Yesterday, the weekend of celebrations to honor los muertos, the dead, began in earnest. October 31st is called el Dia de los Inocentes, as Mexicans welcome deceased children back first. Adults are believed to return on Sunday, November 2nd which is the official el Dia de los Muertos. The holiday is much bigger than Christmas and instead of mourning family members who have passed away, it is a fiesta to celebrate the annual reunion with loved ones.
My school put on a comparsa (parade) which involved dancing puppets on stilts, a marching band complete with tuba and a serious brass section and our very own police escort. We ate pan de muerto (bread of the dead) dipped in hot chocolate, and drank free-flowing mezcal - poured from a 5 gallon plastic gasoline jug - starting at 11:00 a.m. Christian and I then walked through the city looking at elaborate sand paintings depicting Lady Death, Catholic images and skeletons. Everywhere in businesses and homes, people build altars to remember their loved ones. Marigolds, punched paper ornaments, favorite food and drinks, burning candles and incense adorn the altars. The beautiful altar above commemorates the family of the directora of my school.
About 8:30 p.m., along with the rest of Oaxaca, we went to the Panteon General, the city cemetery. People streamed through the gates to commune with the dead. The inside halls were beautiful and the illuminated alcoves/tombs above state "Perpetuidad". A choral group sang La Bamba (I'm not kidding). The cemetery was packed and vendors did a brisk business outside in tacos and cervezas.
Then we continued on to the small town of Xoxocotlan (affectionately and phonetically called "Ho-Ho"). This cemetery was bright with candles and flowers. People stepped around graves, greeting friends, taking pictures, passing snacks. Babies slept on mothers' laps. The atmosphere was friendly, respectful and overall very festive. Families spend the entire night there, waiting for their loved ones to return by dawn.
No comments:
Post a Comment