You may think it strange or eerie that I write about “A Day of I Morti”. Forty or fifty years ago the subject of the dead would send shivers down my spine. Time, reality and the loss of loved ones makes this day comforting.

Today, November 2, All Soul’s Day, is a day of remembrance of loved ones and friends who have left the earth for their eternal home. On this day prayers and masses are offered for the departed souls. This observance follows All Saints Day celebrated on November 1 and is an official holiday of the Catholic Church.

The tradition of celebrating All Soul’s Day has its origin with the 7th Century monks who offered mass and prayers on the day after Pentecost for their deceased community members.

Various customs and beliefs are associated with All Soul’s Day. The ancient Festival of the Dead was based on the belief that the souls of the dead would return for a meal with the family. Candles burned in windows to guide the souls back home where another place was set at the table.

In Hungary children went from door to door asking for food, clothing and toys to be offered symbolically to the dead but were then distributed to orphans, the poor and hungry.

Mexicans consider death as the passage to a new life and many are buried with basic objects. The Day of the Dead is a beautiful ritual celebrated happily and lovingly with prayers, music, food, and decoration of the graves.

In Poland doors and windows were left opened at midnight for the souls to return to the sites of their earthly lives. The custom at present is to decorate the grave with flowers on All Saint’s Day and on All Soul’s Day candles are lite at the gravesites.

I went back in memory to celebrating All Soul’s Day as a child with a tradition that was brought to this country by our Sicilian parents. On the eve of All Soul’s Day little children were put to bed early and those of older age were encouraged to retire early as well for it was the night that our dead relatives would appear bringing gifts and treats to children.

The treats they brought was called a “Pupa di zuccharo” a sugar doll made in various designs of cuppie dolls, angels, soldiers, and saints painted in vivid colors. They were so beautiful! The dolls were made in Chiarelli’s Royal Bake Shop on South Main Street. Weeks before All Soul’s Day the dolls were lined in his shop window giving us an opportunity to gaze and dream of the doll that might be ours.

I remember the last doll I received was that of the image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. How I prayed that my dead relatives would pick the right doll. Passing Chiarelli’s window with Mama, I pointed out the doll to her hoping that she might help by talking to the dead relatives for she knew them better than I.

That year I went to bed with great apprehension. Once again turning to Mama for reassurance brought a response of “You’ll have to wait and see.”

The night did not pass too quickly. Every sound heard might be the dead relatives at work. Next morning, I jumped out of bed went down on my knees to peer beneath the bed. If the dead relatives came that’s where it would be tucked in a shoe. Looking, looking no shoe or doll. I thought my heart was breaking until I looked up and there sitting above my bed was the Sacred Heart of Jesus “Pupa di zuccharo”.

The memory of the happiness of that incident brings tears to my eyes, an ache in my heart for the age of innocence and the feeling that Mama was standing at my side.

A few years ago I recalled talking to Grace Leonardi Depipi about the custom and decided to call her this year. Grace remembers the dolls very well. She found her doll at the bottom of the stairs. “What a treat? We ate the dolls from head to toe in one day. We must have been swinging from the chandeliers with a sugar high.”

Later the same evening Grace called me. “I can’t get the sugar dolls out of my mind. I called my friend Leona Montagna and she remembered finding the dolls in her shoe.” Laughing Grace recounted that Cathy Ricotta Turonis told her that her mother started early in preaching to get to bed the dead relatives were coming that night. Cathy said she was afraid to get up to go to the bathroom during the night for fear of bumping into one of them.

Yearly in addition to the prayers and masses offered in the church the Rosary is recited in St. Rocco’s Cemetery. It is a custom that began with Rev. Julio Serra and continues till today. The participants will walk and pray through the cemetery today at 3:00 p.m. with Rev. Daniel Scwebs, Pastor of St. Rocco’s Church.

The group ends their prayers in the circle where the Oblates of St.Joseph Priests are buried. Rev. Paul Pavese, a devote, pious, scholarly priest was recently buried in St. Rocco’s Cemetery. Father began preparation for his religious life at the age of 13. He was schooled in Rome, taught in Washington and came home to Northeastern Pennsylvania to shepard the faithful in the Oblate parishes. Father Pavese is remembered for his calmness, logic, compassion and love of God.

Take a minute today and say a prayer for a deceased loved one on this All Soul’s Day. In addition to the prayers this mother is adding a birthday wish to my Michele, who was born on this pray full day.

Maria Capolarella Montante’s column appears once a month in this space.

About the Author

$author.title covers $author.covers for the Times Leader. Reach them at $author.phone or $author.email.

Archives

Cemetery stones fascinating

All in a day, and then some

School bells ringin’; buses rollin’

More than just a farmers’ market

Make it happen!

It’s only a number

Aunt Rose’s words of wisdom

Claudia’s message

Women’s History Month

Et tu, St. Rocco’s