When the day of the dead is celebrated in mexico Day of the dead in mexico. Feast of the Dead in Mexico. Historical excursion

On these days, a carnival is held, sweets are prepared in the form of skulls, special figurines of dressed female skeletons are made - Katrina, that is, a fashionista, frantija (Spanish: La Calavera de la Catrina).

In 2004, students at the National Autonomous University of Mexico built a wall with 5,667 sugar, chocolate and caramel skulls, which is 2,667 more skulls than the previous wall. The wall is listed in the Guinness Book of Records.

On the day of the dead, cemeteries are decorated with ribbons and flowers, the roads to the homes of the dead are forced by their relatives with candles so that the deceased can find his way home.

Even ancient peoples such as the Olmecs and Mayans began to celebrate the Day of the Dead on the territory of modern Mexico. According to scientists, rituals associated with the veneration of the dead were noted 2500-3000 years ago. In the period before Spanish colonization, local residents often kept real skulls of the deceased in their homes - as a kind of family heirloom, they were often displayed during various rituals, they were supposed to symbolize death and resurrection.

During the Aztec empire, a holiday similar to the Day of the Dead was celebrated in the ninth month of the Aztec calendar, which falls on modern August. The Aztecs celebrated this holiday for a whole month, during which the goddess Miktlansihuatl, the goddess of death, was worshiped. In modern mythology, this goddess corresponds to the symbol of Katrina. In many regions of Mexico, this holiday is celebrated for two days: on November 1, dead children and babies are honored, which is also called the Day of Angels (Spanish: Día de los Angelitos). On November 2, on the Day of the Dead (Spanish: Día de los Difuntos), all the adult dead are honored.

Many of those who celebrate this holiday believe that on the Day of the Dead the souls of the dead can visit their living relatives and friends. On this day, people visit cemeteries to communicate with the souls of the dead, build altars on the graves with photographs and relics, bring favorite drinks and food of the dead. All this is done in order to induce the soul of the deceased to visit the living. Sometimes celebrations take on a cheerful color when relatives of the deceased recall funny or funny facts from the life of the deceased at the tombstone.

The celebration of the Day of the Dead differs from region to region. As a rule, they prepare for the holiday throughout the whole year, when little by little they collect things that should be on the altar of the deceased. During the celebrations on November 1 and 2, relatives decorate the graves of the dead with flowers and fruits. Very often, special flowers are used in decorations on graves - orange marigolds, which are believed to attract the souls of the dead. In Mexico, these flowers are called "Flowers of the Dead" (Spanish Flor de Muerto). On Angels Day, toys for children and sweets are brought. For adults, tequila, beer and other alcoholic drinks are most often brought.

In Moscow, the Mexican Altar of the Dead can be seen during the holiday at the Cervantes Institute, where it has been built by teachers from Mexico for two years in a row.

The Day of the Dead in modern Mexico is a colorful, mystical, parody, a bit nostalgically nagging and childishly naive action. For the deceased returning to earth on this day, a variety of treats and those things that they loved during their lifetime are laid out on a special home altar (according to pagan beliefs, spirits can admire them, as well as inhale the smells of dishes prepared for them). In addition, sugar figures in the form of skulls, pan de muertos (bread of the dead) - a special pastry with the image of crossed bones and sprinkled with sugar - and bouquets of seasonal yellow marigolds flor del muerto (believed to be favorite “ flowers of the dead "). Families in whom someone has died in the past 12 months prepare special dishes - tamale (a traditional Mexican dish made from cornmeal) and atole (a hot drink made from cornmeal).

It is curious that one bed is made up with an elegant bedspread - this is a bed on which the deceased can rest after a long journey. And in some Mexican villages there is a custom to lay out with flower petals and burning candles the road from the grave of the deceased to the house, where a solemn reception awaits him. This eliminates the likelihood that he accidentally gets lost along the way.

A massive visit to the cemeteries heralds the culmination of the celebration. Families not only clean up the graves, but also arrange picnics and dances to live music, take part in noisy and merry festivities until late at night.

Day of the Dead in Mexico is a national holiday and a nationwide day off.

