Dia de los Muertos

It has been a very lively past couple of days. Children have been strolling the streets in face makeup and masks singing to local shop owners or passersby expecting a sweet treat preferably in the form of candy. They sing a short song to the effect of, "We are little angels from the sky who have come down to ask for a treat to eat." This all began on October 29th and ended yesterday, November 2nd.

Day of the Dead is a celebration that has been celebrated by pre-Colombian cultures such as the Mayans, Aztecs, and Incas for over 3,000 years. The celebration and activities have changed over time depending on the region, but the meaning stays the same - honor the ones who have passed.

Since the colonization of the New World there has been much overlap of religion and holidays. Day of the Dead happened to fall on the Catholic holiday of All Souls and All Saints Day. November 1st is All Saints Day and is also Dia de los Inocentes (Day of the Innocents) where all the children who have passed on are remembered and their lives are celebrated. November 2nd is All Souls Day and is also Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) and is dedicated to all the adults who have passed on.

Altars are erected throughout the city in people's houses, shops, and restaurants. There they lay pictures of the deceased they want to honor and remember. Flowers such as marigolds are laid on the altars and cut out paper art is displayed. There are key colors to the celebration (red, orange, purple, and yellow) each representing a cardinal direction. Candles are also lit at the altars and food and drink are placed near the photos. It is believed that on this day the deceased is able to exit the spirit realm and visit the physical realm and the fire in the candle is their portal and the food and drink left behind are for them to smell and enjoy. You can find tequila, beer, bread, cigarettes, candy and all sorts of other things the deceased may have enjoyed on each altar.

It is also customary to visit the cemetery where your passed loved one has been buried on November 2nd. We went to the main cemetery in town (El Panteon) and found it to be the most alive place in town. Let me begin by describing the cemetery. Imagine a city made up of one room structures each with their own unique architecture resembling Spanish cathedrals, square houses, medieval castles, and modern styles all complete with windows and doors. The cemetery is large enough to get lost in with rows and walkways throughout it. We passed by families sitting around graves talking, drinking, and playing music. The mood throughout the cemetery was very festive and hardly somber. Flower bouquets filled the rooms and covered the graves. It was a very beautiful place and the smell of flowers was in the air everywhere you went.

Back in town we decided to see what was going on in the main plaza. The past week has been a multi-cultural festival with free to the public performances on multiple stages that are just as high in production value as any day festival back in the states. Each night has been a different act from traditional dancers/musicians, to professional singers and performers. There was a large tent set up with a line to get in, so we decided to get in line and find out what we were waiting for once we got in. Inside the tent was a temporary museum with cutting edge technology to help showcase the exhibit. It began with a room showcasing all the different indigenous cultures throughout Mexico on a Smartboard where a projector shoots onto a screen that you can touch and manipulate, similar to the Apple touch system. Then there was a large room with movie theater sound system with a short video demonstrating the diversity among the cultures in Mexico with amazing sounds, colors, photos, and music. Then the last space was where artifacts from all these cultures were displayed behind glass. The quality of the presentation and exhibit would have made my friends in the fabrication department at Bowers Museum proud. There were handicrafts such as drums, jars, and bowls and also clothing and fabric produced by the peoples from each region. The museum was put together by CDI, The National Commission for the Development of Indigenous Peoples. Outside in the plaza there were several traveling bands each with a different amount of members and with different instruments. We saw a group of all female musicians, an all male group, and a mixed group who all had their faces painted in the iconic style of Day of the Dead.

It has been very exciting these last couple of nights and the only problem we are having is knowing what to go so see because there is so much going on we don't want to miss anything.