We continue our journey "scary" and today we go to Mexico to meet the strong tradition of Day of the dead.
The celebration of Day of the Dead has roots in pre-Hispanic, as there are records in the celebrations of ethnic Mexicans, Maya, Purépecha, Nahua, and Totonac. Rituals celebrating the lives of ancestors who performed these civilizations for at least three thousand years.
In pre-Hispanic times was common practice to keep skulls as trophies and showing during rituals to symbolize death and rebirth. Each year, the ninth month of the solar calendar of these ancient cultures, near the beginning of August, we celebrate the feast of the ancestors.
The holidays, in memory of deceased family members, were presided over by the goddess Mictecacihuatl, known as the "Lady Death" and wife of Mictlantecuhtli, lord of the land of the dead.
With the arrival of the Spanish in America and the Catholic religion, the party became the Day of the Dead. In him, we honor the dead on November 2, November 1 start, and agrees with the Catholic celebrations of All Souls' Day and All Saints.
It is a festival of great Mexican and Central American folk tradition and strength. Is also held in many communities in the United States, where a large group of Mexican and Central American community still exists. UNESCO has declared this holiday as a World Heritage Site.
Mexican popular tradition celebrating the transient return to the land of the families and loved ones killed and coincides with the end of the annual cycle of maize, which is the predominant crop in the country.
To facilitate the return of souls to the land, families interspersed with flower petals, candles and gifts along the way from the house to the cemetery. Meticulously prepare the favorite foods of the deceased for themselves and placed on the family altar and the tomb in central flowers and handmade objects, as well as the famous paper shapes.
These agreements are made by a particular attention because it is believed that the dead can bring prosperity (eg, a bumper crop of corn) or misfortune (sickness, accidents, financial difficulties, etc.)..
The dead are divided into several categories according to the cause of death, age, sex and, in some cases profession. It is assumed that a specific day of worship for each category. The reason for these categories is very old. In the pre-Hispanic world, the souls of the dead had a different fate according to their manner of death (not life).
Today, no corner of Mexico, where the Day of the dead do not conclude with a burst of color and rituals. The private homes, communities, clubs and popular institutions fill the altars of people killed when one looks at the deceased family or neighborhood.
If you are in Mexico these days, you can not go home without one of the wonderful paper figures representing the dead, in the costumes of his day, playing instruments or on vacation. When talking of holidays, can not miss the candy skulls that are available in thousands of varieties and in all stores, home or sold on the street. In general, are made of sugar and bright colors to represent the deceased.
In Mexico, the cult of the dead is a ritual to a way of life and to artistic expression.