02/11/2023
Do you all know about the famous Day of the Dead celebration in Mexico, right?💀
Would you be surprised if I told you that in Sicily, there is also a festival that shares the same origins as the renowned Dia de los Mu***os?
There is one night a year when the boundary between the here and the hereafter becomes thinner, where the deceased walk the city streets, bring gifts to children, and receive a warm meal: it's November 2nd, the 'Festa dei Morti,' a celebration with ancient origins, spread in various ways and forms worldwide, from Europe to Asia to the American continent.
Beyond the scheduled celebrations, the cult of the dead is always present in Sicily; for example, many homes still have 'domestic altars,' corners dedicated to the deceased with photographs and candles that sometimes arise in the places where the deceased used to linger.🕯️🪔
In Catania, it is said that on November 2nd, the dead pass through all the alleys and streets with 'u coddu di filo,' with a thin, thread-like neck; representing the very subtle connection between the world of the dead and the world of the living.🩻
This procession of the dead on November 2nd, a belief also widespread in Messina and its province, starts from cemeteries and reaches homes. There was a tradition - and it still exists in some areas - of preparing a dinner, a first course, a second course, water, and setting the table for the deceased, in anticipation of their arrival. Once everything was arranged, people would go to bed knowing that the deceased would enter the house during the night, partake in the meal, and their soul would be appeased and grateful to the community of the living.🍛🕯️
All of this is accompanied by the spectacular Sicilian cuisine, which, coinciding with the festival, indulges in very special sweets like 'rame di Napoli,' 'ossa dei morti,' 'totò,' or 'frutta martorana.'🍪
Did you know all these interesting facts about the Day of the Dead celebration in Sicily?