Day of the Dead in Mexico - Essay Example

The History of Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) in Mexico The gruesome imagery and literal translation of the Mexican holiday Dia de los Muertos, which can include such activities as sharing a family picnic on the grave of a deceased relative, has often led to a mistaken belief that the holiday is somehow a horrid celebration of particularly satanic origin. This, however, is far from the case as the church plays a central role in the celebration of the holiday today while its roots go back thousands of years to ancient religious rites. The history of the Dia de los Muertos extends back to the ancient Aztecs and their celebrations of Miccailhuitontli, a holy month in which several important celebrations took place. Although this holiday enjoyed generations of celebration, it was necessarily changed by the conquering Spanish as the Catholic traditions of the old world were enforced and overlaid upon this custom. As it has evolved in the centuries since, both retaining and revising many of the more traditional approaches, Dia de los Muertos has become something unique to the people who celebrate it with numerous variations depending upon the region from which they originated. While it is the only celebration specifically dedicated by name to the dead, it is not the only tradition in which specific days intended to honor those who have died or the ancestors. Holidays like it are celebrated throughout various cultures of the earth, all of which are intended to honor the memory of the deceased as well as recognize the joyfulness of life. This tradition is a prime example of theological syncretism in which various traditions are brought together to form what is today a seemingly unified and well-worn celebration. To understand how this is so, it is necessary to first have an idea of what is meant by the term syncretism and then to trace the tradition of Dia de los Muertos through its history from the earliest known practice through to the modern day. The definition of syncretism may seem simple enough, but it can encompass staggering changes to a people’s cultural belief systems. According to Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary, the word syncretism refers to “the combination of different forms of belief or practice; the fusion of two or more originally different inflectional forms.”1 Because the combination of beliefs or practices is not always equal, predictable changes are not often made. Instead, these beliefs are intermixed to varying levels and degrees. When applied to the field of religion, the beliefs and practices of the meshed tradition can often have only limited reflections of the original concepts. Imbach says, “[Syncretism] is the union of two or more opposite beliefs, so that the synthesized form is a new thing. It is not always a total fusion, but may be a combination of separate segments that remain identifiable compartments.”2 The main issue at stake in this transference of ideas is whether or not the meaning of a particular practice or belief system is truly understood, or what element of it becomes most understood whether within or without the appropriate context. For example, when the fluid ideas of indigenous North American traditions came into contact with the more rigid concepts of the Puritans, the loving God preached of by the pilgrims was not understood by the Indians, who had only experienced the vengeful and grasping behavior of this God’s representatives, the Puritans themselves. The problem goes deep into issues of language and background experience as well. “What is actually understood by words, symbols, or actions as expressed in creeds, or application to certain needs, is the test of the presence of syncretism. The receptor is the one who assigns meaning.”3 Because the one learning is the one making meaning of information, it depends upon the ability of the teacher to speak in a way that makes often very complex ideas understandable to another culture that may or may not be undergoing other shocks as well. This was the case between the Spaniards, who approached the Aztecs as conquerors, and the Aztecs, who were undergoing a sense of shock realizing that they were no longer the most powerful race in the world. It is believed the celebration of what is now known as Dia de los Muertos has been observed for at least 3,000 years into the ancient past of the American continent. One of the primary elements of the original celebration was the use of human skulls. “The Aztecs and other Meso-American civilizations kept skulls as trophies and displayed them during the ritual. The skulls were used to symbolize death and rebirth. The skulls were used to honor the dead, whom the Aztecs and Meso-American civilizations believed came back to visit during the month-long ritual.”4 The celebration was originally held during the month of Miccailhuitontli, which would have placed it roughly during the current month of August. The celebration was usually dedicated to Mictecacihuatl, Lady of the Dead, and to Huitzilopochtli, who was the Aztec war deity.5 According to legend, the Lady of the Dead died at the moment of her birth, capturing within her short mortal lifespan perhaps the most important concept within the celebration, that life was a cyclic pattern of birth and death, a system of duality that could not be separated one from another. “To them, life was a dream and only in death did they 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 from poverty like they did in Western cultures’.”6 Practices engaged in as a means of honoring the dead, involving as they did celebrations centered upon the human skull, the construction of altars and banquets upon the graves of the dead, appeared as gruesome and satanic