In Italy, “Il Giorno dei Morti” begins at dawn with a solemn requiem for the dead. Church bells toll and people decorate the graves of deceased family members with flowers and candles. But this day is not an entirely solemn occasion. In Sicily, the children who pray for the souls of the departed leave their shoes outside doors and windows. These shoes are then filled with gifts. In Rome, some young people may announce their engagements on All Souls Day. The man sends the engagement ring to his fiancé in a small white box. It is then packed in an oval container filled with fave dei morti (beans of the dead), a type of cookie.
