© 2005 by Helen Tafoya-Barraza. All rights reserved. Written permission to reprint this article
or to reproduce materials for use in the classroom and for research and other
scholarly purposes must be requested in writing. Permission to cite in scholarly works is hereby granted
provided that appropriate citation, including to the original works is
provided. Inquiries regarding this
article should be directed to Helen Tafoya-Barraza, MA, LPCC PO Box 263333, Albuquerque,
NM 87125, htafoya@unm.edu. Thank you. |
A Beginning History of the Day of the Dead
Helen Tafoya-Barraza,
MA, LPCC
University of New Mexico
Spring 2004
The Day
of the Dead, or more accurately, the Days of the Dead, has always evoked a
great deal of fascination. Often
misunderstood as a morbid ritual, it is in fact a celebration of life and it
reminds us that life is precious and fleeting.
The Day of the Dead is currently celebrated on November 2, which is All
Soul’s Day on the Catholic Calendar.
November 1st is All Saints day on the Catholic calendar and
is also considered to be “el dia de los innocentes” or the day of the
innocents. This is the day that
children who died quite young (before they had a chance to sin) were celebrated
due to their “instant sainthood.”
October 31st, commonly known s “Halloween” is All Hallows eve
and is deeply rooted in many traditions.
The
Mexican celebration of the Day of the dead is rooted in the notion that
ancestors and other departed loved ones return to earth one day a year and
visit with family members and close friends.
These ancestors offer advice and guidance and are to be treated with
respect and every hospitality.
Aztec Traditions
Originally
the Day of Dead celebration can be traced to Mesoamerican native
traditions. Chief among these is the
Aztec month of “Miccailhuitontli” which was presided over by the Lady of
the Dead, who was Mictecacihuatl and was dedicated to children as well
as to the dead (Salvador, 2003). This
was during the eight month of the Aztec calendar and roughly relates to the
current July or August. Many people
believe the month of Miccaihuitontli starts at approximately August 20
and goes for 20 days. Then the month of
Mictlatechutli begins immediately thereafter and also goes for 20 days
(Delgado, C., personal communication 10-30-2004).
In
traditional Aztec mythology, “ Mictlantecuhtli” was the lord of the dead
and the King of Mictlan (Salvador, 2003). He was traditionally depicted as skeleton or a person with a
toothy skull. “Mictecacihuatl”
was the wife of Mictlantecuhtli and was the Queen of Mictlan,
also known as the underworld. Mictlan
is the lowest level of the underworld, located far to the north. Women who died while in childbirth and
warriors who died during battle were the only ones who did not go to Mictlan
after death. Therefore, Mictlan can be thought of as a type of
purgatory.
When
Spaniards arrived on this continent they found the native peoples practicing a
ritual that seemed to mock death. These
rituals had been practiced for over 3,0000 years. The Spaniards would try to eradicate these rituals but were
unsuccessful (Wikipedia, 2004).
Aztec
and other Meso-American civilizations would keep skulls as trophies and would
display them during ritual. Skulls were
used to symbolize the cycle of death and rebirth. Skulls were also used to honor the dead, whom the Aztecs as well
as other Meso-American civilizations believed came back to visit during the
month long ritual (Wikipedia, 2004).
Unlike
the Spaniards, who appear to have viewed death as the end of life, the native
peoples viewed it as a continuation of life.
Rather than fearing death, they embraced it. For native people, life was a dream and only id death did one
become truly awake. “The pre-Hispanic
people honored duality as being dynamic,” said Christina Gonzalez, senior
lecturer on Hispanic issues at Arizona State University. “They didn’t separate
death from pain, wealth form poverty lee they did in Western cultures”
(Palfrey, 2004). Spaniards, considered
the ritual to be sacrilegious as wells as
barbaric and pagan. Feelings
such as this are evidenced today in many born-again Christian cautions against
“ancestor worship.”
In
attempts to convert the native peoples to Catholicism, the Spaniards tried to
end the observance of the ritual. In
order to make the ritual more Christian, The Spaniards moved it to coincide
with All Saints’ day and A; Souls’ day (Nov 1 and 2 respectfully), which is
still the dates when this is celebrated today.
Catholic traditions
All
Soul’s Day began independently from All Saints day, or the Feast of the
saints. According to Catholic belief,
monks in the seventh century offered a mass on the day after Pentecost for
deceased community members (Cabrol, 2003).
Then late in the tenth century, Benedictine monks chose to move the mass
for their dead to November second, the day after the Feast of all saints. The custom spread, and in the thirteenth
century, the Vatican added the feast day to the Church calendar.
