31 October at 17.00

Council Chamber of the Municipality of Spoltore conference

1 November at 19.00

Re-enactment of The Table of the Dead in Borgo Case Troiano

A long journey illuminated only by candles that, between stories, narratives and symbols, will accompany the public in the visit of the 'Table of the Dead', or in the rediscovery of the ancient Abruzzo tradition of leaving the table at home 'set' in the night between the first and the 2nd of November with the best peasant dishes, from pasta to egg strictly handmade to baked chicken with potatoes, up to wine and dessert, to welcome and make more serene the passage of the souls of their deceased who on that night, it is said, return to find their loved ones and their affections.

Back tomorrow, Tuesday the first of November, as usual, the event of 'The Table of the Dead', organized by the Association 'Fontevecchia' and which will take place at the Village of Case Troiano. "Let's say immediately - said Luciano Troiano, President of the 'Fontevecchia' Association - that in our event there is nothing esoteric and above all it has nothing to do with the Halloween celebrations which, moreover, do not belong to our history, nor to our culture, but, on the contrary, have gone to supplant our tradition that instead wanted to dedicate the night between 1 and 2 November, that is, between All Saints' Day and the celebration of the dead, precisely at the commemoration and prayer for the souls of our loved ones who are no longer at our side.

With the 'Table of the Dead' we want to tell the youngest and bring to light an important tradition for our history, precisely the duty to honor in the most just, respectful and appropriate way those people who have been part of our lives and who on that night, the narration wants, return to their homes for a brief moment ".

On the first of November at 19.00 o'clock in front of the headquarters of the Civil Motorization, with the 'Tale of the Places', starting from the Well of the Warriors, or that well that, according to the story of the elders of the place, would be located in what is now an embankment and that was used for the refreshment of the horses of the Spanish Army and brigands, close to the 'ramp' of access to Pescara, from which, in fact, the name 'Villa Raspa'.

Then with the light of the candles alone you will walk towards the Borgo Case Troiano, following a path delimited by the lights, and with some pauses, each of which will be characterized by a story about events and characters that have characterized the village itself. Along the narrow street of the village, at the 'vutate de lo lope', you will cross the Procession of the Dead Friars that will accompany those present to the Garden where there will be 'Lu' Mazzamurille', a mischievous spirit accustomed to making fun of the living, and the 'tomb of the Knight'. To welcome the participants in the evening, at the entrance of the Borgo Case Troiano, will be the Altar set up for the Suffrage of the Pezzantelle souls, of which the origin and cult will be told, going back to the deities of Hecate and Persephone.

And again during the journey you will know the stories of the characters who animated the life of the village, such as 'Zi' Pippine' and 'Za' Retine' up to the visit of the houses with the tables set for dinner accompanied by the 'Cantore di Ognissanti'. Outside each house there will be symbols, such as the bag of wheat, the inverted broom, the basin, the stick, and, every time, you will discover the reasons for those presences that have their roots in the Abruzzo tradition.

Obviously, the tables will also be set according to local customs, with ham and cheese, maccaroni with sauce, chicken and potatoes, water, wine, bread, coffee, biscuits, sweets and fruit. But the peculiarity is that that food can not be consumed, because the 'table laid' must welcome the souls who will spend the night from that kitchen and who will be able to find, as the narration tells, the dishes so loved in life. And in fact, tradition has it that, in ancient times, families consumed those foods only the following day or, even, destined food to the poor.

During the evening it will be possible to pay homage to the Church of the Holy Trinity, located in the village, and which will be regularly open: the entrance will be characterized by the presence of a 'Pulcinella abruzzese', as a trait d'union between the world of the living and that of the dead, and, according to ancient beliefs, the first who will enter will free a soul of Purgatory. At the end of the event, all participants will be offered the 'ritual food', also strictly respectful of tradition, or it will consist of 'the wheat of the dead', that is boiled wheat with walnuts, pomegranate and cooked must, and red wine, an opportunity to rediscover a tradition widespread throughout the south until the 50s and which unfortunately has been lost.

Information and reservations at 331/6796820