Day of the Dead falls in the ninth month of the Aztec calendar, about the beginning of August, and is celebrated for an entire month. The festivities are dedicated to the god known as the "Lady of the Dead", corresponding to the modern Catrina.
Held annually since before Spanish colonisation, Day of the Dead (or Dia de los Muertos) is a celebration in which Mexicans remember and honour their deceased loved ones. The festival’s origins lie in pre-Hispanic Mexico, when a month was dedicated to commemorating the spirits of the dead. After the emergence of Christianity, celebrations were moved from July/August to coincide with the Christian feast days of All Saints Day and All Souls Day in November.
As for the newly-scheduled Day of the Dead…well, it couldn’t be more colourful or less gloomy if it tried! Each year, Mexican graveyards and personal home alters are decorated to the nines with gifts, food and drinks (including the much-loved tequila!) to entice spirits of the dead back to earth.
As for the newly-scheduled Day of the Dead…well, it couldn’t be more colourful or less gloomy if it tried! Each year, Mexican graveyards and personal home alters are decorated to the nines with gifts, food and drinks (including the much-loved tequila!) to entice spirits of the dead back to earth.
People go to cemeteries to be with the souls of the departed and build private altars containing the favorite foods and beverages as well as photos and memorabilia of the departed. The intent is to encourage visits by the souls, so that the souls will hear the prayers and the comments of the living directed to them. Celebrations can take a humorous tone, as celebrants remember funny events and anecdotes about the departed.
Plans for the day are made throughout the year, including gathering the goods to be offered to the dead. During the three-day period, families usually clean and decorate graves;most visit the cemeteries where their loved ones are buried and decorate their graves with ofrendas ("offerings"), which often include orange mexican marigolds (Tagetes erecta) called cempasúchitl (originally named cempoalxochitl, Nahuatl for "twenty flowers").
In modern Mexico, this name is sometimes replaced with the term Flor de Muerto ("Flower of the Dead"). These flowers are thought to attract souls of the dead to the offerings.
Catrinas, one of the most popular figures of the Day of the Dead celebrations in Mexico.
Toys are brought for dead children (los angelitos, or "the little angels"), and bottles of tequila, mezcal or pulque or jars of atole for adults. Families will also offer trinkets or the deceased's favorite candies on the grave. Ofrendas are also put in homes, usually with foods such as candied pumpkin, pan de muerto ("bread of the dead"), and sugar skulls and beverages such as atole. The ofrendas are left out in the homes as a welcoming gesture for the deceased.Some people believe the spirits of the dead eat the "spiritual essence" of the ofrendas food, so even though the celebrators eat the food after the festivities, they believe it lacks nutritional value. Pillows and blankets are left out so that the deceased can rest after their long journey. In some parts of Mexico, such as the towns of Mixquic, Pátzcuaro and Janitzio, people spend all night beside the graves of their relatives. In many places, people have picnics at the grave site as well.
Plans for the day are made throughout the year, including gathering the goods to be offered to the dead. During the three-day period, families usually clean and decorate graves;most visit the cemeteries where their loved ones are buried and decorate their graves with ofrendas ("offerings"), which often include orange mexican marigolds (Tagetes erecta) called cempasúchitl (originally named cempoalxochitl, Nahuatl for "twenty flowers").
In modern Mexico, this name is sometimes replaced with the term Flor de Muerto ("Flower of the Dead"). These flowers are thought to attract souls of the dead to the offerings.
Catrinas, one of the most popular figures of the Day of the Dead celebrations in Mexico.
Toys are brought for dead children (los angelitos, or "the little angels"), and bottles of tequila, mezcal or pulque or jars of atole for adults. Families will also offer trinkets or the deceased's favorite candies on the grave. Ofrendas are also put in homes, usually with foods such as candied pumpkin, pan de muerto ("bread of the dead"), and sugar skulls and beverages such as atole. The ofrendas are left out in the homes as a welcoming gesture for the deceased.Some people believe the spirits of the dead eat the "spiritual essence" of the ofrendas food, so even though the celebrators eat the food after the festivities, they believe it lacks nutritional value. Pillows and blankets are left out so that the deceased can rest after their long journey. In some parts of Mexico, such as the towns of Mixquic, Pátzcuaro and Janitzio, people spend all night beside the graves of their relatives. In many places, people have picnics at the grave site as well.
Dead people and Mexico I SALUTE YOU!
No comments:
Post a Comment