In
traditional Catholicism, the commemoration or honoring of all the faithful
departed is celebrated on November 2nd, or, if November 2nd
is a Sunday or other day of solemnity, then its celebrated On November third.
On this
Day clergy recites the Office of the Dead and all masses are requiem masses
(Cabrol, 2003). The basis for all souls
day is the doctrine that the souls, separated from the body and not “cleansed”
and still need to atone for past transgressions so are sent to purgatory. Those still on earth assists these souls by
prayers, good deeds and masses. The
basis from a theological perspective for the feast is the doctrine that upon
departing form the body, souls are not perfectly free from venial sins or have
not fully answered for or atoned for past transgressions. Therefore, these souls are prevented from
the “Beatific Vision”, which can be thought of a joining with the Divine or
attaining Enlightenment. Therefore the
faithful that remain on earth can assist these souls by good deeds and prayers.
The
Office of the Dead was composed originally to satisfy private devotion to the
dead, and at first had no official character; St Isidore is credited with
starting the Office as is St Augustine and St Ambrose (Cabrol, 2003). These assertions have no foundation. In its present form, the Office of the Dead,
while possessing a great many ancient characteristics, cannot be older than the
seventh or eighth century. According the official Roman Liturgy, the office of
the dead is composed of First Vespers, Mass, Matins and Lauds. Vespers are comprised of psalms cxiv, cxix,
cxxix, cxxxvii, along with the Magnificat and the preces. Matins are composed of three nocturnes, with
each containing three psalms and three lessons. Lauds have three psalms and a canticle. The psalms are chosen because they seem to allude to the state of
the dead. These psalms are often read
at funeral services as well.
Mexican Traditions
In
traditional Mexican culture, the Days of the Dead are when the family visits
the graves and clears weeds and debris and otherwise tend to the graves. Headstones are repainted or straightened as
necessary, fences are fixed and any general repairs or maintenance of the grave
that is needed is tended to during this time.
Unlike the United States mainstream where caretakers maintain graveyards,
in Mexico it is the family/loved ones of the deceased who are responsible for
maintaining the gravesite. Much has
been written and documented on the Mexican Day of the Dead traditions. These traditions include, baking of the pan
de muerto or bread of the dead, using the marigold also called the cempasúchil
flower. The marigold has a distinctive
smell and is one of the longest lasting flowers into the beginning of winter
(Salvador, 2003). In more rural Mexico
bread rings are used to symbolize skulls
(Delgado, C., personal communication 10-30-2004). Native cultures would not often feel it was
appropriate to use the actual skulls so many of the baked goods on the altar
were there to symbolize skulls. It is
said that the rural Day of the Dead traditions differ significantly form the
urban Day of the Dead traditions. This
assertion appears to be more and more true as information and modernization
becomes more widespread.
José Guadalupe Posada
Deeply
imbedded into modern Day of the Dead celebrations is specific iconography of
José Guadalupe Posada (1852-1913).
According to Shearer West (1996) Posada was Mexican illustrator and
engraver most known for his metal print work of skeletons performing daily
tasks of the living. Perhaps his
best-known image is that of La Catrina, or Lady Death. Posada was born into a peasant family in
Aguascalientes, Mexico and was apprenticed to a lithographer. He eventually set up his own print shop in
Mexico City and sold his prints cheaply (West, 1996). Posada is known for making political statements regarding the
Dictatorship of Profirio Diaz and used his art to make political
statements. As shown in Appendix I,
four of Posada’s most famous prints are presented. The first, “la calavera Catrina.” Is perhaps the most recognized
of all of Posada’s prints. The second
is “Calaveras depicting contemporary newspapers as skeleton cyclists.” The third is, “Calavera of Don Quijote.”
While the fourth image is entitled,
"Gran fandango y francachela de todas las Calaveras." Like many great artists, Posada died in
poverty yet since his death his artwork has become well known and is widely
used and distributed as the copyright protection of his artwork has long
expired. The prints shown here,
however, were taken from an online art archive called Artchive (2003).
Today, it is difficult to find any urban Day of the Dead celebration that does
not contain the iconography of José Guadalupe Posada.
A. Chicano Power Movement
According to Tomas Ybarra Frausto (2003), a Mexican
culture is based on the notion of “duality” that is the “eternal flow between
opposites in the cycle of life and death.
Therefore, rituals or celebrations of death are also celebrations of
life, as wells as of remembrance.
According to Frausto, Chicanos in the mid-1960’s and early 1970’s
“created a mass national movement” of “cultural regeneration and recuperation
and reclamation.” It is highly likely
that Mexican immigrant farm workers and then “Borrowed” by Chicano nationalists
as a statement of solidarity and cultural identification brought the tradition
of celebrating the Days of the Dead, to the Untied States.
