Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Posts Tagged ‘Day of the Dead’

Coco’s inspiration

Posted in Celebrations, Creativity, Culture, Holidays, Travel & Tourism, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , on November 25, 2017| 15 Comments »

For anyone who still wonders why in the world I have chosen to live in and thrive in Oaxaca, go see the latest Pixar movie, Coco.

Entrance to the Panteón de Xochimilco, Oaxaca – Oct. 31, 2017

The filmmakers “based the Rivera family — a multigenerational matriarchy headed by Miguel’s formidable abuelita, or grandmother — on real-world families with whom they embedded while visiting the Mexican states of Oaxaca and Guanajuato between 2011 and 2013.”  (How Pixar Made Sure ‘Coco’ Was Culturally Conscious)

Panteón in San Antonino Castillo Velasco, Oaxaca – Nov. 4, 2017

From the elaborately embroidered blouses and animated fantastical alebrije to the cemeteries and “life” of Día de los Muertos, Oaxaca provided an inspiration for the film.  (Coco, la nueva película de Disney-Pixar inspirada en Oaxaca)

Panteón San Antonino Castillo Velasco, Oaxaca – Nov. 4, 2017

It is the music and messiness, color and cacophony, and finding joy in just being.

Panteón San Antonino Castillo Velasco, Oaxaca – Nov. 4, 2017

“We absorbed details in every place that we visited, but the most valuable thing was the time we spent with Mexican families.”  (How Coco’s Directors Celebrated the Film’s Mexican Heritage)

Ofrenda display in the Biblioteca Pública Central de Oaxaca Margarita Maza de Juárez – Oct. 31, 2017

It is the Oaxaca of fiestas, street dogs, and papel picado.

Papel picado projected on the Basilica de Nuestra Señora de la Soledad, Oaxaca – Oct. 30, 2017

Above all, it is about the importance of family, living and dead…

Public ofrenda in the atrium of the Catedral de Nuestra Señora de la Asunción, Oaxaca – Oct. 31, 2017

“With all of its music and folklore and artwork, and the story itself, audiences so far feel Coco respects their families, living and remembered.”   (Mexico, Music And Family Take Center Stage In ‘Coco’)

Panteón Municipal de Tlacolula de Matamoros, Oaxaca – Nov. 1, 2017

And, respect for one’s heritage and traditions.

Panteón San Antonino Castillo Velasco, Oaxaca – Nov. 4, 2017

This is the Oaxaca I fell in love with and treasure.

Panteón San Antonino Castillo Velasco, Oaxaca – Nov. 4, 2017

This is the Oaxaca that captured by heart, daily enriches my life, and I call home.

Read Full Post »

Muertos memories in B&W

Posted in Celebrations, Creativity, Culture, Holidays, Travel & Tourism, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on November 12, 2017| 2 Comments »

Looking back, in black and white…

IMG_1600_b&w

IMG_1448_b&w

IMG_1468_b&w

IMG_1472_b&w

IMG_1501_b&w

IMG_1473_b&w

Magna Comparsa Oaxaca through the streets of the city on October 28, 2017.

Read Full Post »

Virgins in sand

Posted in Celebrations, Creativity, Culture, Religion, Travel & Tourism, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on October 31, 2017| Leave a Comment »

Tapetes de arena (rugs of sand) are a traditional feature of the celebration in Oaxaca of Día de Muertos.  When I first arrived to live here, they were drawn in front of the Cathedral.  Next, they moved for a year or two to the Government Palace and for the last several years they have graced the Plaza de la Danza.  This year’s offerings were the work of twelve artisans and feature the most beloved and revered of the Jesús and María señores y señoras in Oaxaca.  This post will highlight the ladies…

IMG_1720

Virgen Dolorosa — Our Lady of Sorrows

IMG_1702

Virgen del Carmen — Our Lady of Mount Carmel

IMG_1704

Sra. Virgen del Rosario — Our Lady of the Rosary

Interestingly, in previous years the themes of the sand paintings in these public spaces have been Día de Muertos related.  I’m not sure of why the change this year to religious imagery.  Indigenous Day of the Dead celebrations pre-date the arrival of the Spanish and the All Saints Day of the Catholic church.  And in Oaxaca, one of the most indigenous states in Mexico, as Shawn D. Haley points out in his book, Day of the Dead: When Two Worlds Meet in Oaxaca, “there is little of the Spanish influence to be found in the Oaxacan Day of the Dead.  The Spanish version… is bleak and dismal…. For the Oaxaqueñans, these days are… joyous and exuberant.  It is not a mourning of lost loved ones, but a celebration, a reunion with the dead.”

