Halloween isn’t nearly as big in Italy as in the U.S.. Rather than knocking on doors of private people, the kids visit merchants who give them treats. I still like to participate. That’s hard, because they don’t ring my bell. So I carve a pumpkin and take it and a basket of candy to our lobby. They would have to ring one of the four doorbells to get inside. They never ring ours. And yet, all the candy is gone. My money is on one greedy person getting inside and taking it all. This is the second Halloween that this has happened here in this building. 🎃 Maybe I should give up,

November is All Saints Day. Ognissanti or Tutti Santi. This day is a national holiday. People visit the cemeteries in droves. Cemeteries become lively fun places with multi generations visiting their loved ones. They clean the graves, polish headstones, light small red votive candles and place flowers. Every town here has at least one town cemetery. Outside of every cemetery is a flower vendor. Very convenient! The flower of the dead is the chrysanthemum called fiori dei morti. You never, EVER, give chrysanthemums to a living person. As in all things Italian, food is not absent. They have pastries called dolci dei morti. Sweets of the dead.

November 2 is All Souls’ Day and it is not a holiday. It is called il Giorno dei Morti. Day of the dead. While November 1 honors all the saints who have reached heaven, November 2 is specifically dedicated to praying for the souls of all deceased loved ones, particularly those who may still be in purgatory.

Buona domenica a tutti!