I believe that everyone must have had a lot of fun last night, whether it is in the plate duck or in China, the atmosphere of Halloween must be very lively. But it's not just Halloween in Spain, but on the other side of the ocean, a place with the same Spanish language is also celebrating their own holidays. Just three years ago, a Pixar animated film touched tens of thousands of people, and with it, more people knew about a traditional festival from Mexico, the Day of the Dead. Puzzlingly, although it is called "Day of the Dead", the atmosphere of singing and dancing and joyful in the festival seems to have a huge contrast with the solemn tone of death. Is the film deliberately distorted and enlarged for visual effects, or is The Day of the Dead meant to be a joyous holiday?
Every culture has its own unique way of dealing with "death." In Mexico, it's colorful, lively and fun. Mexicans celebrate Day of the Dead with color, food and music, which is true Mexican style. The Day of the Dead, in Mexico, is held annually on November 1-2 for two days. Locals believe that during these two days, the door between the real world and the "world of spirits" will be opened and the deceased relatives will return home to visit.
On the first day, the spirits of the deceased children return home; on the second day, the souls of the deceased adults return to participate in the celebrations.
So when these "relatives and friends" "go home", what will friends and relatives do?
The first is definitely to prepare the altar in advance, clean up the cemetery, and cook specific food. Make the best meals and serve on the best wines. After two days, the gate between the "two worlds" will be closed, and the undead will return to their own world. It is forbidden to cry on this day, because tears will confuse the souls of the deceased and prevent them from returning home smoothly.
Origin of the Day of the Dead
The Mexican day of the dead, Día de Muertos, was originally a festival for the Aztecs to commemorate the goddess Miticacihuatl. It is said that she looked after the bones of the dead at night and devoured stars during the day. After the Spanish conquered the Aztec Empire in the 16th century, the Catholic Church moved the local celebrations and ceremonies to commemorate the dead to November 1 and 2 according to the Catholic calendar. In this way, the Western "Halloween", the indigenous day of the dead, and some of the burial and sacrifice customs of the indigenous people were combined, and there was the "Day of the Dead" that we see today.
When the festival comes, family and friends gather together to stay up all night, reading letters and poems; telling anecdotes and jokes about the deceased's life, as a way to pay tribute and remembrance, and to commemorate friends and family who "left". They also hold celebrations for the dead, during which people forget about death, and there are only joyful songs and dancing skirts.
How to celebrate The Day of the Dead
The Aztecs and Nawas believed that the universe was cyclical and that death was part of life. Therefore, although it is a festival to pay tribute to the dead, there is no sorrow, and the local people sing and dance all night, intending to celebrate the festival with their dead relatives. The atmosphere and decoration of the whole festival are also colorful and colorful, and they will never be lifeless and gloomy.
1. Altar
Originally, on the day of The Dead, primary schools would generally have a day off; above middle school, there would be a school festival "school festival" the day before or after The Day of the Dead. Classes also set up "altars" or "ofrendas" for Mexican celebrities in the classroom, and each student prepares the same elements to commemorate; then, the altar is displayed outside the classroom to commemorate all those who have contributed to Mexico.
2. Bone sugar
On the tombstone, carefully prepared sugar skulls are also placed. Skulls vary in size (small skulls usually represent children, while large skulls represent adults and the elderly), made from sugar, hot water and lemon mixed into a paste such as alfeñique, a bit like caramel, very malleable.
3. Paper cut
Papel picado refers to the "perforated paper", or Mexican paper-cutting, which is an integral part of Mexican culture.
During the celebration of the Day of the Dead, elaborately tailored and colorful Papel picados are hung on altars and on the streets.
4. Marigolds
Cempasúchil flowers, also known as Mexican marigolds, are orange-red throughout, and locally, marigolds symbolize the sun's rays. Therefore, marigolds are placed next to altars or tombs, and during the Day of the Dead, Mexicans sprinkle the petals of the "Flower of the Dead" along the way, allowing the orange-yellow marigolds to guide the deceased home.
Remind me
Locals say that on The Day of the Dead, we celebrate the lives of those who have passed away; they commemorate the impact they have had on us; although they are no longer with us, it does not mean that they are completely gone, because they will live forever in our memory. As the movie says: The real death is that no one in the world remembers you. The real death is that no one remembers you. And as long as there is still one person in the world who remembers the warmth and bits brought by the deceased, it is not really death.