We Westerners live in a rich society with advanced biological understanding, enabling powerful technologies of medicine and public health. Consequently our fear of death and loss of control pushes us to do everything possible to delay or reverse the inevitable. The ancient Aztecs exhibited very different perceptions of their world.
History And Spiritual Significance
The Aztecs’ world contained disparate directions with associated colors and symbols to each direction and level. One of the most important of these interpretations was, and is, the terms of a person’s death. They believed a person’s destiny was founded at birth and their soul was dependent on the type of death, rather than the type of life, they lead.
Among the Aztecs it was considered a blessing to die in childbirth, battle or human sacrifice. These honorable deaths assured the victim’s soul would pass through the nine levels prior to their final destinatio–“Mictlan,” the place of the dead.
Two months on the Aztec calendar were totally devoted to the dead. The ninth month was dedicated to infants and children and the tenth month included a great feast for deceased adults.
The Spanish conquest of 1521 brought about the fusion of Catholic attitudes and indigenous beliefs. Dia de los Muertos was reborn through the amalgamation of pre-Hispanic Indian ritual beliefs and the imposed rituals and dogma of the Catholic Church.
After Pope Gregory’s Catholic missionaries swarmed ancient Britain and “converted” the pagan Celts, it made sense to coordinate these traditions and observances. This period of acknowledgement was incorporated into the Catholic calendar. November 1 st became the official All Saints’ Day which honors the saints who attained Beatific Vision; followed on November 2 nd by All Souls’ Day honoring the faithful departed. This congruence emerged as the Day of the Dead.
Traditions Interface
The Day of the Dead is celebrated worldwide by hundreds of customs and traditions. However, the core beliefs remain constant no matter how remote the regions.
No sooner has one celebration ended than next year’s preparations begin. Intricate hand-cut tissue banners, different for each day, are painstakingly designed and displayed for the mock funeral processions. The urban areas have become more Americanized to entertain the tourists; where the rural areas remain strongly irreverent in their ingrained complex beliefs.
Every home is decorated with an elaborately constructed, tiered altar covered in linen and palm fronds. The decorations include specific flowers, incense, candles, votive lights and beautifully hand-crafted crosses and wreaths. These offerings are laid out in an artistic and symmetrical fashion to lead the departed home. As in all major holidays and traditional gatherings, the national cuisine is considered indispensable.
The bread staple, pan de muerto (dead men’s bread), is a special egg dough shaped into sweet rolls and round loaves, topped with a crossed bone design. Piles of tiny skulls (calavera), skeletons (calacas) and coffins crafted from sugar, chocolate or amaranth seeds fill every nook and cranny of the altar. Favored foods, sweets, beverages, liquor, smoking paraphernalia and photos encompass the deceased’s memorabilia. Toys, extra sweets, beverages and miniaturized offerings are arranged for the children. The spirits of the dead are expected to pay a holiday visit and should be provided with an enticing repast and adequate sustenance for the journey.
November 1 st is a day of remembrance and reflection. Celebrations begin with the cleaning, refurbishing and landscaping of family burial plots. Relatives gather at each tomb where every soul is lovingly remembered with recitations of Rosary, floral tributes and candlelight vigils. Homes are open to visitors and families to participate, pay their respects and admire the labor-intensive intricacies of the shrines.
On November 2 nd , the tolling of the bells calls the entourage to gather for the community funeral procession. The townspeople carry bundles of flowers, candles and picnic baskets.The expanding crowd slowly serpentines along cobblestone streets to ancestral burial sites. Vendors display their wares for tourists and visitors. Hundreds of candles and lamps cut the midnight blackness, framing ghostly faces. Mariachi bands blend music and dance. The pageantry culminates in a spectacular fireworks display.
Halloween Influence
Archeological evidence has substantiated celebrations of the dead in pagan, agrarian tribes. Commonalities of these tribes parallel their belief systems and rituals. History has produced proof of the subsequent fusion of pagan ancestor worship–live sacrifices and blood offerings over the burial sites–with the more “civilized” glossing of Catholic influence and ordination. The Aztecs held true to their belief the soul must journey to the spirit world without becoming lost, wandering eternally as a ghost. The elaborate funeral rituals and ancestor worship performed by the survivors were mandatory for the successful completion of the journey.
Ancient Celts believed on October 31 st , “Samhain”, the veil between our world and the Otherworld became transparent allowing the spirits to break through. However, these were malevolent beings manipulated through spells and incantations to perform vengeful acts for the “believers.”
Benign as it may now seem to most, Halloween’s darker occult rituals occur today. Even with the Catholic influence the occult symbols and practices of “Samhain” are still dominant.
With increasing commercialization and blending of cultures and customs, the Day of the Dead continues to up-grade competition for tourism revenue. Halloween festivities are becoming more prevalent in Mexico’s larger urban developments. Supermarket shelves are crammed with plastic pumpkins, witches’ hats and rubber masks. And what little child, on this one day of the year, does not fantasize about dress-up as a favorite literary character or fairy-tale hero or heroine?
In retaliation, government and private institutions have increased promotion of commemorative altars displayed in museums, educational centers and other public venues. Mexico’s guidebooks focus on the Day of the Dead’s irreverent customs; especially the celebrated all-night candlelight vigils. Public schools allow costume contests, but they also promote and reward elaborate altar decorating contests.
Even with foreign influx, centuries-old traditions cannot be eradicated. Dia de los Muertos exemplifies the distinctiveness of the Mexican mentality. Their dignified reverence towards the intimate unity of life and death is a celebration of the continuance of life.
Sources
Pilcher, Jeffrey M., “Day of the Dead,” Encyclopedia of Food and Culture
Penick, Tom, “Dia de los Muertos,” tom.zap.com
Santino, Jack, “Halloween,” Encyclopedia of Food and Culture