The autumn month of November, with the harsh cold, the burning wood stove and the eerie darkness that accompany it, is approaching. Add to this the mysterious legend of the dead, and in the blink of an eye we find ourselves catapulted into the ancient Walser legends that bind the 13th century to the present.
What face did death take on in Walser life?
That of the Walser was, certainly, not a simple life; their existence was marked by sacrifice, a lot of work and painful death. How, then, did they endure such a “hard” life?
Thus some legends were born that could fill the void left by the lack of rational answers to the questions posed to the difficult existence and the harsh environment that surrounded them.
Imagine yourself in a Walser home, the darkness of the evening and the snow falling… These legends also had the function of enlivening the long winter evenings!
And what happened when a family member left their family?
… Not only the material dimension was involved in the mystery of death….
Houses were, in fact, equipped with the window of the soul.
And aren't you curious? Let's find out what it is right now!
The soul window is a small opening placed in the wall of the stube (room with a stove) that was opened when a family member died to release his or her soul bound for the glaciers of Mount Rosa and was closed again immediately afterwards so that the soul itself could not return.
Let us examine together a mysterious and “eerie” legend that animates the hearts of the Walser people as autumn and the month of November arrive.
Legend has it that at midnight on November 1, the souls of the dead emerge from their graves to gather, then, in a long procession headed toward the Bors glacier.
Each soul proceeds with its little finger lit like a candle, acting as a guide through the dark path!
What if this procession of souls encounters a living soul? This one is stopped and knighted by giving it a miraculous staff to guide the procession and it is allowed to make a wish!
And are the penances the same for all souls?
If the procession encounters a ravine or a stream, the most sinful soul must stretch out its arms and legs to reach the opposite bank, thus making itself a bridge for others.
Before dawn the procession reaches the glaciers, and here the souls atone for their sins by tapping the ice with pins; the sound spreads through the valleys!
From this legend was born the custom among villagers to turn their ears to the mountains on the night of November 2 to listen to this sound.
If you would also like to take part in this custom you will feel a thrill in your heart at the thought of what this represents!
A later legend says that, not so many years ago, a gentleman met, near the Bors Glacier, a good woman with a cloth bag on her shoulders, from which a wooden handle protruded.
What was she doing? She was on her way to the glacier to build small steps so that the soul of her mother, who had died a few days earlier, could ascend more easily….
In fact, as Ravelli told us in 1924, many villagers were wandering in the glacier as if they were in a shrine, “…bending their bare knees on the living glacier and praying for the souls of their sorrowful ancestors and for the preservation of themselves from such a hard punishment after death…”
Although not very cheerful, this legend awakens many emotions in our hearts and makes us feel a feeling of love for our dear Walser ancestors, who made so many sacrifices and labors to realize their culture together with the wonderful Walser villages!
