with boiled chestnuts (balletti). There are also many fava-shaped sweets, such as the stinchetti dei morti in Umbria.
The Day of the Dead Around the World
In addition to Italian customs, there are many fascinating traditions for the Day of the Dead worldwide. Aside from the aforementioned Mexican Día de los Muertos, which is so unique that it has been recognised by UNESCO as part of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, there’s the grand Creole carnival in New Orleans, America’s most haunted city due to its long-standing tradition of witchcraft and voodoo. In Ireland, the Celtic Samhain, which has evolved into Halloween and was exported to America, is still widely celebrated. Large bonfires are lit to ward off bad luck and evil spirits, people dress as monsters, pumpkins (once turnips) are carved, and the dead and spirits are honoured.
In contrast, celebrations in the East are quite different. In Thailand, Boon Para Wate takes place between June and July, featuring three days of torch-lit parades, music, and dancing, but also moments of prayer, meditation, and reflection. In China, Qingming (Tomb-Sweeping Day) is celebrated from 4 to 6 April, during which the whole family gathers to clean the graves of their ancestors, consuming only cold food as lighting fires is forbidden.
In Guatemala, All Saints’ Day and the Day of the Dead are marked by the building of enormous kites during the Festival de Barriletes Gigantes.
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