Post by bluefedish on Feb 26, 2009 16:39:49 GMT -5
Dia de los Muertos
By: Lorelei Burk[/b][/size][/color]
The event I look forward to every October is the Parade of Lost Souls which combines the traditions of Halloween and the Mexican Day of the Dead The parade includes a New Orleans style brass band, African drummers painted as skeletons, zombie stilt walkers, and fire jugglers Prayers are written on slips of paper to deceased loved ones and burned at altars to honor them. There are thousands of people dressed in fantastic, elaborate costumes and an amazing assortment of entertainers, music, dancing and merriment. People are filled with life, joy and respect for one another.
I’ve always been fascinated in the way people honor their beloved deceased. Mexico’s customs of commemorating and ridiculing death captivates me the most. There was a time when an entire month was spent celebrating the dearly departed. Specific days were dedicated to the method of death such as violence, disease, childbirth and drowning. They believed that some souls required more time with their families than others because they didn’t get a chance to say goodbye. The church decided to have holidays that coincided with the iconic pagan feast and declared one day to honor the saints and one day to honor the souls; this resulted in the Day of the Dead celebration becoming a mixture of Christian devotion and pre-Hispanic traditions and beliefs. In Mexico, November 1st is now known as Day of the Innocents or Day of the Little Angels because it is he day they honor the infants and children who have passed away. November 2nd has become the day to honor the deceased adults known as the Day of the Dead.
The celebrations regarding the dead actually date back thousands of years to an Aztec festival dedicated to a goddess called Mictlancihuatl, lady of the dead who is the consort of Mictlantecuhtli, the Lord of death. The souls of those who died went to Mictlan, the place of the dead ruled by Mictlantecuhtli. The journey to Mictlan was believed to take 4 years so every year family members would leave provisions on an altar or at the gravesite such as food and drink, as well as other things they felt their loved ones may need for their journey. In Mictlan the dead lived as they had upon the earth and so it became important to be buried with the things which had served them in life to aid them in the afterlife.
The Day of the Dead is the day the souls of the departed come back to visit the living. On this day the barriers between the natural and supernatural worlds are temporarily removed and a portal is open for the spirits to move freely among the living. Families and friends encourage the visits so that they may honor and communicate with the souls of the departed to celebrate their lives. This is a festive occasion filled with many wonderful, intriguing traditions that vary from region to region.
Altars are an important aspect of the holiday. After families clean and repair the gravesites, they build an altar to honor them. The altars may be built at the gravesite or at home near the permanent altar that many families keep for their devotions too their favorite saints. Some choose to have offerings at both locations. Altars include the four main elements; earth, wind, water and fire. Earth is represented by food where souls are fed, wind is symbolized by a moving object usually made of tissue paper, water is placed in a container for the soul to quench its thirst after its long journey and fire is represented by a lit wax candle Extra candles may be placed for forgotten souls. The ancient incense copal is burned in decorative, pottery, incense burners often molded with sacred-hearts, saints, angels and ornamental figures carrying offerings.
Offerings are a major part of the celebration. It’s believed that it’s very important to maintain good relations with the dead and offerings are an obligation. Failure to do this may result in bad luck or ill health such as sickness or death caused by the offended family member. In some places elaborate and expensive altars and offerings have become a sign of social status. The offerings usually contain the favorite foods and beverages of the departed along with their photos and other memorabilia. Sometimes others gifts are included that the family feels the departed might want or need in the afterlife. Other times it may be something the deceased may have enjoyed in life.
The most popular flower used for offerings are the orange marigolds known as cempasuchitl or flower of the dead. It’s believed that their color represents the hues of the earth and its seductive scent attracts souls. They were also used by the Aztecs to remember their dead. Other popular flowers that are used include thingyscombs, lion’s paws, gladiolus and carnations.
The preparation of food to give as offerings and to share with family, friends and neighbors is also important. Some people choose to have a banquet at their home and others choose to have quaint picnics, fiestas or candle-light vigils at the cemetery where the night is filled with reminiscing, anecdotes, songs, changing, prayers and music which continues throughout the night. It’s not uncommon for families to stay at the graveside from sunset to sunrise. It’s acceptable to consume food that has been given as an offering after it has had a respectful amount of time on the altar. It’s believed that the souls absorbs the spiritual essence of the food, so if you were to consume it afterwards it lacks nutritional value There are many popular festival dishes prepared at this time such as tamales, chalupas, enchiladas with different types of mole, dough cakes with savory and sweet fillings, fruit pastes and candied pumpkin, a desert prepared with pumpkin, cinnamon and dark sugar cones. Two delicacies that are made especially for this celebration are bread of the dead and sugar skulls.
