Hispanic Culture and Events - Article Example

 When examining cultural events and holidays throughout Hispanic America it’s interesting to identify the similarities they hold with our own culture, as the universal nature of celebrations such as labor-day and independence-day speak to the archetypical nature of all humanity. Conversely, the differences and alterations these events hold speaks to the unique cultural occurrences within that specific society. El Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) Day of the Dead (El Dia de los Muertos) is a Mexican holiday that is also celebrated by Hispanic-Americans that recognizes the past dead in society. The holiday is celebrated the first two days of November, and occurs in conjunction with All Saints’ Day on November 1st and All Souls Day on November 2nd. The first day is used for the recognition of infants and the young, whereas the adult dead are recognized on the second day. The origins of the holiday have been traced by scholars to its particularly Mexican roots. When Spanish Conquistadors landed in Latin America nearly 500 years ago they encountered the celebration and interpreted as mocking the death. They attempted to eradicate the holiday with mixed success, which resulted in it being merged with Catholic traditions. The cultural differences seemed to be related to the Spanish who believed that life ends at death, where the El dia de los Muertos holiday celebrates the continuation of life after death. Going back as far as 3000 years, the holiday originated in the 9th month of the Aztec calendar to celebrate goddess Mictecacihuatl, who was the Aztec’s ‘Lady of the Dead.’ While it occurs very close to Halloween many people wrongly assume the two holidays are similar, when in actuality Day of the Dead shares little in common with the American holiday; however, there are similar occurrences in Brazil (Dia de Finados) where Brazilians visit cemeteries, and in Spain where after parades people gather at cemeteries to recognize the dead. During the holiday people visit cemeteries and pay homage to the dead. They leave pictures, flowers, food, and even share humorous and stories with the graves with the hopes of encouraging the souls to return and join in the celebration. During the holiday people visit and clean the graves and leave ofrendas (offerings). Specifically, they leave orange marigolds called cempasuchitl. Today they are sometimes called Flor de Muerto (Flower of the Dead). Other ofrendas includes toys for the children and tequila for adults. Many people leave ofrendas in homes believing that the souls’ of the dead visit and eat the essence of the food left. Some people leave blankets and pillows out so the dead can rest after their journey, and in many towns people spend the night and picnic at the graves. Some people build shrines in their homes that combine elements of Christianity – crosses, replicas of the Virgin Mary – with traditional ofrendas. Oftentimes short poems called Calaveras (skulls) are written in dedication to the deceased that recall humorous events in their lives. These poems appear in newspapers and are read aloud to the dead to recognize their lives. The common symbol of El dia de los Muertos are skulls. People will wear calacas masks at many of the festivities in a sort of communal embrace of the deceased. The exact traditional occurrences vary from town to town, with differing degrees of emphasis placed on the type of ofrendas or ritual procedure of the holiday. Contemporary incarnations of the festival have seen an increase in children dressing in costume and walking door to door for trinkets and candy, very much in accordance with the American holiday of Halloween. Cinco de Mayo (5th of May) Cinco de Mayo is a holiday in Mexico that celebrates Mexico’s upset victory over the French at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862. The holiday is a major celebration because the defeat was a tremendous achievement for the far outnumbered Mexican forces, and marks the last time a country on the American continent was invaded by an army from another continent. It is not a nationally recognized holiday and its celebration is voluntary among people in Mexico and much of America. While the holiday is celebrated to differing degrees throughout Mexico, it is recognized most in the Puebla, where the battle occurred, and in Mexico City. These cities have are military parades to recognize the people who died for Mexico, soldiers and civilians that gave their lives for their country. Area schools practice for months to participate in the parade.  In the Penon de los Barrios, in Mexico City, there is a reenactment of a Cinco de Mayo battle.  In Zocalo celebrations are for all ages. Days prior to the event, hundreds of stalls start aligning on the streets near the Zocalo of all the towns.  There are parties in the area that include dancing and mariachi music. Fiestas Patrias (Patriotic Holidays) The Fiestas Patrias stands for the five major government holidays in Mexico. Beginning in the 19th century these holidays are still observed today. The Aniversario de la Constitucion (Anniversary of the Constitution) recognized the constitution that was formed in 1917 after the Mexican civil war. This holiday is celebrated on February 5th. The Natalicio de Benito Juarez (Birth of Benito Juarez) celebrates the birth of President Benito Juarez on March 21, 1806. Juarez is recognized for his progressive reforms that strictly defined the separation of church and state within the Mexican government. This holiday is celebrated on the third Monday every March. Dia del Trabajo (Labor Day) celebrates the Mexican union’s movements on the 1st of May. The holiday has spread throughout Latin America and has taken on the moniker May Day. The Europeans had already established a Day of the Worker and in 1936 it spread throughout Latin America. Originally it was embraced by communist and socialist movements and then later spread throughout non-English speaking countries. It is the one holiday without a church service and as such is a strong secular holiday. Grito de Dolores (on the evening of September 15) and Aniversario de la Independencia (September 16) are perhaps the largest holidays in Mexico as they celebrate Mexican Independence Day. While many people mistakenly believe Mexican independence is celebrated through Cinco de Mayo, the holiday actually occurs on these days in September. These days commemorate when Miguel Hidalgo called for Mexican independence on September 16th, 1810. While he was originally unsuccessful and was executed for his treasonous behavior, he is credited with beginning the movement that would eventually result in the establishment of the Republic of Mexico in 1821. During the holiday the Grito de Dolores, a pivotal moment in the movement lead by Hidalgo, is reenacted throughout the country. The Aniversario de la Revolucion celebrates the Mexican Revolution. This began on November 10, 1910 when Francisco Madero organized a revolt against Dictator Porfirio Diaz. Diaz had ruled for 31 years and had upset great amounts of Mexicans. The holiday is celebrated on the third Monday of November. Clearly Hispanic America demonstrates great similarities with the cultural events of the United States. This is exemplified in both countries celebrations of Independence Day and Labor Day, yet the differences in holidays such as El dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) says something about Latin American society. Perhaps the comfort with the deceased exemplified in this holiday speak to the Mexican’s living somehow closer to death, and more accepting of its oncoming nature. It is also a testament to the lasting nature of indigenous celebrations, as it represents in great part an Aztec holiday, whereas in the United States no indigenous holidays of the Indians survive in mainstream American society. Read More