The morning sun glares off the dusty road winding up to the cemetery. The air is crisp, and fallen leaves blanket the golden grassy knolls. Slowly, steadily, people begin to make their way to the top of the hill. They carry flowers; brilliant marigolds in buckets, wreaths of freshly cut roses and purple cockscomb. They bring food; trays of steaming hot tamales, tortillas, cold soda and beer. They come, not to mourn, but to celebrate. For this is Dia de los Muertos, and the dead are coming home.
Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is one of the most unique and beautiful traditions in Mexican culture. Also known as Festival de los Fieles Difuntos (Festival of the Deceased Faithful), this holiday is celebrated on November 1st and 2nd, when th departed arrive faithfully to visit with their loved ones, before returning back to the otherworld.
The Day of the Dead holiday has a rich tradition, rooted in both indigenous and Christian cultures. In pre-Colombian times, the Aztecs did not fear death. Their philosophy was dualistic-- the cycles of life and death were complimentary. Life on earth was merely a stage that one passed through before entering the next-- a world which alleviated the hardships endured on earth. Nezahualcoyot, an Aztec king wrote:
I, Nezahualcoyot, ask this: By any chance is it true that one lives rooted in the earth? Not always in the earth: Here for only just a while; Though it be made of jade, it breaks; Though it be made of gold, it breaks; Though it be made of quetzal plummage, it shreds apart. Not forever here on earth: Here for only just a while. |
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When a person passed away, offerings such as food, clothing and jewels were placed in the grave to help ease them in to the Aztec otherworld of Mictlan.
In the sixteenth century, Christianity brought to the New World a new concept of death and mourning. The Christian ideas did not replace indigenous ones, but rather became fused with them. The focus shifted from a dualism between life and death, to a focus on the dead themselves. The harvest rites of Mictlantecuhtli, the Aztec god of death, coincided with the Christian All Soulsâ Day. November 1st became the time to remember the departed children, or angelitos, while November 2nd was reserved for the adults. On these days, the souls are allowed to come back to earth to visit loved ones and take part in earthly pleasures.
The festivities for Dia de los Muertos are celebrated throughout Mexico, although they are much more traditional on the mainland, especially in Oaxaca. An altar is typically set up in the home and ofrendas (offerings) such as food, flowers, a candle for each soul and copal, a pre-Hispanic incense, are placed there.
During the celebration, the graves are restored to welcome the dead as honored guests. Families convene on the stones to tear out dead weeds, scrub and paint the gravesites. Then, time is taken to decorate the sites with cempoaxochitl, the Aztec flower of death -- a marigold. Toys and calaveras (skeleton figurines) are set on childrens graves to entice the young souls to play. In traditional areas, a trail of marigold petals helps the ethereal souls find their way home where an altar is waiting for them.
Fragrant meals are brought to the cemetery by families and loved ones. Favorite dishes are prepared such as mole, tamales, and pan de muerto, a special bread that is decorated with sugar skulls, flowers, or other ãdeathä motifs. The food is consumed in spirit by the dead and the living eat afterward. Families gather to recite quiet prayers before the offerings are placed on the grave. Liquor is consumed liberally as family members gather to tell stories about the departed. Vendors stroll through the cemetery sellng ice cream, tamales and bright tufts of cotton candy. The atmosphere is festive -- a celebration for the return of the dead! In traditional towns, plays and dances are performed, a particular favorite being Don Juan Tenorio in which a murderer is redeemed through his victimâs ghost.
The cultural and historical influences on Mexicoâs past have made the notion of death an accepted fact. Mexicans today may feel sorrow for a departed one, but essentially have preserved an ancient attitude toward death. They celebrate, mock and welcome death, they throw parties for it and act it out in plays. And once a year, when the faithful dead return, the Mexican people welcome them into their homes.
WHERE TO GO: Dia de los Muertos celebrations can be found throughout Baja California. The large cemeteries in Tijuana, Ensenada and La Paz are filled with people on November 1st and 2nd. Celebrations are held in homes on the 2nd of November. Visit the panaderias (bakeries) for a delicious display of pan de muerto. Flower vendors spring up all over major cities and villages on this day, selling the traditional cempoaxochitl and other fresh flowers.