November 2nd is All Souls' Day, a Catholic feast dedicated to the memorial of the dead which, according to tradition, can be dated back to ancient times. This day, in almost every country, the dead are remembered with different rituals and customs, yet the aim is just one: give some consolation to the souls of the dead. Although the tradition might give just as much, or even more, consolation to the souls of the living, remembering the dead.

In Italy it is a custom to go visit the dead at the cemetery by bringing flowers, mainly the chrysanthemums, which are considered to be the Flowers of the Dead. The main feature of this feast is that there are different traditions in each Italian region. For example, in Sicily, November 2nd becomes the "Festa dei Morti" (The Feast of the Dead"). A legend says that in ancient times, during the night between November 1st and November 2nd the dead visited their loved ones by bringing gifts to the children. 

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Source: http://www.italiangenealogy.com/