In
speaking to several long-term residents in Albuquerque, few agree about who had
the first Day of the Dead celebration.
Some people assert it was the South Broadway Cultural Center, some say
it was the Raramuri Center and still others say it was Laura Hidalgo who host a
celebration in her home. It appears
that asking this question is a bit like saying that Christopher Columbus discovered
America. Albuquerque’s south valley and
Barelas neighborhoods have always hosted a large immigrant population. It appears that the celebration at the South
Broadway Cultural Center was an offshoot of the celebration at St Francis
Xavier church. The exact history of how
this celebration was brought to Albuquerque remains unclear.
Approximately
30 years ago, Laura Hidalgo, a Conchera from the Mechica/Aztec tradition
started a velacion in her home (Gomez, C, personal communication,
11-3-2004). At this velacion or candle
ceremony, Ms. Hidalgo’s living room is turned into a walk-in altar. Visitors bring in flowers for the altar and
the red flowers are separated form the other flowers. There is dancing and prayer and every movement during the prayer service
is carefully choreographed. Everyone in
attendance becomes part of the ritual and is given a task, which normally
consists of separating flowers or pulling apart flower petal. Those more
familiar with the ritual use these flowers to make a staff, which those in
attendance will be blessed with before the night is over. The ritual starts at about sundown and
continues through the evening ending at about sunrise.
The
South Broadway Cultural Center usually has a day of the Dead art exhibit which
opens usually a few days before the day of the Dead and continues through the
month of November. Altars and artwork
are on display. According to the
archivist at the Cultural Center, the event has taken place for about 25 years
and was the first formal Day of The Dead event in Albuquerque. Although an argument can be made about the
definition of the word, “formal,” it is highly unlikely that this was the first
Day of the Dead in Albuquerque given the neighborhood that the South Broadway
Cultural is in and the memory of the velacion at Laura Hidalgo’s home going on
for about thirty years. It is
interesting to note that despite any claims, of a review of newspaper archives
for the Albuquerque Journal and the Albuquerque Tribune show no newspaper
articles regarding the Day of the Dead or Day of The Dead events prior to
1980.
Many
people do not remember a Day of the Dead celebration until Sandra and Jorge
Castro started a celebration at the Raramuri Center about 20 years ago. Sandra and Jorge Castro have since moved
out of state. This celebration has now
been taken over by La Raza Unida, a political party and Cambio, an activist
organization. The day of the Dead
celebration started at the Raramuri center is not celebrated at the Westside
Community Center in the South Valley and starts with the Marigold Parade. There are floats and decorated cars in the
parade along with many people dressed as skeletons walking along the parade
route handing out candy. Prior to the
start of the parade, which begins at the Sheriff station on Isleta in
Albuquerque’s south valley, free face painting for those who wanted their face
painted as a skull is offered. The
parade follows a about a three mile route to the West Side Community Center
where plays, poetry, arts and crafts tables and entertainment are offered. Several groups such as Cambio, the MEChA
group at Rio Grande High, the La Raza Youth Committee and many others will set
up altars at the Community Center and place pictures of both celebrities and
family members. It is common to see a
picture of Selena and Cesar Chavez on the same altar as someone’s mother,
brother or child.
In my home
When I
was growing up in the north valley of Albuquerque, I remember very little about
the day of the dead. I remember my
mother baking anise bread or pan de muerto around Halloween time but
other than that there was very little done. One recipe for pan de muerto
is provided in Appendix II. It was only I started attending college that I
began to hear that this day was a day to be celebrated. When I moved to Phoenix
in 1991, I was astounded at the lack of culture and the lack of cultural
practices and/or a Chicano/Latino support network. So I actively sought out whatever network existed. I moved to Phoenix is mid-August and around
early to mid-October I started hearing about a day of the dead celebration that
was scheduled to be held at a park close to my home in Mesa, Arizona. I took my then young children to this event
and there we found the Chicano/Latino and immigrant community. We met Zarco Guererro an artist, mask maker,
performer and socio-cultural activist.
Zarco and his family make elaborate Day of the Dead costumes and co
organized the rather large Day of the Dead event held annually in Mesa,
AZ. My children were about seven and
nine years old that first year. There
were two people at the event dressed in rather large costumes one male and
female. These people represented la
muerte and they would dance and play with the children and pass out
candies. I instantly saw how my
children reacted to these images in a playful and relaxed sort of way. I took this opportunity to talk with my
children about the cycle of life and the celebration of time spent on earth
when someone passes.