Difference from Halloween

It should be noted that although the Day of the Dead and Halloween have similar origins and a number of related features, they are completely different holidays. Halloween is more connected with the fear of evil spirits that managed to get out of the other worlds. The Day of the Dead, on the other hand, is a hospitable invitation of friendly spirits to earth and honoring them at a common table. Nevertheless, the contagious tradition of Halloween is making its way into Mexico as well. Along with Day of the Dead specialties, sugar skulls, papier-mâché skeletons and pan de muertos, pumpkin lanterns and vampire fangs are stocked in stores. And in big cities in the northwest, children even adopted the trick-or-treat tradition, only boys and girls dressed in costumes of witches and dracula beg for the sweet symbol of the Day of the Dead - calaverita (chocolate or sugar skull).

On holidays, crowds of tourists are usually attracted by San Andres Miskic, part of Mexico City, where the only open cemetery within the capital is located. In addition to classical customs, fun games, concerts and folk dances are held here, as well as a very curious procession with a cardboard coffin. At the end, the "dead man" unexpectedly jumps out of the coffin and runs away as fast as the crowd laughs.

Those who have strong nerves and want to see the revived pagan rituals should go to the Mayan city of Pomuch. Here, on the eve of the Day of the Dead, a grisly ceremony of exhuming the remains of the dead is held. Three years after the burial, human bones are removed from the coffin, cleaned, carefully placed in a beautifully designed personal box and displayed in the cemetery for everyone to see. After the celebrations, the remains are placed in a special storage facility. The ceremony is repeated the next year. It is believed that this kind of blasphemous manipulation in the understanding of many is a sign of respect and care. If they are not carried out, the souls of the dead will disturb their living relatives and will not be able to visit at home on the holiday.

More recently, at the beginning of November, one of the most unusual holidays in the world took place in Mexico - The day of the Dead, or Dia de los muertos in the language of the celebrants. In fact, he may seem unusual to anyone, but not to the Mexicans themselves, who are distinguished by a very extravagant attitude towards everything related to death, therefore, if Of the day of the dead did not exist, then it would undoubtedly be worth inventing. Despite the frightening name, this holiday evokes extremely positive emotions, and during our Mexican trip we were able to see this from our own experience. I'll tell you about this today!

The history of the holiday originates in the culture of the Aztecs and Mayans, who annually, for one summer month, arranged a mind-blowing revelry in the form of a series of bloody sacrifices, thereby paying tribute to the afterlife and its patroness, the goddess Miktlansihuatl (I shake hands with the one who speaks with first time). With the invasion of Mexico by the Spaniards, the beliefs of the Indians began to be exterminated, and Catholicism came in their place. But, no matter how zealous the missionaries did not succeed in eradicating the ancient Indian tradition: the festival of the dead is celebrated to this day, except that now it does without sacrifices and lasts not a month, but only a couple of days. The time of the holiday has also changed: instead of July-August, as was the case with the Aztecs and Mayans, it is celebrated on November 1 and 2 - a kind of attempt to combine the Indian tradition with the Catholic Day of All Saints and All Saints' Day held on the same days. failed miserably - for The day of the Dead in Mexico overshadows everything!

Approximation Of the day of the dead felt even before the onset of the holiday. On the streets and squares of all Mexican cities, without exception, fairs are unfolding where you can buy the main attributes of the upcoming celebrations - figures in the form of skeletons, ceramic skulls, candles and sweets made in the shape of the dead and multi-colored coffins. Taste in The day of the Dead a marzipan coffin with your name on the lid is a matter of course.

One of the main characters Of the day of the dead- Katrina: a skeleton, dressed in smart womens clothing and a permanent wide-brimmed hat. Mexicans believe that this is how the very Miktlansihuatl, in whose honor the Aztecs and Mayans sacrificed, should have looked, but in reality the image of a bony fashionista was created only at the beginning of the 20th century by the famous Mexican graphic artist Jose Guadalupa Posada. Being the fruit of the creative imagination of the creator, Katrina essentially has nothing to do with the Indian goddess of death.

