DÍA DE LOS MUERTOS ( DAY of the DEAD) Our Lady of Guadalupe

DÍA DE LOS MUERTOS ( DAY OF THE DEAD)

Our Lady of Guadalupe Society would like to share the significance of the Mexican tradition of Día de los Muertos with the parishioners at Divine Savior.

ORIGIN TO PRESENT DAY

Día de los Muertos originated over 3000 years ago in the Mesoamerican cultures of México and Central America, including the Olmec, Aztec, Maya, Toltec, Nahua, Purépecha, and others. They held comparable views towards death, the afterlife and practiced similar ceremonies. Rather than grieve their dead, these ancient cultures celebrated the lives of the deceased and honored their memories. The indigenous people honored their dead with rituals by burying them in graves with offerings that included pottery, jewelry, textiles, food and cherished objects. They believed that the universal duality of life and death, light and dark, joy and pain are all necessary partners in the cycle of our existence.

The 16th century arrival of the Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés to México saw the imposition of Catholicism on indigenous customs. The Indian celebration which originally occurred in late summer was incorporated into the Catholic beliefs and practices creating this deeply syncretic tradition to coincide with the religious holidays of All Saints’ Day (November 1st) and All Souls’ Day (November 2nd).

Mexican’s believe that at midnight on October 31st, the gates of heaven open and the souls of angelitos (deceased children) reunite with their families for 24 hours. At midnight, November 2nd they are joined by the fieles difuntos (faithful spirits of deceased adults) who arrive to enjoy the offerings and festivities that their families have prepared. The offerings on the first day are symbolic of children (toys, candy) and the next night for adults ( decks of cards, adult beverages, dancing). “Día de los Muertos” is also commonly used to denote the entire three-day festivities. “Dia de Muertos” is another name for the holiday in México.

A common misconception is that Dia de los Muertos is “Mexican Halloween”. It is not, but there are similarities in that they are both associated with skeletons and celebrated close together. Both holidays focus on the idea that there is a certain time of year when the spirits of the dead may walk the earth again, taking pagan practices and integrating them with Christian holy days. There is a major difference in the way the dead are regarded. Halloween focuses upon the grisly or frightening aspects of death and Dia de los Muertos is the opposite, it is a celebration, a happy occasion to honor and remember departed loved ones. Halloween's origins date back to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain (pronounced sow-in). Two thousand years ago, the Celts who lived mostly in the area that is now Ireland, the United Kingdom and northern France, celebrated their new year on November 1st. All Hallows eve is a dangerous night when malicious spirits walk the earth. The pumpkins and costumes are to frighten evil spirits away. In México, the visiting spirits are believed to be loved ones returning to see their families and are treated with respect by their living descendants. Both holidays come from a pagan celebration that was morphed into the Christian tradition of All Saints and All Souls days of Nov 1st and 2nd.

While México is the country most renowned for Día de Muertos, death is commemorated and ritualized world-wide. Those who do not build altars, do, for the most part, follow the Spanish/European customs of taking flowers and cleaning graves, like Memorial Day in the Unites States. In the Philippines, Undás is the time of year devoted to family and is more solemn. In Brazil, Dia de Finados is more of a Catholic Holiday. In Guatemala on Festival of Giant Kites, they believe they can communicate with their ancestors via soaring kites. Contemporary Día de los Muertos has evolved. Altars can be made for one person, family members and friends or as a tribute to a loss in the community like for the victims of a mass shooting as was done in San Antonio or the Ofrenda dedicated to Communal Losses of 2020 sponsored by Our Lady of Guadalupe at Divine Savior.

It is said that we have three deaths, 1. when we take our last breath, 2. when we are buried and will never be seen on earth again and 3. when we are forgotten. Día de los Muertos helps us recognize that death is just the next step in life’s journey, and that no one really dies as long as they live on in our memories.

LA OFRENDA ( the Altar)

Making an Altar for Día de los Muertos can be a way for you to honor the life of someone who was important to you or to remember your ancestors. There are no hard and fast rules about how the altar should be made. Be creative. It is meant to welcome the spirits of the dead into your home with respect, devotion, and humor. The altar can be simple with a photo of your loved one, flowers, a candle and a food offering, or it can be elaborate. It should be meaningful to you. It may be that you discover your own family traditions in remembering your loved ones. The food, décor, items and materials that grace an ofrenda carry important historical and individual meaning. The main offerings on the ofrenda are symbolic of life’s elements: water, wind, fire, and earth.

