Ritual begging for the dead
Known in all Europe as the “soul-bread”, the ritual begging for the dead takes place on the November 1st. It usually covers gifts of a special bread and little money, and is very common in the Azores.
Children go from door to door, with special little sachets (some embroided others made of patchwork), in groups and sometimes accompanied by one or more adults.
The bread is named “caspiadas” and is made with spices
Now it is possible to see begging also by the cars
There are some songs which use to accompany the ritual, usually menacing those that close their doors to the ritual.
In spite of the Christianization process, intended to transform the Cult of the Dead into a format more integrated, the soul’s begging in the Azores still takes place on the 1st of November, while the day proposed by the Church, and now in use throughout the rest of Europe, is the 2nd .
Thus, the Azores might be now one of the fewest locals still celebrating the ceremony on the right day.
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