"Día De Los Muertos, a millenary tradition for Mexicans"



                   photo by Martin Marquez ©    


 The Mexican tradition of Dia De Los Muertos is of pre-Hispanic origin, and is a World Cultural Heritage as named by UNESCO, a title which causes no surprise once its profound and complex beauty is appreciated. 


Dia De Los Muertos is a celebration those loved ones who have passed, a time to craft an ornate altar of offering decorated with fragrant flowers, lit candles, fresh fruit, and cherished photographs. Such an altar serves as a welcome-home sign, akin to when a family member returns from a trip abroad and finally arrives home.


In order to truly understand Dia De Los Muertos it is essential to understand the concept of death as the beginning of a journey in which the soul goes to a sacred place and periodically returns to the mundane world. 


My memory is replete with thousands of images of altars that I have seen throughout my life, especially during the years that I lived in Mexico City. Also of note are the impressive altars and celebrations in San Andrés Mixquic, a community in southwestern Mexico. The aromas of incense and freshly cut marigold flowers abound. Taking break from admiring the altars, it is time to purchase a delicious sweet bread called “pan de muertos” and to enjoy it with a cinnamon hot chocolate, and then come home with a sugar skull with your name written on it with frosting! 


I also fondly remember a trip that I made with my mother to the city of Michoacán. What amazing experience to spend a night of vigil in the "holy field" pantheon with the townspeople, who lovingly offered a plate of pozole and steaming fruit punch. I am so happy that now here in California this tradition is admired, that it is showcased in museums and libraries displaying an infinity of adorations. Not only indoors, but outside as well parades of perfectly dressed people representing the spirit of death, the other side of life.


How would you like to represent your own death? Your eternal spirit? Inquiry of this question will give you a great insight into its depth, many times over than simply donning a cadaver face-painting. Maybe you would like to make an offering to the one you loved? Remember the sacred duality of the mortal, and rejoice!

www.carlotaroa.com

www.spanishtodaytutoring.com


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

''The Power of Puppets in Education''

Image
                                  It could be said that puppets are in every culture and in every community around the world. Sometimes they have a religious or ritualistic context. Other times puppets are used for storytelling and entertainment. In regions such as India, Africa and Southeast Asia, puppets and puppeteers generally engage in ceremonies or rites. In Europe it has a more theatrical, or musical context. In the Americas, especially in Mexico, puppetry has existed since pre-Columbian times, and was used to narrate and preserve the memory of daily life. In these early stages puppets were clay dolls articulated directly with the puppeteers hands. In addition to serving as vehicles of oral history, puppets were used to represent religious texts, usually accompanied by a song or dance. At the time of Independence in Mexico, puppetry flourished in the realm of performing arts and enjoyed great popularity. Puppets even began to be used to educate the population about basic public
Read more

''Spanish and Art''

Image
                                         photo by Carlota Roa  ©        Art is a powerful tool to learn a language through cultural expressions! For more than six consecutive years, Spanish Today has developed courses to harness the pedagogic spark of art. Such fusions of creativity and language have been offered in a variety of institutions such as the Montalvo Art Center in the City of Saratoga. For the summertime, we have curated Spanish courses that aim to encourage and motivate students to converse in Spanish through innovative problem-solving and observation. By engaging in sculpture, paintings, handicrafts, musical performance, and dancing, our students form deep connections between their experiences and their environment. When students participate in what we like to call “transcendent-learning”, they can more easily connect with the target acquisition - in this case the Spanish language. The stimulation of both cerebral hemispheres causes genuine emotions and exalted sensation
Read more