(The Day of the Dead)
In America, for approximately 200 years, the death of a
person is mourned, but in Mexico for over 3000 years, there are three days of
celebration and prayer for the soul of the beloved dead ones.
Analee Fuentes, 2-D Studio Foundations instructor at LBCC
since 1998, did a presentation on El Dia de los Muertes to a crowd of 20 in the
DAC on October 31, 2012 at noon. The
presentation really enlightened the crowd about the celebration and not the
mourning of the dead and people were invited to color posters to be placed on
the altar in the DAC to celebrate a loved ones life.
This was a very informative lecture with lots of photos,
which can be seen at the website below.
El Dia de los Muertes has become a ritual passed down from the
indigenous tribes of the Americas del Sur (South America). In these countries, the celebrations last a
full month, but today most celebrations last from October 31st
through November 2nd. These
celebrations were originally dedicated to the goddess Catrina or Mictecacihuatl,
known as the “Lady of the Dead.”
October 31st is El Dia de los Muertes with altars
built to celebrate the lives of the dead.
Not only do people wear wooden skulls called calacas but also make sugar
skulls with the deceased name on the forehead to be eaten in tribute. These skulls denote death and rebirth, while
many thought the dead returned during these celebrations to visit.
November 1st is El Dia de Muertos Chiquitos, The
Day of the Little Dead, also, known as All Saints Day for any children who are
deceased.
November 2nd is known as El Dia de los Muertos,
All Soul’s Day, for any adults who are deceased.
Therefore, the altars will usually have items the deceased
loved, food that they ate and many times items worn by the deceased. Death is not considered the end of life but
the continuation of life and it is embraced for the reason.
Many have tried to destroy this ritual, but it has survived
and is growing as the population spreads throughout the Americas. Analee Fuentes said there has been a
demographic shift, in Oregon of 11% Hispanic population over the last 29
years. This has given her a greater
audience to express her heritage and help others understand the ritual of El
Dia de los Muertes.
In Mexico, the loved ones graves are visited and decorated
with marigolds (Tagetes erecta) and candles, with toys for the dead children
and bottles of tequila for the adults, with Pan de Muertos, or Bread for the
Dead. Families, also, have picnics next
to the gravesites and celebrate with the deceased ones’ favorite foods. Later, there are dances and parades going to
the gravesites.
Building altars in their homes is done in both the United
States and Mexico’s larger cities. From
the pictures, in the links below, you can see the vibrant, colorful and
exaggerated picture of the life the people who have died. Loving the ornate, excessive, and overdone,
Analee Fuentes states she looks at fish or water and have the same visual
experience as she has looking at a 17th century Mexican church, an
almost mystical experience for her.
At A Glance:
El Dia de los Muertos, celebrated from October 31st
through November 2nd is a celebration of the life of the deceased
with parades, dances and altars of appreciation.
For more information, please check out the following sites:
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