DIÁS de LOS MUERTOS

All public activities for this important Mexican holiday have been canceled this year (2020). This year people will celebrate in their homes. Just when we need festivities, Covid dictates otherwise. So please enjoy a look at last years event. But first, let’s review a little history.

In the 16th century Catholic priests from the conquering country of Spain realized that the way to win indigenous Mexican people over to Catholicism was to include some of their rituals in the Catholic practices. The dates of October 31st through November 2nd coincide with the Catholic feast days of All Saints and All Souls. Aztecs did not mourn the departed but considered their deaths part of the cycle of life. Tombs were often built under houses so the deceased loved ones remained close. Skeletons, skulls, and toy coffins have long been part of Mexican culture, mocking death. The famous well-dressed skeletons known as Las Catrinas were invented by illustrator and engraver Jose Guadalupe Posada (1852-1913) and have become one of the main symbols of Day of the Dead. Today’s Diás de Los Muertos celebration is a combination of Catholic and pre-Hispanic beliefs and rituals, or “religious syncretism”.

Mexico loves a party and a chance to dress up. Face painting turns anyone in party clothes into “La Catrina”!

Families gather days ahead of time to pull weeds, splash a new coat of paint on fences, and clean up headstones. New “coronas” or crowns, filled with flowers, replace old ones. Pop-up flower stands are everywhere.

Altars, or ofrendas (offerings), arranged in homes and businesses, are another classic symbol of Días de Los Muertos. There are many elements to these often complex altars and each one is individualized as well. (Some actually refer to the four elements in relation to the altars: water, wind, Earth, and fire. You will find representatives of each in the following list.) Outdoor altars often include an “entrance“, 3 or more tiers, the highest representing heaven and holding the photos of lost family members and images of beloved saints. Candles guide the dead to their altars. Skulls, clay or formed sugar (calavera de azúcar or “sugar skulls”), provide a “reality check” and contrast to the jovial atmosphere. Marigolds (cempasúchitl) are the color of the sun and the flower of choice, abundant in fall. Their pungent odor leads spirits “home”. Copal, or incense, is often burned on the altar. Crosses in white, gray, or black, represent the 4 cardinal directions and help spirits find their way. Soap, a basin of water, and a hand towel are laid out along with a mirror, so that the traveling spirit can clean up for the visit. A glass or pitcher of water is offered, along with favorite foods and drinks of those who have passed. Pan de muertos, sweet, eggy breads topped with crossbones, dusted with sugar, and made only in October, wait to be eaten. Often shoes, a set of clothing, and favorite personal items such as jewelry or tools are placed nearby for use by the spirits while visiting their earthly home. Sugar canes are sometimes used to create an arch over the altar or small pieces are simply placed out as gifts. Salt is offered to “cleanse the spirits and purify souls” in the year to come. Some altars include “petates“, woven reed mats placed for sleep and “metates“, the curved volcanic stone on legs where women grind corn and other foods for hours on end. Papel picados, paper flags bearing images of skeletons, flowers, etc., provide color and reference to the element of air.

Ofrendas recognize deceased children and young people (angelitas or “little angels“) said to arrive on October 31st to visit their families. Tribute is paid to famous people like Frida Kahlo and Octavio Paz, as well as local well-known gringos.

Bags of colored sawdust and sand, flower petals, seeds, and beans, are on hand for creating the elaborate “tapetes” (rugs) laid out in the streets and in front of individual altars.

On the night of November 1st families join their deceased loved ones at their gravesites, eating, drinking, story-telling, and singing to celebrate their return. Sometimes bands are hired to play favorite songs of the deceased. I didn’t make it to the cemetery that night but the next night there was still a crowd, until rain started drizzling. It didn’t seem respectful to me to photograph the groups of people gathered but I managed to grab these shots before the rain drove me out also.

Music and food is, of course, part of the whole celebration. I love this picture of some locals gathered before performing in front of the Cultural Center.

We missed the parade and the lighting of the candles recognizing the deceased citizens of Ajijic. Ben was just home from the States and we just couldn’t do it all. (Thanks to my friend Gale Park for the photo.)

Back home, over several days, I created my own altar to parents, grandparents, and pets as I researched the meaning of it all. I’ve been waiting for this for a year. What fun!

So there you have it. Traditions that allow us to remember, respect, and celebrate the loved ones we miss combined with La Catrinas, laughter, and music poking fun at death. Death, part of the cycle of life.

By the way, the migration of the monarch butterflies is believed by some to be the souls of the departed returning to the land of the living. We’ll be visiting them in February (2020). I’ll let you know if I recognize anyone!