Bread of the Dead is sweet bread made with sugar, eggs, flour, butter, and yeast, and may contain a variety of orange peels, fruit juices and anise. They can be found in round loaves but usually they are made into human figures, burial mounds, skulls or twisted piles of bones covered in teardrops. In some parts of Mexico they also appear in the shapes of animals, birds and fish.
Sugar skulls and chocolate skulls are candied imitations of skulls used as offerings and decorations to represent the real skulls used by the Aztecs. Skulls are a symbol of life, death and rebirth. The symbol of the skull has always been a part of their culture, immortalized in their ancient stone architecture and pottery. It’s a common practice to have the name of the deceased inscribed on the skull’s forehead for a friend or relative to eat.
Art depicting skulls skeletons and death are popular portrayals to expose our human weakness that death is always hovering in the background. The Mexican culture doesn’t tip toe around death. Death is a part of life. They visit it daily and mock it, entertain it and contemplate it with contempt and irony. In 1913 Mexican printmaker, Jose Guadalupe Posada, one of the founders of modern Mexican art, made a zinc etching entitled “La Calavera de la Catrina.” This was a depiction of a rich and fashionable lady as a skeleton. She is easily recognizable as she wears a fancy hat with feathers. It was to demonstrate that no matter who you are in life you are just as susceptible to death. In death, we are all equals.
Festivals are more colorful in the south of Mexico particularly in the states of Michoacan, Oaxaca and Chiapas. Many people dress up in costumes that represent skeletons and have parades or spend the night dancing. One noted place to visit is the island of Janitzio located on Lake Patzcuaro. It only has a population of 1500 yet thousands of visitors cross the lake in fisherman’s boats every year to witness the Day of the Dead festival filled with music, changing and dancing. The way to the cemetery is lit with torches and the flickering light of thousands of candles. The sounds of bells begin at sundown and ring throughout the night to call souls to return and enjoy the splendid, prestigious ceremony.
I wish we all celebrating the Day of the Dead as it would be comforting to know while we are alive that we will not be forgotten once we have died, but honored for everything we have done in life by those that loved us. It makes you strive to be important, set goals to accomplish, leave a mark on your community and to be loved for who you are. I wish everyone could adopt these practices as the neglected cemetery plots in our cities speak a thousand, lonely words of sadness and neglect. Every day should be lived to the fullest because only through embracing death can we truly live and appreciate our lives.
By: Lorelei Burk[/b][/size][/color]
The event I look forward to every October is the Parade of Lost Souls which combines the traditions of Halloween and the Mexican Day of the Dead The parade includes a New Orleans style brass band, African drummers painted as skeletons, zombie stilt walkers, and fire jugglers Prayers are written on slips of paper to deceased loved ones and burned at altars to honor them. There are thousands of people dressed in fantastic, elaborate costumes and an amazing assortment of entertainers, music, dancing and merriment. People are filled with life, joy and respect for one another.
I’ve always been fascinated in the way people honor their beloved deceased. Mexico’s customs of commemorating and ridiculing death captivates me the most. There was a time when an entire month was spent celebrating the dearly departed. Specific days were dedicated to the method of death such as violence, disease, childbirth and drowning. They believed that some souls required more time with their families than others because they didn’t get a chance to say goodbye. The church decided to have holidays that coincided with the iconic pagan feast and declared one day to honor the saints and one day to honor the souls; this resulted in the Day of the Dead celebration becoming a mixture of Christian devotion and pre-Hispanic traditions and beliefs. In Mexico, November 1st is now known as Day of the Innocents or Day of the Little Angels because it is he day they honor the infants and children who have passed away. November 2nd has become the day to honor the deceased adults known as the Day of the Dead.
The celebrations regarding the dead actually date back thousands of years to an Aztec festival dedicated to a goddess called Mictlancihuatl, lady of the dead who is the consort of Mictlantecuhtli, the Lord of death. The souls of those who died went to Mictlan, the place of the dead ruled by Mictlantecuhtli. The journey to Mictlan was believed to take 4 years so every year family members would leave provisions on an altar or at the gravesite such as food and drink, as well as other things they felt their loved ones may need for their journey. In Mictlan the dead lived as they had upon the earth and so it became important to be buried with the things which had served them in life to aid them in the afterlife.
The Day of the Dead is the day the souls of the departed come back to visit the living. On this day the barriers between the natural and supernatural worlds are temporarily removed and a portal is open for the spirits to move freely among the living. Families and friends encourage the visits so that they may honor and communicate with the souls of the departed to celebrate their lives. This is a festive occasion filled with many wonderful, intriguing traditions that vary from region to region.
