ST. CATHARINES, Ontario, Canada / The Brock Press / November 4, 2008
By Katherine Gottli
As we clean up our Halloween decorations, and gorge ourselves on left-over candy on November 1, Mexican families all over the country are celebrating with dances and wooden skull masks - a tradition which was originally assumed to be a mocking of the dead.
Photo: Dario Ayala
The history of Dia de los Muertos cannot be discussed without the inclusion of the fact that Spanish Conquistadors once attempted to ban festivals and celebrations of the dead, as they believed it to be sacrilegious and barbaric, as the pre-Hispanic cultures were assumed to be insulting the souls of the deceased
Death, for the Spaniards, was considered to be an end of life, and should be honoured as such. However, the indigenous people from which the traditions began believed that death was in fact the beginning of life, and should be celebrated as the souls of the deceased passed on into a life in which they were truly awake.
In order to 'Catholicize' the festival - which was originally held in the ninth month of the Aztec calendar, August - the Spaniards moved it closer to the Roman Catholic celebrations of All Saints Day (Nov.1), and All Souls Day (Nov.2).
Despite the fact that the indigenous festival underwent vast attempts of being destroyed, Dia de los Muertos is still celebrated all over Mexico and southern parts of the United States today.
The festival is celebrated differently all over the country, and changes slightly from the rural to more urbanized Mexican cities, but the most well known emblem of the festival goes by many names, perhaps the most recognizable be "La Muerte" - death.
Also know as "La Catrina", the historic engraving by José Guadalupe Posada (1851-1913) is of a skeleton woman, dressed ornately in a large floral-endowed hat, meant to symbolize the upper-class in Mexico during Posada's time. Many believe that the origins of "La Catrina" were an attempt to mock the upper-class in Mexico - as even they cannot escape death. Yet the depiction of the beautifully dressed woman has become synonymous with the holiday, and is regarded by many as a reminder that death can arrive at any time, but still should be welcomed as it is such an integral aspect of Mexican thought, history and on a grander scale, our lives.
Walking through the artist's community of Tubac, Arizona - a community just a short drive up the interstate from Mexico, and once a Spanish colony - many of the vendors have large collections of "La Catrina" statues, and many have their own individual Dia de los Muertos alters set up within their stores honouring their own deceased family members. The shrines include photos of the family members who have passed on, as well as small ornately decorated skulls - sugar skulls - with their family members' names written across the forehead. Many tourists ignorant to the festival believe that the skulls and statues have to do with Halloween, as skeletons are a common popular culture icon for the holiday, yet the shrines are a constant reminder for the artists' families of those who are no longer with them, as well as a celebration of their passing on to their new life.
Western culture, however - perhaps a comment on our own ignorant and inclusive nature - has seemingly commidified the ornate emblems into a fashion-statement, adorning clothing and jewelry with the colourfully decorated skulls.
Sugar Skulls (Calaveras) are a traditional folk art from Southern Mexico used to celebrate El Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead). This is a happy occasion in Mexico.
Also, popular tattoo designs often incorporate the image, and one has to wonder if the original intention of the edible offering has been misappropriated. Even within Mexican culture, less-traditional renditions of the classic sugar skull have become popular - rather than being hand-made pressed sugar decorated by the family to be given to family or adorn familial alters (many alters include offerings that will assist the deceased in their other-wordly travels, including food, personal items, and perhaps even bottles of tequila) - more popular versions of the skulls, many made from chocolate or other types of candy and decorated have become popular, and according to Chelsie Kenyon, a researcher of Dia de los Muertos, it is becoming increasingly difficult to find traditional sugar skulls in Southern Mexico.
Despite its early history, and current state of 'cultural upgrading', the fact remains that families all over Mexico are still reserving the first days of November as days for honouring their deceased relatives. Generally, November 1 is a day for celebrating the passing of young children and infants, and November 2 is reserved for the celebration of adults who are deceased. Families the country over flock to cemeteries to their family burial plots with offerings for the departed - religious rites are preformed, large celebrations and family reunions ensue all in an effort to remind the dead that even though they may be gone, they are certainly not forgotten.
© 2008 Brock Press