to those who did not understand the Aztecs’ perspective. With the arrival of the Spaniards as a dominating and conquering people, the ancient and suspicious (to the Spaniards) traditions of the Aztecs suffered strong opposition from the Catholic Church. The Catholic priests attempted to subvert the ancient tradition by insisting that the holiday be moved from its usual place on the calendar at the middle of summer to November 1 and 2, the days established by the Catholic Church in Europe as All Saints Day and All Souls Day, each of which had similar purposes to Dia de los Muertos and had been established as a means of trying to subvert adherents to the Celtic traditions in Scotland, Wales, Ireland and England, which also had similar purposes. While the Catholic traditions that entered attempted to convert the Indians by forcing a less spiritual tradition upon them, about the only success they really had was in changing the dates. The Catholics also managed to introduce one additional tradition to the holiday, the distribution of food among the poor. In exchange for praying for the dead or sitting with the family for a little while, the poor can expect to be given food and drink.7 Despite their valiant attempts, however, the Catholic priests have only managed to place a thin veneer of the Christian traditions over the more ancient rites and practices of Dia de los Muertos. The way in which the holiday is celebrated differs greatly typically depending upon the extent to which the family is exposed to the urban crush and globalized society. As might be expected, those living in more rural settings adhere more strongly to the traditional practices as they were once celebrated by the ancient Aztecs while those living in the cities who are more exposed to the greater pressures of European culture and trade in the urban centers have drifted to incorporate more of the concepts of Halloween into their celebrations. “Some families prepare the altar of offerings at the family grave site, lighting a candle for each dead one, remembering the names, and placing flowers or coronas (wreaths) at the cemetery.”8 It is widely believed that the souls of the remembered dead are able to reunite with their families for this one period of the year only. Therefore, during this period, many families will plan to stay out at the gravesite, reuniting themselves with their lost loved ones and forming closer connections with the remaining living who are also spending their time at the nearby gravesite of their own loved ones. Much of the time is spent telling stories and sharing memories of the dead ones while the living continue to be reminded of the importance of living a life that leads to one being well-remembered. “Once the night has passed and the spirits have returned to their world, the ones remaining know that for another year they have triumphed in the struggle of life and that the only way to celebrate death is to live with courage. They have faced death and have won.”9 Traditional items found on the altar include candles that remain lit throughout the night, skeleton figures or skulls used to represent the dead and provide celebrants with the impression that the dead spirits are there with them and ritualized foods that provide purification and an essential element to human survival. Incense and marigolds are used to help guide the spirits home. Dia de los Muertos might sound as if it were a horrid holiday celebrating and encouraging a profound disrespect for the dead, particularly as it is celebrated with the humorous treatment of skeletons. Understanding the deep connection between the Aztec tradition and the people who descended from them and the dead, it is difficult to understand how any other tradition might have been able to infiltrate this profound belief system to any degree whatever. The syncretism of the Aztec tradition with Spanish Catholicism was brought about in part because of the enforcing power of the Spanish with their greater technology and was aided by the devastating effects of the diseases they brought in. By reducing the population sufficiently to cow the remainder of the population into accepting the governing Spanish, the Catholic priests were able to convince the remaining indigenous people to move their celebration from its original date to one more conducive to the Catholic traditions. They were also able to insert other small changes, such as the saying of a special mass or the provision of charity to the poor, but were unable to change the underlying foundation of the holiday. People in Mexico, and now in many other parts of the world, celebrate Dia de los Muertos as a means of consoling grieving families, honoring the dead and remembering lost loved ones. As a result of the traditional practices observed in celebrating the holiday, participants conquer their fears of death and are thus better able to face the challenges of life head on. They are also reminded of the importance of living a good life, so that others will remember you following your own death, demonstrating a blend of old world customs and new world interpretations. References “Dia de los Muertos.” (2003). 123Holiday.net. Retrieved May 18, 2008, from Imbach, S.R. (2007). “Syncretism: Advanced Information.” Believe. Retrieved May 18, 2008, from < http://mb-soft.com/believe/txc/syncreti.htm> Kastelein, Barbara. (2006). “Raising the Dead.” Business Mexico Magazine. Retrieved May 18, 2008, from King, Judy. (2007). “Los Dias de los Muertos.” Mexico Connect. Retrieved May 18, 2008, from Miller, Carlos. (2005). “Indigenous People Wouldn’t let ‘Day of the Dead’ Die.” The Arizona Republic. Retrieved May 18, 2008, from Syncretism. (2008). Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. Retrieved May 18, 2008, from Read More