Altars are an important aspect of the holiday. After families clean and repair the gravesites, they build an altar to honor them. The altars may be built at the gravesite or at home near the permanent altar that many families keep for their devotions too their favorite saints. Some choose to have offerings at both locations. Altars include the four main elements; earth, wind, water and fire. Earth is represented by food where souls are fed, wind is symbolized by a moving object usually made of tissue paper, water is placed in a container for the soul to quench its thirst after its long journey and fire is represented by a lit wax candle Extra candles may be placed for forgotten souls. The ancient incense copal is burned in decorative, pottery, incense burners often molded with sacred-hearts, saints, angels and ornamental figures carrying offerings.
Offerings are a major part of the celebration. It’s believed that it’s very important to maintain good relations with the dead and offerings are an obligation. Failure to do this may result in bad luck or ill health such as sickness or death caused by the offended family member. In some places elaborate and expensive altars and offerings have become a sign of social status. The offerings usually contain the favorite foods and beverages of the departed along with their photos and other memorabilia. Sometimes others gifts are included that the family feels the departed might want or need in the afterlife. Other times it may be something the deceased may have enjoyed in life.
The most popular flower used for offerings are the orange marigolds known as cempasuchitl or flower of the dead. It’s believed that their color represents the hues of the earth and its seductive scent attracts souls. They were also used by the Aztecs to remember their dead. Other popular flowers that are used include thingyscombs, lion’s paws, gladiolus and carnations.
The preparation of food to give as offerings and to share with family, friends and neighbors is also important. Some people choose to have a banquet at their home and others choose to have quaint picnics, fiestas or candle-light vigils at the cemetery where the night is filled with reminiscing, anecdotes, songs, changing, prayers and music which continues throughout the night. It’s not uncommon for families to stay at the graveside from sunset to sunrise. It’s acceptable to consume food that has been given as an offering after it has had a respectful amount of time on the altar. It’s believed that the souls absorbs the spiritual essence of the food, so if you were to consume it afterwards it lacks nutritional value There are many popular festival dishes prepared at this time such as tamales, chalupas, enchiladas with different types of mole, dough cakes with savory and sweet fillings, fruit pastes and candied pumpkin, a desert prepared with pumpkin, cinnamon and dark sugar cones. Two delicacies that are made especially for this celebration are bread of the dead and sugar skulls.
Bread of the Dead is sweet bread made with sugar, eggs, flour, butter, and yeast, and may contain a variety of orange peels, fruit juices and anise. They can be found in round loaves but usually they are made into human figures, burial mounds, skulls or twisted piles of bones covered in teardrops. In some parts of Mexico they also appear in the shapes of animals, birds and fish.
Sugar skulls and chocolate skulls are candied imitations of skulls used as offerings and decorations to represent the real skulls used by the Aztecs. Skulls are a symbol of life, death and rebirth. The symbol of the skull has always been a part of their culture, immortalized in their ancient stone architecture and pottery. It’s a common practice to have the name of the deceased inscribed on the skull’s forehead for a friend or relative to eat.
Art depicting skulls skeletons and death are popular portrayals to expose our human weakness that death is always hovering in the background. The Mexican culture doesn’t tip toe around death. Death is a part of life. They visit it daily and mock it, entertain it and contemplate it with contempt and irony. In 1913 Mexican printmaker, Jose Guadalupe Posada, one of the founders of modern Mexican art, made a zinc etching entitled “La Calavera de la Catrina.” This was a depiction of a rich and fashionable lady as a skeleton. She is easily recognizable as she wears a fancy hat with feathers. It was to demonstrate that no matter who you are in life you are just as susceptible to death. In death, we are all equals.
Festivals are more colorful in the south of Mexico particularly in the states of Michoacan, Oaxaca and Chiapas. Many people dress up in costumes that represent skeletons and have parades or spend the night dancing. One noted place to visit is the island of Janitzio located on Lake Patzcuaro. It only has a population of 1500 yet thousands of visitors cross the lake in fisherman’s boats every year to witness the Day of the Dead festival filled with music, changing and dancing. The way to the cemetery is lit with torches and the flickering light of thousands of candles. The sounds of bells begin at sundown and ring throughout the night to call souls to return and enjoy the splendid, prestigious ceremony.
I wish we all celebrating the Day of the Dead as it would be comforting to know while we are alive that we will not be forgotten once we have died, but honored for everything we have done in life by those that loved us. It makes you strive to be important, set goals to accomplish, leave a mark on your community and to be loved for who you are. I wish everyone could adopt these practices as the neglected cemetery plots in our cities speak a thousand, lonely words of sadness and neglect. Every day should be lived to the fullest because only through embracing death can we truly live and appreciate our lives.
