Dia de Muertos (Day of the Dead) in SMA, 2017

One of my goals in coming to SMA was to develop a better understanding of the celebration Dia de Muertos.  On Saturday, October 28, Iris and I attended a 2 hour showing of a documentary on the subject at the Biblioteca, which was a good introduction on the subject.  It explained the origins of the celebration that started in pre-Columbian times, going back 2,000 - 3,000 years as a way to honor and remember the dead.

The Catholic Church changed the date of the celebration, which had coincided with the harvesting of corn, to All Saints Day, November 1.  Now it is a national holiday that is celebrated for 2 days beginning on the evening of Holloween, which has been introduced into the traditions by the expats.  Instead of going door to door, everyone gathers in the town center and the children go from person to person getting candy.  The further south you travel in Mexico, the more elaborate the celebrations because the tradition goes back to ancient times and many indigenous people still live there.  SMA is in northern Mexico where it is not celebrated to the same extent because this is where the Spaniards and other Europeans stayed after the invasion. 

After seeing the documentary, I was more appreciative of the service of remembrance the Unitarian Universalist congregation held on Sunday.

I signed the leaf as a remembrance of my granddaughter.  This seemed appropriate as the family approaches the first anniversary of her death on November 16th.

I placed the leaf on the altar.

The completed altar.  This is what Mexican families do in their homes and at the grave sites.

Monday I attended a panel discussion at St. Paul's Anglican Church on the different religious traditions concerning death.

The woman on the left is a member of St. Paul's and she moderated the discussion.  Next to her is a Christian Science Practitioner, next is a young woman who has extrensively studied the ancient practices before the Spaniards came to Latin America, including living for months at a time in remote indigenous villages in Honduras, and the gentleman is Hindu.  While extremely different in practice, the common theme was how to honor and remember the dead.

Beginning a couple of days before Dia de Muertos, families start preparing the grave sites of family members.  

This gentleman was at his family's grave site on Monday, October  30, repainting the railing around the site.

This family is installing a new sign in front of the crypt.  Some caskets are placed inside a wall.  Note the young girl sitting and watching.  There is another wall for ashes.

Children were all over the cemetery.  The 3 on the left had just finished chasing the young boy.  All in good fun.

This grave site is a well maintained garden.  

One of the larger memorials.

This is a new grave site.

It appears the person was from Marshall, Texas.

Any good cemetery needs a couple of good mousers.

They appeared healthy and well cared for.  They certainly were not upset at all the activity around them.

On the evening of Noverber 1st, families gather at the grave sites to share the deceased's favorite foods, share stories of the deceased, and to sing and play games.  Many stay all night.

During this time many believe the spirits of the dead join in the celebration.  There is no fear of the dead.  The costumes many wear - painted faces and skeletons - are meant to invite the spirits to participate in the festivities.  Children are raised attending these events in cemeteries and just grow up accepting the costumes, etc., as part of their lives and nothing to fear.

I also noticed on one of my walks to town a casket maker's shop with samples in the front window within inches of people walking by.  Certainly nothing to hide. 

It seems to me that in the US we go to great lengths to avoid the entire subject of death.  We don't say someone has died, we say he/she has passed, or refer to the person as "the late" (insert name). I'm always reminded of a George Carlin routine on the subject when he said "He's not late, he's not coming."  I like the Mexican acceptance of death and their willlingness to acknowledge the reality of death and that it is not something to ignore.