THE ARCH: represents the passage between life and death. The doorway for souls to find their way back to us. It can be two branches, sugar canes, or a string of flowers secured to the back of the table and joined together at the top.

THE BASE: is usually constructed of crates or tables to display 2 to7 levels. White or colorful fabrics are used as coverings. Two levels represents the division between the earth and the sky. Three levels represent the sky, the earth and the underworld. Seven levels represent the seven levels that a soul must traverse before reaching its destination. It also relates to the seven deadly sins.

AGUA (water): is represented by a glass or pitcher of water, so the traveling souls can quench their thirst. Water is a source of life and represents purity and is also a symbol of baptism.

PAPEL PICADO (cut paper): The movement of the papel picado is said to represent wind. Pre-Colombian people used amate ( made from bark) paper in decorating. After the arrival of the Spaniards, goods and luxury items arrived from the orient wrapped in tissue paper which was discarded. The poor coastal people gathered it and used it for celebrations and holy days. The tissue paper symbolizes the fragility and transience of our existence.

VELAS (candles): represents fire, a light so the spirits can find their way. The candles are sometimes arranged in the form of a cross to represent the 4 directions. Candles are also a religious symbol of faith and hope.

FRUIT, BREAD AND FOOD- represent the earth. Seasonal fruits, drinks, foods that the person enjoyed in life are usually placed on the altar. Pan de Muerto ( bread of the dead) is a special type of bread with symbolism to the skeleton and Catholic relics. The bread is round, which symbolizes the cycles of life and death. It has a bump in the middle that represents the cranium. Four diagonal incisions represent bones, the tears shed for those who have gone before us, and the four directions of the universe.

PHOTOS: Place a photo of the person or persons to whom the altar is dedicated. From oral history it is taught that you do not use a photo that has a picture of a living person in it or put a person on the altar that has not been dead for more than a year as that person may be on his journey through the levels and has not arrived yet and should not be summoned. Belongings or a symbol of what the deceased used or cared about like a tool, religious symbol, clothing or other items are commonly placed on the altar.

FLOWERS: Cempasúchil ( marigolds) are the most common flower used during day of the dead celebrations. Cockscomb, a big deep purple flower in the shape of a rooster’s cockscomb, and baby’s-breath are also popular. Flowers can be placed in vases, or the petals pulled out and used to make elaborate designs or placed on the floor in front of the altar to mark a path for the spirits to follow. In México marigolds grow plentiful at this time of the year and are seen in abundance decorating graves. They have a pungent odor, providing an olfactory signal to attract the spirits.

COPAL ( incense): Copalli incense comes from the resin of the copal tree. It is customary to burn incense, which clears the space of any negative energy. It symbolizes the transformation from the physical, the tree, to the supernatural the perfumed smoke. The rising smoke takes prayers to the heavens and the gods. Spanish clergymen likened the gods to Catholic Saints.

SAL (SALT): was known as tlaxcal in pre-Colombian times and symbolized fraternity and love. After evangelization of the Americas, it symbolized Christ’s purification of the soul.

MONARCH BUTTERFLIES: play a role because they are believed to hold the spirits of the departed. This belief stems from the fact that the first monarchs arrive in México for the winter each fall on Nov. 1, which coincides with Dia de Muertos.

CALAVERA( skull)- Calaverita ( little skull for children) The calaveras are often misunderstood by people who do not know the history of the holiday. They are not intended to be scary. Calaveras de azucar (sugar skull) are made to represents the death of the body and the colorful designs represent the beauty of their life. These are placed on the altar and often have the name of the deceased inscribed on the forehead. The origin of these is European.

LA CATRINA ( classy skeletal lady)- refers to a female skeleton ( based on the Aztec goddess of the underworld) dressed in fancy European clothing. In the early 20th century, it was created by Jose Guadalupe Posada, a printer and cartoonist as a criticism over the different disparities between the classes and as a satire to Indigenous women who were emulating the European woman. He used this icon to represent the idea that we are all socially equal. This character is one of the most popular icons of this holiday.

The above information is excerpts from the internet, personal information and oral history…. Joni Borbón, Gracias!!