Mexicans believe that during the celebration Of the day of the dead the afterlife comes to life, and the souls of the dead have the opportunity to visit their home and relatives. That is why in every house on the eve of the holiday an altar of death is arranged - a small pedestal on which offerings to deceased relatives are placed. Here you can find treats, drinks, and things that they loved during their lifetime, and of course, painted skulls, flowers and candles. Often, a similar installation can be found on the street: most often they are erected in honor of one of the celebrities who have left our world.

Trucks full of tons of fiery marigolds are cutting through the city streets. Mexicans believe that marigolds are the favorite flowers of death. They will decorate home altars and graves of deceased relatives with them.

As mentioned above, the holiday is celebrated during the first two days of November. On November 1, Mexicans commemorate dead children, therefore this day is called Día de los Angelitos- day of angels. The second of November is intended for the commemoration of the dead adults. We found several pre-holiday days in two cities - and (all the photos above were taken there), and for the celebration itself Of the day of the dead we arrived in my favorite city of Mexico - upon arrival in which it was clear - for the holiday here thoroughly prepared. On the first, children's day, students of one of the many Guanajuat universities arranged a very impressive altar, stretched out on the huge staircase of one of the ancient buildings in the very center of the city. The theme of "angels" is immediately guessed here: children's things, toys, sweets and fruits are laid out on the steps - everything that, in the opinion of the Mexicans, can bring joy to the souls of dead children.

We were even more impressed by the decorative cemetery of crosses painted in a completely cheerful color, each of which bore the name - I believe, of one of the prominent figures of Guanajuato, or even of the whole country. And all this - in the central square of the city near the main Catholic church of the city!

Closer to noon, costumed processions appeared on the streets of the city, the main character of which, as expected, turned out to be Katrina, no - there are many Katrina, competing with each other in the splendor of festive outfits.

But it turned out that it is not so difficult to meet Katrina walking alone along the street. You can never guess which of the elegant figures passing by ...

... will turn out to be such an unexpected full face.

You also come across fantastic characters, at the sight of which you get lost for how long - is she real or not ?! But as soon as the dress of corn leaves moves or the eyes that looked like glass blink a second ago, everything immediately falls into place - the most real, alive!

Another attraction Of the day of the dead- these are streets that are turning into a kind of city exhibition. From early in the morning, young people gather here, pulling bags filled with multi-colored bulk materials - cereals, sawdust, peas, salt, sand, from the skillful combination of which, after a couple of hours, real works of art appear on the cobbled surface of the streets. The main theme of the paintings created in this way, of course, is death and everything connected with it: skulls, skeletons, Katrina and even the famous. "Loose" paintings became for me the most impressive part of the holiday. I am still thinking about how much painstaking work has been invested in the creation of these one-day masterpieces, and yet they also need to be protected from the wind! It is striking that not one, not two, but dozens of paintings are created in such a way that looking deep into the streets, they cannot see either end or edge.

And, of course, none The day of the Dead does not do without visiting the cemetery. As soon as the hand of the clock showed the approach of night, it was there that we went - to scout the situation and tickle our nerves (the latter we especially respect). By the way, it was from this cemetery that the "exhibits" were dug up, constituting the exposition of the world famous Mummies Museum in Guanajuato (if you like horror stories and stories about the dead - read mine about him, you will not regret it).

In small towns and villages, to which Guanajuato just does not belong, night gatherings on the graves of their relatives is an indispensable, strictly observed tradition. The cemetery is illuminated with hundreds of candles and lamps - so, according to the belief of local residents, dead souls will be able to find their way home faster. The loved ones of the deceased gather around the grave, decorated with flowers and offerings, make themselves comfortable and remember the funny incidents in the life of the hero of the holiday. No tears, just joyful laughter! It seems that they really know something that we do not know ...

Unfortunately, in Guanajuato, the tradition of family gatherings at night in the cemetery is not popular. It is noticeable that they have recently visited the graves - there are many fresh flowers and burning candles, but most likely the relatives performed all the necessary honors during the day, and at night the cemetery turns into a meeting place for those who are looking for thrills - mostly costumed youth and rare tourists like US.