The
following May, these lessons and conversations were actively applied when my
father passed away. My youngest son
Fernando and I were the only two people in attendance with my father when he
passed away after a prolonged illness.
The next November was the first time I put up an in-home Day of the Dead
altar to honor my father. My sons
helped me to clean the living room prior to setting up the altar then they
helped set up the altar and participated in the altar dedication.
Today,
The day of the dead celebration is the largest get together at my home all year
long. My children invite their friends
and many people bring food although I prepare the favorites of my father and
now of my youngest sons best friend.
This
past February 2, 2004, my son’s friend Perfillio (Perf) Montoya passed away
under tragic circumstances. Mistakenly
pulled over by police officers because they thought he had just robbed a smoke
shop. Perf had reportedly just bought
some cocaine reportedly for someone else, as he was not known by his friends to
use cocaine. It turns out the Perf
swallowed the bag of cocaine believing it would pass through his system and he
would not be caught with the drugs. We
later learned that Perf started seizing while handcuffed in the back of a police
car and was unattended for a prolonged amount of time. Paramedics say he was still taking when they
came for him but that he died while in route to the emergency room. This extremely tragic and unfortunate event
caused a great deal of grief and feelings of desperation and confusion among the
teenagers that often come over to my house.
The Day of the Dead rituals that they and Perf had been a part of seemed
to help with the acceptance. An altar
was built and Perf was honored. This
past November a picture of Perf was again on the altar along with a picture of
my father. As guests come to my home
for the celebration they bring pictures or mementos of their loved ones who
have passed.
The altar
dedication is done by myself in private once the altar is set up. I do not believe in prayer as entertainment
so the altar is dedicated when I am alone.
Then a screen is set up in front of the altar and on November 2nd,
was the guests arrive, they place pictures of their own loved ones or other
mementos and are allowed to do their own dedication prayer in private. Again as I do not believe in prayer as
entertainment, the screen remains up until all the dedications have been
completed. Then the screen is taken
down and a general blessing is given.
We then have a talking circle where guests share stories or thoughts
about their loved ones. After the
talking circle is completed then we have the dinner and celebration. The altar remains up until al the candles
are burned down which can take 2 –3 weeks as I do not ever leave a candle
burring unattended. There are countless
ways to set up an altar, and it is my belief that most important element of
setting up an altar is intent. Appendix
III describes one method for setting up a Day of the Dead altar.
It is
interesting to me, how many young adults and teenagers attend and participate
in this event. It seems to me that our
young people are searching for answers to difficult questions and a positive
way in which to express their grief. It
matters little to me that this was not a ritual I grew up with. It is a ritual and a practice that I have
found adaptive in my own life and that I believe has helped my children, their
friends and many others to have a healthy, positive and spiritual way in which
to deal with death, grief, loss and the acceptance and the life cycle.
Conclusion
I liken
the celebration of the day of the dead to the celebrations of Christmas, Easter
and Thanksgiving. In other words, every
day should be celebrated as the birth and resurrection of Christ and every day
we should give thanks for these gifts as well as for all the other blessings
bestowed on us. Ina similar vein, our
ancestors and spirit guides should also be thanked and honored everyday
ay. The once a year celebration of the
day of the dead serves as a reminder of the attitude in which we should conduct
ourselves all year long.
References
Artchive,
(2004). Prints of José Guadalupe Posada. http://www.artchive.com/artchive/P/posada.html,
retrieved, April 30, 2003.
Cabrol, F. (2003). The office of the dead. The Catholic Encyclopedia, XI. Robert
Appelton Company On-Line Edition, http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11220a.htm,
retrieved April 27, 2004.
Delgado, C. October 30, 2004). Personal
Communication.
Gomez, C. (November 3, 2004). Personal Communication.
Frausto, T. Y. (2003) Defiance Recreated:
Remembrance, Discovery, Will: Chicano Customs on the Day of the Dead, in Artes
de Mexico 2003.
Palfrey, D. H. (2004). The Day of the Dead: Mexico
honors those gone but not forgotten. http://www.mexconnect.com/mex_/muertos.html,
retrieved 4/27/2004.
West, S. (1996). The Bullfinch Guide to Art History:
A Comprehensive survey and dictionary of Western Art and Architecture. Boston:
Little, Brown and Co.
Wikipedia (2004). Mictlan,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/mictlan, retrieved
4/29/2004.
Wikipedia (2004). Mictecacihuatl in Wikipedia, the
free encyclopedia,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/mictecachuatl, retrieved
4/29/2004.
Wikipedia (2004). Mictlantecuhtli in Wikipedia, the
free encyclopedia,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/mictlantecuhtli,
retrieved 4/29/2004.