IMG_1707

Santa María de Guadalupe — Our Lady of Guadalupe

IMG_1711

Nuestra Señora de la Solidad — Our Lady of Solitude

IMG_1724

Inmaculada Concepción de Juquila — Virgin of Juquila

For more of these sand paintings, check out the recent post by blogger buddy Chris.  By the way, the feast days for these last three señoras are coming up in December.  First on the calendar is Juquila on December 8, then comes Guadalupe on December 12,  and, finally, Oaxaca’s patron saint, Soledad on December 18.  There will be special masses, processions, and rockets. December is a noisy month!

But first, we must welcome the difuntos (departed) who begin arriving tonight.

Save

Read Full Post »

Dancing in the streets

Posted in Celebrations, Creativity, Culture, Travel & Tourism, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on October 29, 2017| 2 Comments »

Last night, throughout the streets of the city, the living began welcoming the dead.

IMG_1491

IMG_1467

IMG_1446

Like the Guelaguetza desfile of delegations, Oaxaqueños and tourists (foreign and domestic) crowded the sidewalks along the Magna Comparsa Oaxaca 2017 route — from the Cruz de Piedra, down García Vigil, left on Allende, right on Macedonio Alcalá, right on Independencia, and into the Alameda.

IMG_1453

IMG_1531

IMG_1454

With bands leading the way, catrinas in regional dress and dancers in traditional muerteada attire whirled and twirled, high-stepped and jumped, and moved and grooved their way through the streets.

IMG_1514

IMG_1449

IMG_1508

With earthquakes and hurricanes and now the resumption of the zócalo plantón (occupation) and bloqueos (blocades) of roads into and out of the city by Sección XXII of the teachers’ union and their allies, Oaxaca and Oaxaqueños needed to party-down in joyous abandon — and they did!

IMG_1499

IMG_1561

IMG_1615

Día de Muertos observances are different in the indigenous villages — the mood is more formal and each village has customs and rituals that tradition dictates must be followed.  But the bottom line in ciudad and pueblo is to provide a welcome worthy of both the living and the dead.  The celebrations have only just begun…

Read Full Post »

Calacas for Leo

Posted in Celebrations, Creativity, Culture, Holidays, Travel & Tourism, tagged , , , , , , , , , on October 26, 2017| Leave a Comment »

Calacas dressed for work and catrinas dressed to the nines, for my skeleton-loving grandson.

From the sidewalks, courtyards, and balconies of Oaxaca, October 2017 — ready for the Day of the Dead.

Read Full Post »

Difuntos on the move

Posted in Celebrations, Creativity, Culture, Holidays, Travel & Tourism, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on October 14, 2017| 2 Comments »

Día de Muertos is coming…

That means the departed will soon return to eat, drink, and be merry with their living loved ones.

Due to earthquake damage the Panteón General in the city is closed, but the traditional evening of the dead will take place at the Panteón Xochimilco.

As the schedule of over 100 cultural activities (between October 28 and November 4) states, despite earthquakes and hurricanes, “Oaxaca is more alive than ever!”

Read Full Post »

Muertos murals in Zaachila

Posted in Celebrations, Creativity, Culture, Holidays, Travel & Tourism, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , on June 27, 2017| 18 Comments »

One of the great things about having friends come to visit, is going places and doing things not on the usual agenda.  Thus, last week, while accompanying my friend B on a private tour of sights outside Oaxaca city, the guide asked if we knew about the Muertos murals in Villa de Zaachila and would we like to see them.  Absolutely, we said!

In late October, prior to Día de Muertos, young artists are invited to paint Day of the Dead related murals on the walls of Calle Coquiza, the street that connects the church, Santa María Natividad, to the municipal cemetery.  Customs, beliefs, and legends provide the inspiration, as well as day-to-day activities.

P1260838

Flor de Piña dancers welcome residents and visitors to step through the doorway to the land beyond.

P1260849

Where electric meters serve as faces.

