Procession of the ccòcce de mmòrte in Faeto.

When lit pumpkins tell of the bond between the living and the dead

In Faeto, the memory of the dead takes the form of a small light kept inside a pumpkin. During the commemoration of the dead, one of the most unusual traditions of the Alta Valle del Celone brings together the world of childhood and the memory of ancestors: the Processione de le ccòcce de mmòrte (procession of the heads of the dead), also known in local linguistic sources as Còcce de Mòre.

The pumpkins are hollowed out and carved into the likeness of a human face. A candle or small lamp is placed inside, turning a simple fruit of the earth into a lantern. The tradition, linked to 2 November, involves carrying these little lights towards the cemetery, in a collective gesture of remembrance for loved ones.

It is a custom in which elements of popular culture, Christian spirituality and community memory handed down through the generations live side by side. A rite that tells how a small village in the Monti Dauni learned to give visible form to something profoundly human: the wish to keep alive the bond with those who are gone.

The Còcce de Mòre: the tradition of the lit pumpkins

A carved face, a light in the night

The gesture behind the tradition is simple. A pumpkin is chosen, hollowed out and carved to make eyes, nose and mouth. A candle is placed inside, and its light shines through the openings and brings the carved face to life.

In the account collected by the local cultural website Lu Faitare, the pumpkins are called Còcce de Mòre, an expression recalling the heads of the dead. Making the lanterns is one of the most recognisable elements of this custom, in which children also play an important part.

According to descriptions of the rite, it is the youngest who carry the lit pumpkins in the procession. The presence of children gives the celebration a special meaning: remembering the dead is not just something adults do, but becomes an experience through which new generations connect with family and collective memory.

The walk to the cemetery

From village life to the memory of loved ones

One of the most significant aspects of Faeto’s tradition is where the lit pumpkins are taken.

The available accounts describe a procession that reaches the cemetery of Faeto. According to the Lu Faitare website, once at the cemetery the lanterns are hung on an iron cross.

Other press accounts instead recall the custom of placing the pumpkins beside family graves. Both descriptions show the link between the lanterns and the place of burial, while differing on one detail of the ritual.

The symbolic meaning remains profound. Bringing a light to the cemetery means making present the memory of those who have died, turning remembrance into a shared gesture.

The candlelight, according to the interpretation handed down by the community, represents the victory of life over the darkness of death and recalls the Christian hope of resurrection.

Seen this way, the carved faces of the pumpkins are not just figures that arouse wonder or fear. They become the sign of a relationship with death that popular tradition has tried to express through images, objects and familiar gestures.

The origins of the rite: European traditions and Franco-Provençal identity

An ancient story, but with no certain date of birth

Faeto has a distinctive cultural history. Together with neighbouring Celle di San Vito, it is one of the two Franco-Provençal-speaking communities of Puglia, the legacy of settlers from the French-speaking area in the Angevin period.

This linguistic identity has helped preserve a heritage of expressions, stories and customs that sets the two small villages apart from the rest of Puglia.

The tradition of the Còcce de Mòre is also sometimes compared with ancient European rites for the dead and with the use of lanterns made from hollowed-out vegetables, found in various Italian regions and in other parts of Europe.

There is not enough evidence, however, to establish that Faeto’s rite derives directly from Celtic celebrations or that it was introduced by the community’s Franco-Provençal ancestors. Local cultural sources themselves acknowledge that its precise origin remains unknown.

What we can observe is the presence of elements common to many folk traditions: fire and light, the memory of ancestors, the passage from autumn to winter and the relationship between daily life and the world of the dead.

In Faeto these elements have taken on a particular form, recognisable above all in the local name of the tradition and in the gesture of carrying lit pumpkins to the cemetery.

The Day of the Dead in Faeto and the tradition of ló cecciuóttele

Remembrance also passes through food

The commemoration of the dead in Faeto is not only about the lit pumpkins. Alongside the rite of the Còcce de Mòre survives the memory of another custom deeply rooted in the village’s food culture: the preparation of ló cecciuóttele.

It is a dish of boiled wheat and maize, dressed according to family preference with sugar, honey, vincotto (cooked grape must) or walnuts.

Tradition has it that the dish is shared with relatives, friends and neighbours, turning a simple food into a gesture of relationship and belonging.

According to the documentation collected by Lu Faitare, it was once customary to bring this food to the cemetery too, in front of loved ones’ graves, as a sign of affection, gratitude and memory.

The lit pumpkins and the wheat of the dead are thus two expressions of the same culture of remembrance: on one side the light that symbolically accompanies memory, on the other the food that continues to unite the living and to recall the presence of those who came before them.

They are different gestures, but both tell of a farming world in which the relationship with the dead was not separate from family and community life.

A tradition to know and to protect

The Còcce de Mòre are a significant testimony to Faeto’s intangible heritage. Their value lies not only in the carved pumpkins but in their ability to show how a community interprets and passes on the memory of its dead.

The tradition is documented by local accounts and by studies of 2 November customs in Capitanata. If you wish to attend a celebration, it is best to check the calendar of local events, as whether and how the procession takes place may vary.

Getting to know this custom means approaching a less visible but deeply meaningful side of Faeto’s identity: that of the stories passed down through families, the words of the Franco-Provençal language and gestures handed down over time.

Discover the Alta Valle del Celone

The rite of the Còcce de Mòre is one expression of the cultural heritage of Faeto, a village that preserves religious traditions, farming memories, culinary specialities and a minority language that is still part of its identity.

Discover more places in Faeto and the Alta Valle del Celone: from the woods of the Daunian Subapennines to the historic routes, from folk festivals to family recipes, every experience helps tell the story of a community and its relationship with the land.