The Day of the Dead
by María Estela Romero

November 1

Friends from Journey North:

This is what I prepared for you this morning about our Traditional Festivity, the Day of the Dead.

On the First of November --today--we remember the souls of our dead children, and tomorrow --2nd November--the souls of our adults.

It is also today and tomorrow that the Monarchs traditionally begin to arrive. The Purépecha Indians (the Indians populating this region and most of the Michoacán State) we believe that these are the souls of our dead people arriving to enjoy from the Altar and Ofrenda their favorite drinks and food.

Death was, for the ancient Mexicans, a step into a new and better dimension than on Earth. It never meant grief, or terror at all.

During Pre-hispanic times, the end of Earthy life for the Mexicas, consisted on the soul of the dead person abandoning the body/corpse, and the continuance of his soul's "voyage" down to the "Underwold", a place where peace and beauty prevailed.

For the Mexicans there were Four Heavens in the Underworld:

• The First Heaven called Chichihuacuauhco, where only the souls of little children would go, where a big Milk Tree awaited for them.
• The Second Heaven, Mictlán, where the souls of all adult people dying in "natural/normal" way would reach, by swimming across a wide river.
• The Third Heaven, Tlalocan, where the souls of all people dying of a bad disease or from a disaster would stay, and
• The Fourth Heaven, Ilhuicatltonatiuh, a place where only the souls of courageous Warriors and mothers dying in the moment they were giving birth to a child would leave, staying forever accompanying the Sun.

After the Spanish Conquest, a great part of these beliefs dissappeared. The Catholic Religion introduced the existance of Hell a place full of punishment and pain, where the souls of the sinners would stay, and Heaven, where the souls of the "good" would stay.

Nowadays, part of the adoration of this Prehispanic way still prevails. The Altar and Ofrenda placed in honor to the memory of our dead friends and relatives, which on top has a photo of our dead relatives, and the whole table surrounded with flowers --Cempasuchil, the typical flower for this day--, enlightened candles --which will help their souls come to this place of adoration and then go back to Heaven/Underworld--, all which were their favorite dishes and drinks when alive --this are all typical Mexican--, like Mole, Atole, Tamales, Dead's bread, Special made typical Mexican Candies, Water, Beer, Cigarettes, Toys --if a child--, and many other typical regional dishes depending ont the place, all decorated with bright colour pieces of paper.

The Altar and Ofrenda are placed at home of all Mexican families today during the day. Some people visit their graves at the cemetery playing some live music there, --if the dead relative asked for it --when alive--, this you can see specially in small indian communities.

In the end, the Day of the Dead celebration is a way to show that we Mexicans believe that Death is a Woman, and that we Mexicans, make fun and joke of life through it. We make sugar, chocolate and paper skeletons and skulls putting on them the names of our dear friends and relatives and make a present to them with a funny poem speaking of what they like, enjoy, but also hate and fear, what they are famous for (good or bad). We also joke with them about our politicians, artists, municipal authorities. Poems are really fun, since they speak of all the "Truth about them".

Nowadays, all educational institutions and society are making big efforts so as to reinforce our Mexican Traditional Festivity, remarking that the Holloween Celebration is a North American Celebration, not originally ours, especially in big cities.

I made some photos for you, so that you can get a better impression of this festivity in Mexico, and today in Angangueo.

The Altar and Ofrenda I show in them were taken in the school of my daughter Laura Emilia, a private Catholic Elementarty School.

María Estela Romero
Angangueo, Michoacan, Mexico

The photos appearing on the Ofrenda are:

• Left: The priest in Angangueo in those times asking the Congregación Guadalupana to found this school in Angangueo, --75 years ago;
• Middle: Pope John Paul II;
• Right: the Bishop of our state, all of them dead nowadays.