|
A
cat in the night |
| calitri
tradizioni |
| THE
NIGHT OF THE DEAD (1) |
| The
people of Calitri felt deeply about the cult of the dead around
which they developed a sensitive series of beliefs. It was said
that, on the eve of November 2, the Lord’s Angel opened the
gates of the world beyond releasing the dead. At the first stroke
of midnight, in the cold stillness of the night, small groups of
the dead would file their way back to the land they had had to leave. |
| These
ashen shades, appearing confused and forlorn in the cold night,
would take over, en masse, Calitri and its extensive surrounding
territory. They would retrace the path leading back to their former
homes, effortlessly ascending over steep slopes, descending rapidly
down valleys, recognizing vineyards, fields, churches, squares,
and the winding narrow streets of their town. |
| After
reaching its former abode, a shade would stop at its threshold;
behind the shade were many others that had come the same way, and
after gathering there, they prayed for the peace and tranquility
of the living. In this pilgrimage, the shades looked for the guiding
light of the “pumpkin lanterns” which the living had
carved to look like human skulls. |
| For
this reason the living were not supposed to close their windows
on that night (otherwise the dearly departed ones would have to
go back weeping and disappointed), but they were to leave a lighted
pumpkin on the windowsill all nightlong. If, as the legend says,
one wanted to see the souls of the dead, it was enough to place
a basin full of water near the pumpkin, or another light in the
middle of the house. |
| In
a blurred reflection at the bottom of the basin, one at a time,
the faces of the departed souls, the timid visages of children,
and the kindly countenances of women, appeared passing through.
At the last stroke of midnight, the shades departed leaving a glimmer
of their immortal life in the hearts of those who had seen them
in the basin. |
|
|
