The cult of the Dead in Savoca
Dimitris Kamaras - CC2.0
In the village of Savoca the cult of the dead was deeply felt and this led to the birth of very particular rites.
In the village there were widespread rites and beliefs that touch paganism and recalled their Phoenician origin: until a few centuries ago, it was customary to put the most expensive objects belonging to the dead in the funeral box of the deceased and it was customary to embalm the corpses and keep their mummified bodies.
In Savoca, the belief is still alive that, on the night of the commemoration of the dead, that is, the night between 1 and 2 November, the dead return to visit the home of their relatives. Families then prepare to welcome the deceased by preparing a table set for them with lunches and exquisite delicacies. Tradition has it that, on the morning of November 2, everything that has been prepared, left on the table set for the dead, must not be consumed by the relatives of the dead, but distributed to the poor.
Another tradition of Savoca, still from everything did not go away, it was the one that, on the death of a citizen, all relatives united to "mourn the death". The relatives dressed in black and with loose hair called the deceased aloud and sang a chant that lasted the whole period of mourning, weaving aloud the talents and virtues of the dead.
