Paula - 11-2-2007 at 09:36 PM
The students at UABCS built altars at the school.
And the cemetary was very beautifully lit by candlelight.
DENNIS - 11-2-2007 at 10:03 PM
What?????
No human sacrifice? No beating, dripping hearts held high to the cheering throngs?
Mexico is losing her sense of theatre. The blood spectacle has given way to paper flowers.
Next year, we want authenticity. Maybe Hillary, in a gesture of neighborly frienship, will volunteer for the obsidian touch. it will bring her
close to the goddess that she wants to be.
Paulina - 11-2-2007 at 10:21 PM
Paula,
Thank you for the photos. I'm missing the tradition up here in the states. We have our little table for grampa and our four legged members of our
family, but it's not like living there or being a part of the tradition.
When we did live there, we decorated our buffet in honor of our loved ones in the best way we gringos could fashion. We took a field trip to the local
cemetary in Cantu and found the only American (at the time) that was burried there. We asked around the salon to see if anyone knew him, but he turned
out to be alone. So we returned to his grave, cleaned it up, gave him a loaf of pan de muerte, a boquet of marigolds and a fresh Budweiser to replace
the can that was obviously left there when he was buried by someone else who cared years prior to our arrival.
Thanks for sharing your photos.
Dennis, you're gonna have to see Hillary in your dreams, I'm afraid...
P<*)))><
Paula - 11-3-2007 at 08:00 AM
Paulina,
The university and segundaria started having a display of altars just last year. Until then I had seen little here to denote Day of the Dead-- no
sugar skulls being sold, no marigolds, only pan de muertos in the bakery. I've always loved halloween, and Day of the Dead is even better, such a
lovely way to recall loved ones. Your altar at home sounds so nice, and the occasion really is a family event, isn't it?
The cemetary was amazing! I had gone during the day before, but after dark with the candles it is magical. There were few people visiting graves, I
saw just one family there. The warmth from the candle glow made it feel like many souls were present.
Dennis,
People in Loreto are much too simpatico to engage in such high drama as you want to see.
[Edited on 11-3-2007 by Paula]
Natalie Ann - 11-3-2007 at 12:07 PM
Beautiful photos, Paula, of a most special event. I particularly like the shots taken in the cemetary. It's nice to know the students are working to
honor some of the traditions of their land.... and a really marvelous job they've done, as evidenced by your photos.
One of my favorite memories is of being invited to join friends in Baja Sur for a celebratory meal at the gravesites of their ancestors. We walked in
the moonlight, arms laden with food/drink/marigolds/decorative objects for each grave. We spread blankets, lit candles, shared a meal with the
spirits. In between the singing, the best stories were told about each ancestor. It is an event the I will never forget.
Paula - 11-3-2007 at 12:32 PM
What a wonderful experience, Nena! There is nothing quite like this in our culture, is there?
elizabeth - 11-3-2007 at 12:37 PM
Great photos, thanks for posting. Wish I had been there!
Natalie Ann - 11-3-2007 at 01:09 PM
You're right, Paula, there is nothing like this celebration in our society. Perhaps that's because so many of us fear death, see it as the end of
life rather than a continuation of life al otro lado.
My friends and I do celebrate the Celtic day of Samhain on November 1. The original tradition for this was a harvest festival, but modern day
celebrants have made some changes which include honoring our dead ancestors. We make an altar, include photos of or articles from the folks we wish
to remember/honor... we light candles and say prayers, sometimes share stories. A similar but different tradition from el Dia de Muertos, and one I
find most comforting.
elizabeth - 11-3-2007 at 03:06 PM
It is interesting that there is not a more widespread day of the dead celebration in the US, given that many of us have parents or grandparents who
come from countries that have those celebrations. Maybe our parents and grandparents were trying too hard to assimilate. My grandparents are from
Naples, and Italians, especially in the south celebrate November 2nd as a day of honoring the dead. Children (good ones) even get presents from the
deceased relatives. The ceremonies are very similar to those in Mexico with trips to the cemetary and the bringing of food and favorite objects to
the gravesite. Interesting to hear about the Celtic ceremonies...I bet there are many others we just aren't familiar with.
Paula - 11-3-2007 at 04:56 PM
I would imagine that celebrations like Day of the Dead are uplifting in several ways. Surely it is comforting to be able to entice the soul and
spirit of your loved ones back to life-- and if you feel their presence then they really are there with you-- and it makes the prospect of death less
frightful to know that people will call you back after you've left your body.
I often find American cemetaries gloomy and a little scary, but last night alone in the Loreto cemetary it seemed very peaceful and comfortable.