The Feast of the Dead of Palermo: legends and culinary traditions

There are so many reasons to allow yourself a vacation in Palermo in autumn. One of the main things is to immerse yourself in the atmospheres, legends and traditions of the Feast of the Dead: between late October and early November, in the heart of the Sicilian capital, there is a big fair where you can find sweets, typical products and toys.

The legend

It is reported that, during the night between October 31 and November 1, the souls of the dead awake and start to wander through the streets of the city of Palermo. They go looking for sweets and toys to bring to their dear children who have behaved well during the year.

Children, for their part, before going to sleep, put an empty basket under the bed. During the night, the deceased will fill it with toys and sweets, and then hide it. At their awakening, children will have to look for the basket around the house.

The culinary traditions

As with many other traditional festivals that enrich the year, even the Feast of the Dead includes culinary specialties of this particular recurrence. They are:

Ossi ri muortu, biscuits prepared with flour, sugar, almonds, hazelnuts and blanks whose elongated shape remembers those of the bones;

• Pupaccena, a puppet made of sugar and with human facets;
• Favi a Cunigghiu, beans made with broth or with oil and oregano;
• Muffulette schiette or maritate, a round, smooth bread that can be stuffed in a variety of ways.

They are the typical gastronomic specialties of the period, but during the Feast of the Dead it is also possible to taste the other dishes of Palermo’s culinary tradition, such as caponata and pasta with sardines.

The cannistru of the dead

We can’t talk about the traditions of the feast of Dead without mentioning the cannistru. It is a basket filled with various kinds of sweets, such as ossi ri muortu and fruit of Martorana. The cannistru was given to a specific family as a sign not only of good wish but also opulence.

More information

For more information on the Festival of the Dead of Palermo (when and where it is hold, full program, how to attend), please refer to the official website of the city of Palermo, Comune.palermo.it.

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