DAY OF THE DEAD - DIA DE LOS MUERTOS

‘The first toys I can remember were a plastic skeleton and winged devil, gifts from my grandmother. Other kids had GI Joes and Batman action figures but I was never envious of them. My toys allowed my imagination to stretch its boundaries and make friends with the very things that gave other children nightmares.’

Ladislao Loera – Day of the Dead Artist

The Day of the Dead originates in Mexico. The ritualistic celebration of those who have passed away can be traced back some 2500 – 3000 years to indigenous peoples such as the Olmec, Zapotec, Mixtec, Mexica, Maya, P’urhepecha and Totonac. The Aztecs (13th to early 16th Century) honored the dead during the entire ninth month of their calendar. They dedicated their festival to the Goddess Mictecacihuatl, known as the ‘Lady of the Dead.’ The Aztecs did not fear death, rather they embraced it and considered it a ‘moving on’ to a higher level of consciousness.

Subsequent to the Spanish colonization of Mexico, the Day of the Dead merged with Catholic theology, hence skulls and skeletons were joined by Christian symbols of the Crucifix and the Devil. The Day of the Dead takes place annually on November 2nd, the previous day being dedicated to the memory of deceased children. Whilst it is a festival which assumes great significance in Mexico and amongst the Mexican community in Canada and the States, it is also celebrated, in various forms, in many other parts of the world. All Saints Day and All Souls Day are the European equivalents.

In towns throughout Mexico, small altars (ofrendas) are prepared at home in order to welcome back loved ones. These are decorated with crosses, pictures or statues of the Virgin Mary, pictures of the deceased, their favorite food and drink, trinkets that belonged to them, candles to provide light on their journey home and toys for the children, who are known as the little angels (los angelitos). Tradititional offerings include candied pumpkins, bread of the dead (pan de muerto) and sugar skulls.

Families often spend time at the graves of their loved ones. They pray, dance, sing and share anecdotes about them. Some wear wooden skull masks (calacas) or display skulls (Calaveras). These are often spectacularly colorful. The mood is upbeat and death is seen as a continuation of life, a renewal.

In Tucson, the celebration is called the All Souls Procession and has been an annual rite since 1990. Several thousand people attend, in 2005 there were around 7000. I went to my first one this year and it was incredible. It is a long time since I have seen such an amazing array of costumes at an event. Massive skulls on stilts, painted faces which would not have looked out of place in Hammer House of Horror movies, pirate masks and cartoon characters. Amongst my favorites were a guy in a yellow pin striped suit and skeletal mask, carrying a violin case, a Colonel Ghaddafi lookalike and an extremely ghoulish looking guy who painted half of his face black and white and divided it with a huge streak of red down the middle.

Some people objected to the presence of those who just treated the whole thing like a fancy dress parade and seemed not to appreciate or care about its significance. I must say, they have probably got a point. Although, any event where the vibe is universally positive, mellow and somehow unifying, can only be a good thing. Others did not like the fact that banner waving anti-war protestors turned up.

At the climax of the procession was a huge urn in which people burned bits of paper containing messages to their loved ones. Here are a selection of my photographs: