In Naples a dream is never just a dream: it can become a number. We noticed this listening to conversations in the alleys, where someone describes what they dreamed and someone else, without hesitation, replies with a figure. This is the Smorfia, the "book of dreams" that links images, words and situations to the numbers from 1 to 90. Here is how it works and where it comes from.
What the Smorfia is
The Smorfia is a system of correspondences between words and numbers, created to translate dreams and everyday events into numbers to play in the Lotto. Each number has its own meaning, often expressed in Neapolitan, and for centuries these correspondences were handed down mainly by word of mouth, from generation to generation.
The mechanism is simple: you dream of something, look up the corresponding number and play it. But the Smorfia is also a way of speaking: in Naples you may hear a number used instead of a word, with a knowing smile.
Where the name comes from
There are several theories about the etymology. The most common links the word to Morpheus, the Greek god of sleep and dreams. Others connect it to the Greek morphè, "form", and some point to the tradition of the Jewish Kabbalah, according to which every word and every sign hides a meaning. There is no single inventor: the Smorfia is the product of a popular culture built up in layers over time.
The Smorfia and the Lotto
The Lotto originated in Genoa in the sixteenth century and reached Naples towards the end of the seventeenth century. Here it found fertile ground, amid bans and reopenings, until it became part of the life of the city.
The Lotto also gave birth to tombola. According to the traditional account, in 1734 King Charles III of Bourbon wanted to make the game official, while the Dominican friar Gregorio Maria Rocco considered it immoral. The compromise was to suspend the Lotto during the Christmas holidays: so as not to give up the game, Neapolitans brought it into their homes, drawing numbers from a little basket and marking them on cards. Still today, during the Christmas tombola, whoever draws the numbers announces them with the phrases of the Smorfia.
The most famous numbers
Some numbers are known to almost everyone, even outside Naples. Here is a small selection:
- 1: Italy;
- 17: 'a disgrazzia, misfortune;
- 25: Christmas;
- 33: l'anne 'e Cristo, the age of Christ;
- 47: 'o muorto, the dead man;
- 48: 'o muorto che parla, the dead man who speaks;
- 77: women's legs;
- 90: 'a paura, fear.
48 is one of the most evocative: in popular tradition, dreaming of a departed relative who speaks is considered a message not to be ignored. It made us smile to discover how deeply these numbers have entered everyday language. If you happen to take part in a Neapolitan tombola during the holidays, listen carefully to the caller: often, instead of saying the number, they say only its meaning, and it is up to the other players to work out which square to mark on their card.
The Smorfia today
Today the Smorfia lives on mainly as a cultural tradition: you find it in illustrated books, on charts hung on walls and in family games. Strolling through the historic centre you will often see objects decorated with the numbers and their figures, next to lucky horns and Pulcinella masks. Our advice is to take it for what it is: a piece of popular culture to get to know with curiosity, rather than a way to win.
Nearby
The Smorfia is part of a world of customs and beliefs that you will find in our article on famous Neapolitan traditions. To get to know the city's best-loved mask, read our article on Pulcinella, and for Christmas traditions The Neapolitan nativity scene. If you are interested in places linked to the cult of the dead, there is The Fontanelle Cemetery: between beliefs and truth. The complete guide is Naples and its surroundings.
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