The only thing I found on this subject is that Italians make cakes in the shape of beans -- Beans for the Dead. Other than that, do Italians 'celebrate' Halloween the way the U.S. does? With Halloween parties, trick or treating, costume contests, etc. I don't know about the mainland U.S. but here where I live it seems that Halloween is more of an adult thing than a kiddie thing.
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Cynde
This message has been edited. Last edited by: Kim,
Posts: 442 | Location: 12 time zones from Italy | Registered: 02 March 2002
Here, Halloween is an Americanization of a major Italian holiday called âAll Saints Dayâ which falls on November 1st and seems to be gaining in popularity in the major cities that are more subject to the influence of mass media. A lot of Italians disagree with its manifestation but, over the last couple of years, a growing number of them are catching on to Halloween and declaring Carnival outdated. Check out the website http://www.halloweenight.it where thereâs a straw poll that indicates 65% of the siteâs visitors wanted to see the bewitching night made a national holiday, 29% percent intended to celebrate by partying while 11% went to clubs. The Italians that do dress their kids up and take them door-to-door to collect candy are very vague on the meaning of the day. They just know that it started in America and like the fact that it makes their kids happy. We've noticed a growing number of bands of costumed kids hitting us up over the years. In our area they seem to be mostly unchaperoned and heavy handed on the âtricksâ if there are no âtreatsâ. Here are a few websites that have sprung up and there are tons more of them providing testimony to the fact that Italians are fascinated with the idea of this American oddity:
We have seen signs of Halloween celebrations in small towns in Marche as well as in the bigger cities. We ahve spent 2 halloweens in Italy. It is viewed as an American thing and a good excuse to party (althought Italians never seem to need too much of an excuse....). We saw small groups of children out trick or treating, mostly school kids and then many a celebration in a local bar or ristorante.
If life is an opera by Puccini... I want to be Calaf!
Posts: 4600 | Location: Casa del Fenicottero Rosa, Silver Spring, MD USA | Registered: 06 August 2002
We will be there for halloween this year so I called a friend in Cortona to find out if they would be observing Halloween the American way. She said no. No trick or treating, no costumes. She says Cortona is resisting. So, I scratched the halloween costume idea off my list for something to bring her 3 year old son.
You could still bring the costume and he could use it for carnivale in February.
As for Halloween around Siena, it seems to have caught on but not the trick or treating part. Just costumes, jack-o-lanterns, ghosts, skeletons, etc. The costumes are all witches, ghosts, etc. Day of the dead stuff. They are selling this stuff at the COOP, toy stores, UPIM, etc. So there will be parties but no candy
Cristina A San Franciscan in Siena Read my report on the Palio di Siena
to think that those unchaperoned 'kids' do those kinds of things. We hear about tainted candy and razors in apples, something the giver would do but not anything the receiver would do. What a shame any of that to happen. (I'm a boring giver - I give little cans of apple juice and quarters - the parents love me but the kids just look at the juice and wonder when the candy is going to be dropped in their bags.)
And those websites definitely look Americanized to me with that theme from the movie Halloween playing (they must like that movie - as opposed to Psycho or The Exorcist).
What is Carnivale? I've never heard of that. Is that like a Mardi Gras where people dress up?
Cynde
Posts: 442 | Location: 12 time zones from Italy | Registered: 02 March 2002
Halloween is another reason to have a party here, mostly at at bars for the older "kids". Here in Florence we have over 3,000 American students a semester..so that's a good enough reason to celebrate. There is going to be a Simpson's Halloween Party at Poggibonsi!
I think Halloween candy is fun for kids!
Judy Divina Cucina Florence Everyone should try being Italian at least once a day!!
Halloween is not an Italian festivity.....Hallow's Eve is the EVE before a HOLY DAY--- we "observed" Oct. 31st as a day to visit the graves of loved ones and pray for their souls...it was known as ALL SOUL'S DAY...the following day was ALL SAINTS DAY---when we prayed to the saints that had made it into heaven to assist those souls who had not as yet...60 years ago, growing up in a strict "Italian" section of a large American city, we kept the old ways...Our parents did allow us to create costumes and trick or treat, where we received fresh pastries & cookies from the bakery, fruit from the grocer , etc. --we never went door-to-door, and there was never any other means of celebration..Today Halloween has gone the "comercialized" way of Christmas, and it's been ruined........along with all the other traditions that made our lives meaningful in those days...
Halloween was introduced to the Pacianese kids a few years ago by the English Studio owners. From what I have been able to gather, last year the kids (all 25)organized their own party , delegating who brought what to the party held in the garden off the piazza inside the village. They came dressed up and after their party went trick or treating through the town. Moving here from the Halloween capital-Salem, MA where Halloween is like Mardi Gras, we came armed with candy, face make up, little bag gifts for the kids, and some spooky music. They want to do the party themselves again so we are just going to add some fun to it by dressing up and giving out our 'stash' of goodies at the party and also when they ring our bell! And of course , take tons of photos of an Italian Halloween!
