Customs and ancient celebrations for All Saints Day (November 1st). The procession of the saints, li coccə də li murtə, food linked to the cult of the dead and the passage of the dead

On All Saints' Day a procession was held, in which the faithful carried lighted candles, which started from the church in the municipal cemetery and moved to the village church.
In that period it was customary to empty the pumpkins, called li cucoccə in dialect, to represent li coccə də li murtə (or, simply, la mortə), i.e. the heads of the dead. This custom, which we now associate with the Anglo-Saxon world, was actually also widespread in the Vibratian valley and was still practiced until the mid-sixties. The pumpkins, once emptied of the pulp and seeds, were carved to recreate faces and a candle was placed inside to illuminate them. During the night between October 31st and November 1st, the pieces were displayed in front of the houses.
On the same night, after dinner, the table was left laden with some dishes, because it was thought that the deceased would return to visit the house where they had lived in life. In some cases, a cloth, a towel and a basin of water were also left, because it was believed that the deceased might need these things to clean up after the long journey.
Some seasonal foods that were consumed in those days were associated with the dead: such were broad beans, chickpeas, pomegranates and, of course, winter squashes. A typical sweet of the period were the fave dei morti, i.e. biscuits, similar to amaretti, which were modeled in the shape of broad beans. In the past, the relationship with death was almost "serene", due to the frequency with which the tragic event affected families; it should come as no surprise, therefore, that many customs and beliefs orbited around mourning, sometimes religious and sometimes superstitious: they were all methods to exorcise the fear of passing away and to keep alive the memory of the deceased loved ones.