Salvador, R. J. (2003). What do Mexicans celebrate on
the day of the Dead? In Death and Bereavement in the Americans, Death, Value
and Meaning Series, Vol II. Morgan, J.D. and P Launganie (Eds.) Baywood
Publishing Co., Amityville, New York, pp 75 – 76.
© 2005 by Helen Tafoya-Barraza. All rights reserved. Written permission to reprint this article
or to reproduce materials for use in the classroom and for research and other
scholarly purposes must be requested in writing. Permission to cite in scholarly works is hereby granted
provided that appropriate citation, including to the original works is
provided. Inquiries regarding this
article should be directed to Helen Tafoya-Barraza, MA, LPCC PO Box 263333, Albuquerque,
NM 87125, htafoya@unm.edu. Thank you. |
Appendix I. - Figures,
Jose Guadalupe Posada and others
“La calavera Catrina”
“Calaveras depicting
contemporary newspapers as skeleton cyclists”
“Calavera of Don Quijote”
"Gran
fandango y francachela de todas las calaveras"
Appendix
III. Recipe for Pan de los muerto
(taken from http://www.azcentral.com/ent/dead/food/pandemuerto.html)
Pan de Muerto (Bread of the Dead) (From 'Look What We Brought You From Mexico!')
Ingredients
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup (half a stick) margarine or butter, cut into 8 pieces
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 package active dry yeast
1/4 cup very warm water
2 eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour, unsifted
1/2 teaspoon anise seed
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons sugar
Instructions
Bring
milk to boil and remove from heat. Stir in margarine or butter, 1/4-cup sugar
and salt.
In
large bowl, mix yeast with warm water until dissolved and let stand 5 minutes.
Add the milk mixture.
Separate
the yolk and white of one egg. Add the yolk to the yeast mixture, but save the
white for later. Now add flour to the yeast and egg. Blend well until dough
ball is formed.
Flour
a pastry board or work surface very well and place the dough in center. Knead
until smooth. Return to large bowl and cover with a dishtowel. Let rise in warm
place for 90 minutes. Meanwhile, grease a baking sheet and preheat the oven to
350 degrees.
Knead
dough again on floured surface. Now divide the dough into fourths and set one
fourth aside. Roll the remaining 3 pieces into "ropes."
On
greased baking sheet, pinch 3 rope ends together and braid. Finish by pinching
ends together on opposite side. Divide the remaining dough in half and form 2
"bones." Cross and lay them atop braided loaf.
Cover
bread with dishtowel and let rise for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, in a bowl, mix
anise seed, cinnamon and 2 teaspoons sugar together. In another bowl, beat egg
white lightly.
When
30 minutes are up, brush top of bread with egg white and sprinkle with sugar
mixture, except on cross bones. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes.
Makes
8 to 10 servings.
Appendix III. How to set up an altar (taken from http://www.mexweb.com/muertos.htm)
Day of the dead
How to
make your own altar
What you need
The most important thing to put on
your Day of the Dead altar is a photograph of the person to whom you are
dedicating the altar.
The three-tier altar is covered in
"papel picado" - which is bright colored tissue paper with cut out
designs. The paper can be either handmade or purchased. Three important
colors are purple (for pain) white (for hope) and pink (for the celebration).
Candles are also placed all over the
altar. Purple candles again are used to signify pain. On the top level of
the altar, four candles need to be placed - signifying the four cardinal points.
The light of the candle will illuminate the way for the dead upon their return.
Three candy skulls are placed on the
second level. These represent the Holy Trinity. On the center of the
third level a large skull is placed - this represents the Giver of Life.
All bad spirits must be whisked away and
leave a clear path for the dead soul by burning in a bracero, a small
burner used to cook outside. Or you can use a sahumerio to burn copal
or incense. A small cross of ash is made so that the ghost will expel
all its guilt when it is stepped on.
The Day of the Dead bread, pan de
muerto, should be accompanied by fruit and candy placed on the altar.
Pan de Muerto is plain round sweet bread sprinkled with white sugar and a
crisscrossed bone shape laid on top. You can also add the person's
favorite food.
A towel, soap and small bowl are put on
the altar so that the returning ghost can wash their hands after their long
trip. There is a pitcher of fresh water to quench their thirst and a bottle of
liquor to remember the good times of their life.
To decorate and leave a fragrance on the
altar, the traditional cempasuchil flower is placed around the other
figures. Cempasuchil comes from Nahuatl cempoalxochitl that means the
flower with four hundred lives. The flower petals form a path for the
spirits to bring them to their banquet.
http://www.mexweb.com/muertos.htm