Okay - I'm reviving this thread only because we'll be in Rome w/ the girls on Halloween. They're not upset about missing trick or treating b/c we're having a Halloween party the Saturday before we leave although Becky did request a visit to the Capuchin crypts on Halloween - she thinks it would be appropriate (a girl after my own heart .
Has anyone heard about any other "festivities" in Roma? Although I am grateful that tonight they finally gave up on the idea of wearing their costumes that day (we're going to the Vatican that morning and Becky's bare mid-rift devil costume probably wouldn't win her any bonus points).
quote:Originally posted by Cynde: The only thing I found on this subject is that Italians make cakes in the shape of beans -- Beans for the Dead.
Others have answered about the parties (I clearly remeber that as a child there were no parties at all for Halloween). As for the sweets, they are traditional, and there are several versions along the "boot". In Milano we make "pan d'i mort" (dead's bread), which is a medium sized pastry (or maybe cookies) with spices, almonds and other stuff, in other areas they make "ossa deimorti", a harder kind of pastry. Also, "il giorno dei morti" (november 2) is when we traditionally start having roasted chestnuts: as a child I remember going with my grandma to the cemetery and having them after we were done, so to me that day will always be pan d'i mort and roasted chestnuts. As an laternative to the roasted ones, in Milano you may find "firun", a long tress of chestnuts roasted in the oven. Delicious.
Alice Twain -- Te recuerdo Amanda / la calle mojada / corriendo a la fabrica / donde trabajaba Manuel La sonrisa ancha / la lluvia en el pelo / no emportava nada / ibas a encontrarte con el Ese cinco menudos / la vita es eterna en cinco menudos Victor Jara
Halloween memories in Italy.... For some reason I seem to be flying out of Rome on Halloween. I am doing this this year. My best memory of Halloween in Rome, was showing up at the airport and there was a blackout, which made for some pretty upset potential cappucino customers.
When I went to check in at American Airlines, there were candles at the counter and a check in attendant in a witch hat taking my tickets!
Kim: I am back in rome now that I have my visa (yeah!) so I will keep my ear to the ground about any Halloween festivitie and let you know. Perhaps we can even have a Slow Trav Halloween party?!! 15 years ago when I opened an American bakery in Florence and hung up skeletons and ghosts and gave out candy corn and made orange cupcakes, the Italians thought i was crazy.... and now they want to make it a national holiday.... amazing!
Last year in Paciano-the kids (about 20) pitched in money and they bought food for the parents to cook-had a dinner party in one of the vacant cellars all decorated-had games and spooky tapes playing ( I brought) and then they all went trick0r treating dressed up door to door in the rain-people would throw anything from candy, cookies, money,etc out the windows or thru the doors-and if someone wouldn't answer-they dumped a little pile of flour on the door step. All the merchants gave the kids goodies-then they all went back to the cellar and equally divided up the goods, young and old together. This year the 14-15 year olds are having a private party with costumes and the others are doing their own T or T'g around town. Since I lived in Salem , MA, the Halloween capital of the US-and am here now-every store is totally filled with stuff and the parades, haunted houses, balls go on all month. Halloween night is like Mardi Gras with streets closed to traffic-I just sent a box of decorations to Paciano to donate to the Halloween cause. So for a little town, it will be in full Halloween spirit on the 31st!
EEEEEK! You are reminding me that I have no idea what to do with my 7 year old on Halloween! Maybe his school is doing something. Maybe not. Maybe I should have an expatriate party. Maybe I should shoot myself. Oh my God. I can't let him down. Ideas?
R.G.
Posts: 326 | Location: @##$@!! Los Angeles | Registered: 19 March 2002
Carmel, that was you?!? You were the one who opened up the American bakery!?! I totally remember that...God, this is weird. Like deja vu, but not really. I actually think about that often, and always wondered who had had the wherewithal to actually pull that off. It's like all roads lead back to ST. I actually once took the train all the way from Assisi to Florence for a brownie. Now that's homesick.
R.G., remember that story about the princess who wants the moon and the king who commissions all these scientists to get it with no success until finally the wise man asks the princess herself what she thinks the moon is made of and how one can catch it and why it reappears in the sky the following night, so in the end is quite content with a little brass sphere the size of her thumbnail to wear on a chain around her neck? Okay, very long winded way to say that your little guy strikes me as the kind of prince to have his own idea as to how to catch the moon, so maybe you should just ask him how he envisions A Roman Halloween.
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