Orlando and Rolando, our heroes from the opera dei pupi theater, make an appearance off-stage, today, for the Day of the Dead, known in Sicilian as, un juornu re muorti; yet this time, as sugar dolls, or pupaccene, pictured. Pupaccene, which today are only made by a handful of artisans in Sicily, are traditionally produced exclusively during this feast period.

Because the rituals of the Day of the Dead (also known as All Souls Day) summon passed relatives, in order not to scare children, “the visiting dead” leave toys and sweets–i.e. pupaccene and frutta Martorana–to be eagerly found when they wake on November 2.