To all lovers of the macabre, Happy Halloween!
Life is unpredictable and often shorter than we wish. Delight in each precious moment of joy, beauty and friendship. We never know how many we will be given.++++++++++++++
"Every year, on November 1st (All Saints Day) and 2nd (All Souls Day), something unique takes place in many areas of Mexico: Day of the Dead festivities. 
While it's strange for most of us to accept the fact that "death" and "festivities" can go hand-in-hand, for most Mexicans, the two are intricately entwined. This all stems from the ancient indigenous peoples of Mexico (Purepecha, Nahua, Totonac and Otom*) who believed that the souls of the dead return each year to visit with their living relatives - to eat, drink and be merry. Just like they did when they were living.
While it's strange for most of us to accept the fact that "death" and "festivities" can go hand-in-hand, for most Mexicans, the two are intricately entwined. This all stems from the ancient indigenous peoples of Mexico (Purepecha, Nahua, Totonac and Otom*) who believed that the souls of the dead return each year to visit with their living relatives - to eat, drink and be merry. Just like they did when they were living.Tempered somewhat by the arrival of the Spaniards in the 15th century, current practice calls for the deceased children (little angels) to be remembered on the previous day (November 1st, All Saints Day) with toys and colorful balloons adorning their graves.
And the next day, All Souls Day, adults who have died are honored with displays of the departed's favorite food and drinks, as well as ornamental and personal belongings. Flowers, particularly the zempas*chil (an Indian word for a special type of marigold) and candles, which are placed on the graves, are supposed to guide the spirits home to their loved ones.
Other symbols include the elaborately-decorated pan de muerto (a rich coffee cake decorated with meringues made to look like bones), skull-shaped candies and sweets, marzipan death figures and papier mache skeletons and skulls. (the Nahua speaking peoples of
Other symbols include the elaborately-decorated pan de muerto (a rich coffee cake decorated with meringues made to look like bones), skull-shaped candies and sweets, marzipan death figures and papier mache skeletons and skulls. (the Nahua speaking peoples ofpre-columbian Mexico saw the skull as a symbol of life - not death.)
Today, these macabre symbols and other similar items fill the shops and candy stalls by mid October. During this time, homes are often decorated in the same manner as the graves.
This may all seem morbid and somewhat ghoulish to those who are not part of that culture. But, for Mexicans who believe in the life/death/rebirth continuum, it's all very natural. This is not to say that they treat death lightly. They don't. It's just that they recognize it, mock it, even defy it. Death is part of life and, as such, it's representative of the Mexican spirit and tradition which says: "Don't take anything lying down - even death!"
5 comments:
Next year the BNT&T Fantasea Fest cruise will visit Cancun on November 1st for the "El Dia de los Muertos", the Day of the Dead holiday.
We are booked for this cruise... any others?
David & Mary, 211
Thanks, Sue; I've always wondered.
A very lovely and interesting bit of knowledge relating to a culture quite different to ours.
About Dias de la Muerta: This is a religious holiday. Nov. 1 is All Saints Day and Nov. 2 is All Souls Day. Oct. 31 is All Hallows Eve (thus, Halloween). Many people set up altars in their homes for their deceased relatives. These may include their picture, favorite foods and drinks, and other things of importance to the deceased one. Marigolds, a significant flower for this occasion, are commonly used in these altars. Families meet in the cemetery to clean up the gravesites of their relatives. On All Souls Day, it is more of a celebration. Families go to the cemetery, where they enjoy picnic lunches, music (even mariachis).
Did any of you see the wreaths for sale just outside Sandpipers during the last few days? Those were for Day of the Dead.
The Museum of South Texas History in Edinburg provided a place where families could reserve a space and set up an altar for their deceased relatives. Other museums do this, too. These are quite fascinating.
One thing that has always impressed me about the Hispanics I have known is their commitment to their family. I had a good friend in San Antonio who had dozens of cousins. She talked to each of them (and to her aunts and uncles) nearly every week.
Patsy #108
I think my family believed that was an evil tradition.
We just followed the Catholic tradition of honoring our relatives by having a special mass for them and fixing up their grave sites.
One of these days I would like to go and celebrate with the stiffs at the cementary.
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