Halloween Pumpkin Controversy In Italy

Controversy over Halloween in Italy!!

The Cardinal of Bologna has lashed out against a planned pumpkin party in his city. According to news reports he declared Halloween “a pagan festival that proposes itself as an alternative to the Christian tradition.” He went on to say “if you really have pumpkins to get rid of make a nice pumpkin soup or Tortelli with pumpkin filling.” Oh, poor Cardinal Carlo Caffara, he was clearly deprived of the joy of putting on a costume and “Trick or Treating” when he was growing up. But after all, we are in Italy, and food is always foremost on everyone’s mind, and the Cardinal’s suggestion is not bad for leftover pumpkins.

The Catholic Church has spoken out against Halloween in the past. Halloween comes the day before a national holiday, the Catholic holiday of Ognissanti, or All Saints Day, November 1^st. On this day Catholics honour all the saints. Then in Italy, November 2^nd is the Day of the Dead, when one remembers all the dead. People often go an put flowers on their relatives gravestones on November 2^nd

So, clearly, Halloween is not a tradition in Rome. People do not do “Trick or Treating”. But in the past ten years the idea of Halloween has begun to spread a bit. Some people get dressed up in costumes, others have parties, some shops put pumpkins in their windows.

My children have always been frustrated because they get all dressed up and then have nowhere to go. Sometimes I let them go around our apartment building and ring doorbells to show off their costumes and people give them the strangest things – a packet of crackers, some spare change. No one knows they need to be prepared with candy.

This year my daughter Chiara decided that whether or not she had a party to go to or Trick or Treating, she was going to get dressed up as The Red Queen from “Alice in Wonderland”. She has been working at it all week.

Between Red Cardinals and Red Queens a Mozzarella Mamma hardly has any time to relax.

Little Background Note:

In Italy the holiday for costumes is Carnevale which comes in February. I will write more on that later but it is a wonderful event. Carnevale is basically the season leading up to Lent. Lent – for Catholics– is the period leading up to Easter when one should fast or give up something. So before you have to give up everything you might as well have a big party. In Italy it lasts more or less a month – the usually gloomy month of February. Parents buy fabulous outfits for their children who parade through the streets and go to the parks their hands full of colorful confetti that they throw at passersby. The advantage of Carnevale is that the child can wear the costume for a month, so parents often invest more in it. There are also plenty of delicious sweets that one serves at Carnevale, but more on that in February. For work I have had the opportunity to cover the Carnevale in Venezia which is spectacular. But I won’t describe it now. Today is dedicated to Halloween.