Dawn ... The marzipan coffins are eaten, the candles are blown out, the skulls and skeletons are put in the closet ... The living wish the dead a happy return journey and say goodbye to them until next year. Well, during these two days we have learned one very important thing for understanding the Mexican essence: The day of the Dead is not just a couple of holidays a year, The day of the Dead- this is an integral part of the life of every Mexican, a special, unknown to us, inhabitants of another continent, an attitude in which the dead, as long as the living remember them, are in fact immortal.

Mexicans are a special people. Who else, if not the ancestor of the Maya, would dream of turning the memory of the dead into a holiday, and even the most popular holiday in the country? On the "Day of the Dead" in the Mexican cemeteries they drink, dance and have fun, so why wonder at the carnivals of skeletons?

The tradition of celebrating Day of the Dead dates back to 2500-3000 years. The celebration took place in the ninth month of the Aztec calendar. But since the Spaniards joined the "Day of the Dead", the holiday was postponed to the end of October - the beginning of November. Today the holiday is also celebrated on October 31st. On this day, it is customary to commemorate dead children. For this reason, the first two days of the holiday are called "Little Angels Day". On November 1 and 2, adults are already commemorated.

On "Day of the Dead", people dressed in costumes of female skeletons called Katrina take to the streets of Mexico. Colorful street processions take place in different ways. In some parts of the country, they pass in the form of funeral processions - people arrange gloomy torchlight processions. In others, people prefer to have fun - singing, drinking and dancing.

In the evening, people go to the cemeteries where their loved ones are buried. In a humorous tone, Mexicans communicate with the souls of the dead. Then the fun begins in the cemetery - people drink, eat, dance, and also tear off their clothes and sprinkle ashes on their heads. In the morning, the interlocutors of the deceased go home.

The main symbol of the holiday is a skull. Also, people willingly buy gloomy lanterns and treat children to creepy-looking candy canes. This Mexican tradition is reminiscent of Halloween.

The holiday attracts tourists from all over the world. In 2004, the "Day of the Dead" was recognized by UNESCO as a heritage of mankind. The holiday is mentioned in the Guinness Book of Records - in the same year, students built a wall of 5667 edible skulls.

The last post about the story of Katrina was a kind of excursion into the ancient history of Mexico and ended in 1947, and the next important date in the creation of a modern holiday was the 1960s, because it was at this time that the Mexican government, for cultural and political purposes, decided to make Day of the Dead a national holiday. and spread the tradition throughout the country.

The fact is that this holiday originally in Mexico was of great importance only in its southern parts, as well as in neighboring Belize and Guatemala, where the ancient Indian civilizations of the Maya and Aztecs once existed.

Moreover, this holiday was to such an extent associated with local local customs that even the local names for it could be different. On the Yucatan Peninsula, it was called Hanal Pixan (Mayan language "The Path of the Soul through the Essence of Food"), in the Michoacan Mountains it was called Jimbanqua, and in the states of San Luis Potosi, Hidalgo and South Oaxaca they used the name Xantolo ). But in the north of Mexico, where the Indians were more reminiscent of the North American, that is, nomads, the Day of the Dead was somehow not particularly popular and was not celebrated.

In the 1960s, as you know, the colonial system collapsed in the world, countries around the world gained independence and national identity.

And although Mexico at that time was already an independent country, there may have been some problems with national identity.

Personally, it seems to me that the Mexicans did not want to look like the descendants of the barbaric savages, as the Spaniards once described them. Mexicans wanted to look like the descendants of a centuries-old civilization with their own roots, cultural identity and traditions.

And some kind of national holiday or holidays could become the basis for such an idea that unites the country about Mexican civilization.

Apparently, the Independence Day of Mexico was not enough, and the Day of the Dead was associated with the ancient Indian civilization that lived in Mexico before the arrival of the Spaniards and had a distinct cultural background that goes back centuries. And it was declared a national holiday.

