"Folk traditions consider this seasonal turning point to be magical, a time when bowls of water and fresh flowers are put out to keep the witches at bay, affections are sealed under the auspices of the patron Saint of Friendship, and giant wheels of fire are rolled through the fields to re-enact of the Sun's journey and ensure its cyclical return. In Rome, a feast of snails - whose horns link them to the Devil - ritualizes a triumph over evil. The traditions vary from region to region, even from town to town, with diverse sources, rites, and iconography. But everywhere the essential meaning is the same - a marking of cyclical time, a prayer of Light, and, as the sun begins its descent, a reminder of the transience of all things."
I was impressed at how involved the townspeople were in the celebrations. The whole piazza was closed for the day in preparation for the evening. Large, circular hay bales stood as sentinels to the square, with witch silhouettes adorning the tops. Out of windows hung stuffed witches of all sorts, attempting to make it into homes and steal children. The fountain in the town center was stuffed to overflowing with willow branches and greenery. Women with fresh flowers lined the streets to help the people ward of the witches. Up and down the road, lamp posts were covered with red fabric crepe streamers, while paper mâché ghouls demons, witches and goblins were trapped by chicken wire at several buildings. It was quite a site!
I have been told that the large bales in the background weigh about 1 ton each!
In every window of this building was a witch.
The crepe streamer covered lights
A mâché witch running away from the church
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