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Pastimes : The Boxing Ring Revived -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Neocon who wrote (6938)	11/2/2003 7:18:44 AM
From: Tom Clarke	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 7720

Mexico marks a different holiday Norma Mendoza 11/01/2003 As people in the United States are celebrating Halloween, people in Mexico are preparing to celebrate Los Dias de los Muertos, or Days of the Dead. In the U.S., we recognize Nov. 1 as All Saints Day and Nov. 2 as All Souls Day, but in Mexico these dates are celebrated as Los Dias de los Muertos, or Days of the Dead. The first day is reserved for remembrance of those who died in infancy or as children and the second day is for remembrance of those who were adults when they died. In Mexico, the celebration has a religious and joyful tone. There are skeletons, but they are more friendly and funny than frightening. And, they represent the spirits of departed loved ones and friends. There is some sadness, but it is overridden by the joyousness of the celebration. The late, great Mexican poet, Octavio Paz, noted that unlike most Americans, the Mexican has no fear of an intimate relationship with death, observing that “. . . he chases after it, mocks it, courts it, hugs it, sleeps with it; it is his favorite plaything and his most lasting love.” The celebration of Los Muertos is another example of the blending of Aztec, Mayan and Spanish cultures that is so typical of Mexico. It was Mexico’s acceptance of Catholic beliefs in the manifestation of Our Lady of Guadalupe that allowed Spain to gain acceptance and facilitate its conquest of the indigenous peoples of Mexico. The ancient Aztecs and Mayans believed in a cycle of life from birth to death and beyond. They had a month-long fiesta in celebration of death. Each autumn as the Monarch butterflies returned to Mexico from their sojourn in the northern country, the indigenous people believed they were the spirits of their departed loved ones returning for their annual visit with families. Paz said the fiesta is by nature sacred, both literally and figuratively. He said it is in the fiesta that Mexicans relate best to each other. It is a time to let go of daily cares and problems and instead dance, drink, eat and be merry. As the ancient beliefs began to be merged into a new kind of Catholicism, the celebration of the dead was shortened to coincide with Catholic holidays celebrating sainthood. The celebration took on a blend of old traditions and Catholic rituals. Families often build an altar to their departed loved ones in their homes and in the cemeteries. The altars have a place of honor and feature photographs of dear ones where favorite foods are laid out. Candles are lit and decorations include wreaths of flowers, usually marigolds, and religious icons. Incense is burned to help guide the spirits back home. The foods often include water to quench their thirst and for purification; salt to season the food and also for purification; and bread which represents the basic food for survival. Papeles picados are strung about the altar or the cemetery. These are intricate tissue paper cutouts resembling rectangular doilies. For Los Dias de Los Muertos, these delicate decorations are of bold and bright colors. Not to be forgotten are beverages such as atole (liquid in which grain has soaked or cooked), cerveza (beer), or tequila. There may be toys and sugar candies for the children. Sugar sculptures of skulls, skeletons, coffins and crosses are treats the children look for each year. Often the skeletons represent loved ones and are dressed to show their occupations or hobbies. Many times they are accompanied by an entire skeleton mariachi band, complete with sugar instruments. The decoration materials used are ephemeral, not meant to last, but to be eaten or fade away just as the spirits of the loved ones will fade away after the celebrations, to rest peacefully until the next Dia de los Muertos visit. Families gather at the cemeteries on Nov. 2 with picnic baskets, bottles of tequila and a live mariachi band. This tradition has inspired local merchants to set up stands outside the cemetery gates where they sell food, drinks and traditional items the family may have forgotten to bring. Foreign visitors flock to the Mexican states of Oaxaca and Michoacan to see the colorful celebrations of the Days of the Dead each year. Celebrations also take place in certain parts of Mexico City and in various parts of the country. Each region celebrates in a distinctive way. The remembrance of dead ancestors and loved ones is traditional among many cultures all around the world, often marked by lighting candles or lamps and laying out food and drink. Such public remembrance in the U.S. is often reserved for war heroes and veterans with solemn renditions of “Taps.” As the diverse cultures that make up the United States begin to blend, many traditions once considered foreign make their way into American life. One that many have seen change within their memory is the tradition of placing crosses or flowers or both at the scene where a friend or family member died. This, too, is a Mexican tradition. The celebration of Los Dias de los Muertos is so far found mostly in Mexico and is more likely threatened by the creeping into Mexico of U.S. Halloween traditions than the other way around. We celebrate Halloween, but our celebration focuses on scaring one another with macabre images like witches, devils, bats, skeletons and other scary creatures from the dark side. goedwardsville.com