And now it is the favorite national holiday dedicated to the memory of the dead, on which, according to legend, the souls of deceased relatives visit their home. In order to welcome them as warmly as possible, families build altars in honor of their deceased relatives, both at home and in the cemetery, and decorate them with skulls made of sugar (recall that the ancient Aztecs often kept the skull of the deceased at home, as the dwelling of the soul of TONALLI, which was responsible for love and fire, about this was in the previous part), the deceased's favorite foods and drinks, candles, toys and flowers, primarily orange marigolds.

Sugar Skulls

Grave decoration in a cemetery

In terms of significance and money spending, this is the most important Mexican holiday of the year, families often spend all their earnings in a couple of months to build a decent altar, which will not be ashamed of, and which will show the deceased relatives who have come to visit how they are remembered in the family and love.

Altar for the deceased

Even in Mexico, there is a tradition, at least in the villages, to dress in the clothes of the deceased and smear white paint on their face so that the deceased relative who comes to visit does not feel somehow too "different" with his skull instead of his face. And the smart costumes are often called "Dapper Skeleton" or "Elegant Skull", which is why these words are now synonymous for Katrina.

Altar for the deceased

It is also popular to arrange walks with compars.

Comparsa is in the Spanish and Latin American world a group of amateur artists, singers, musicians and dancers who take part in some kind of festivities, often some specific carnivals.

Comparsa on stilts during the Dia de Los Muertos celebrations

As I wrote in a previous post, on the Day of the Dead in Mexico, it is popular to invent and read literary kalavers - comic poems - epitaphs in honor of the dead. Besides, Mexico is a country of mariachi and very beautiful music. So in Mexican culture there is a huge number of songs performed specially for the Day of the Dead, just as in English-speaking countries there are a huge number of songs performed especially for Christmas.

And since I undertook to acquaint people here with Mexican culture and this particular holiday, I will post some of the most famous of these songs performed on the Day of the Dead.

The author of the song La Llorona (Weeping Woman) is unknown, but it was created somewhere on the Tehuantepec isthmus in Oaxaca. The song tells a story of love and pain in a style typical of the Mexican Revolution.

The story of La Llorona refers to the legend of the Mexican goddess Chihuatl, who, just before the arrival of the Spaniards, knowing the terrible future of her Mexican children that awaited them after the Spanish conquest, sobbed loudly on the walls of Tenochtitlan, and her cry was heard

The song La Bruja was written by Jose Gutierrez and the Ochoa brothers and tells the story of an unmarried woman who tried to find a man and take possession of him. Behind this song is the legend of a woman known as the "Witch of Huasteca", very popular in Veracruz.

The song "El día de Muertos" or "Day of the Dead" very well conveys the idea of ​​how the Indians treated death, talking about the pain caused by unrequited love. This is one of the most popular romance melodies in the pireris songbooks and is always performed on a holiday.

The song "La Calaca" ("Skeleton"), written by Jose Hernandez and immortalized by Amparo Ochoa, tells the story of what is happening in Mexico City's largest cemetery, the Pantheon Dolores. It tells about various events taking place around death and kalaki. The Mexicans have the expression se lo (la) llevó la calaca - it was taken by the kalaka / skeleton, which means that the person died, death took him away.

The song "Viene la Muerte Echando Rasero" talks about the fact that skin color, race, religion, age or anything else does not matter in the face of death, death will overtake each of us and in the end we will all be there.

Well, such popular songs are sung at folk festivals in Mexico during the Day of the Dead celebrations.

In most villages and small towns in Mexico, the Comparsa is just a group of locals without any eye-popping theatrical or vocal talents. This is in its purest form folk festivities with artistic performance at the level of amateur performances.

However, there are tourist destinations in Mexico where compars have been made more professional and commercial in order to attract tourists. In particular, one of these very famous places is the city of Oaxaca, where the performance of the compars is called a festival.

And this is how the comparsa looks like in the city of Tempoal de Sánchez.

These two videos are traditional compars performances. That is, traditionally, there are no special parades and processions for you in a special column in a cemetery or somewhere else. In the end, visiting a cemetery is a personal and family affair, they don't march in a column there. Stage (square in the center of town / village) for performances, folk dances, folk costumes.

So where did the tradition of the carnival parade led by Katrina come from?