Those of us living in California have become more and more familiar with Latin American and Mexican holidays, so Dia de Los Muertos, celebrated on November 1 and 2, might ring a bell. Day of the Dead is one of the most important holidays in Mexico. A Oaxacan mom friend, who works for the airline Mexicana, said all flights were over-booked on the Dia de Los Muertos weekend and into the week. Mexicans travel from all over to be with their loved ones as they honor their dead. She went as far to say that the celebration is even more important than Christmas for families. Jason and I contemplated how Thanksgiving for us in the US is a holiday that draws family members together. Muertos reminded us of our special November holiday, with two days off school and all the traditional foods taking their place on the table (During Dia de Los Muertos, special bread is eaten, chicken mole is served and lots of hot chocolate is drunk by the time November 3rd rolls around). One large difference between the holidays is that the focus of Muertos is less on food, more on remembrance.On November 1st, Jason and I traveled to the cemetery to see the action and that night we brought the children back to see how the celebration was unfolding. Scores of families were cleaning and decorating grave sites. Hundreds of merchants had set up shop, selling flowers, food and drink, a few kiddie rides had been brought in to keep the little ones in celebration mode. This scene did not feel like a place of mourning. Though the Mexicans do grieve for their dead, they also live among them differently than what I am used to. They seem to exist in a state between natural and supernatural…there is not as strong a division between those two realities, so having a party at the gravesite of Tia Juanita, is like enjoying her company. Though she is dead, her presence is still among them.
2 comments:
Ahhh...dia de los muertos. All Saint's Day and All Souls Day, Nov 1 and 2 respectively in the US. One day for the canonized and one for everyone else. That's how it is celebrated here. I think we will be around for a religious festival in Madrid in February. It will be neat to talk about the comparison from your recent experience. Spanish and Mexican, but both so culturally Catholica.
I laughed reading your last entry. No wallflower are you.
The Mexicans told us that November 1st is day to celebrate "Los Angelitos"...literally, the little angels. This day is to remember the unborn babies, infants and young children who died before reaching adulthood. In a culture where poverty is rampant and infant mortality high, this seems very poignant to me, and yes...very Catolica.
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