P1260844

And, telephone poles add a third dimension to the design.

P1260850

Painted pitchers and candles nestle in vegetation escaping from under a portón.

P1260874

And, a dancer frolics in sand waiting to be mixed into concrete for construction next door.

P1260853

Skeletons use an electric meter to get a leg up in climbing the conduit.

P1260857

Trees provide shade, as Pan de Muertos is baked in an outdoor oven.

P1260878

Leaves flutter above, as Bu’pu del Valle (chocolate atole) is frothed with a molinillo before being served in traditional hand-painted jicaras.

P1260862

Flowers tumble over the wall to adorn a catrina portrait’s hat.

The murals along the walls of Calle Coquiza remain throughout the year — until replaced by the next Día de Muertos artists’ offerings.  In addition, during Day of the Dead, this Calzada de los Muertos (Road of the Dead) is paved with sand paintings.  It is definitely going on my Muertos “must see” itinerary.

Read Full Post »

Muertos photo challenge y mas…

Posted in Creativity, Culture, Holidays, Travel & Tourism, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on October 29, 2016| 6 Comments »

Celebrations in Oaxaca surrounding Día de Muertos are beginning.  This past week, we, members of the Mexico Travel Photography Facebook group, were issued a 5-day “Day of the Dead” photo challenge by moderator, Norma Schafer.  There are always so many favorite images from so many events that I never get around to posting, so this was my opportunity.  My five…

img_0085

Panteón, Santa María Atzompa, Oaxaca on Oct. 31, 2015

img_0125

Offering on tomb in Panteón Municipal de Tlacolula de Matamoros, Oaxaca on Nov. 1, 2015

p1030655

Muerteada, morning after the night before, Nov. 2, 2014, San Agustín Etla, Oaxaca

img_6545

Sun sets on Santa María Atzompa panteón, Oct. 31, 2014

p1030223_bw

On the Alcalá in Oaxaca City, Oct. 31, 2014

And, five more, just because…

img_0079

Santa María Atzompa, Oct. 31, 2015

p1030402

San Pablo Villa de Mitla, ofrenda with pan de muertos, Nov. 1, 2014

p1030148

Chocolate calaveras at Villa de Etla, Oct. 31, 2014

p1030157

Cempasuchil (marigold) vendor at Villa de Etla, Oct. 31, 2014

p1150252

Casa de las Artesanías de Oaxaca, Oct. 31, 2015

That’s all folks, for now.  Stay tuned for more to come from this year.

Read Full Post »

The Catrinas are coming

Posted in Creativity, Culture, Holidays, Travel & Tourism, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on October 21, 2016| 5 Comments »

Dressed in their best festival finery…

p1220715

The Catrinas have begun arriving in town…

p1220720

You see them loitering on street corners…

p1220714

Hanging out on balconies (I think she’s in drag)…

p1220722

All the better to see and be seen.

p1220693

However, in the end, no matter how fancy their finery and glittery their jewels, as José Guadalupe Posada wrote,

La muerte es democrática, ya que a fin de cuentas, güera, morena, rica o pobre, toda la gente acaba siendo calavera 

(Death is democratic, because after all, light-skin, brown, rich or poor, everyone ends up being a skull)

Read Full Post »

Season of marigolds

Posted in Culture, Holidays, Travel & Tourism, tagged , , , , , , , , on October 18, 2016| 1 Comment »

Marigolds have begun appearing in the city.  The yellow of this flor de muertos (flower of the dead) will help guide the difuntos (deceased) home to feast with their families during the upcoming Día de Muertos (Day of the Dead) celebrations. Known as cempazuchil (also spelled cempasúchitl), flower pots and/or vases of marigolds may find their way onto ofrendas (the offerings on home altars for the difuntos).  Some scatter the petals on their muertos altar, others in a trail leading from the street into the house and up to the ofrenda.

p1220698

Next week, seasonal Day of the Dead markets will spring up and shopping will go into high gear.  Needless to say, I will join in buying the traditional fruits, nuts, flowers, and sugar skulls to place on my ofrenda.  And, along with friends, I will pay my respects to the difuntos of friends in Teotitlán del Valle.  It’s a special time of year in Oaxaca.

Once a librarian, always a librarian, thus a few resources about Day of the Dead:

A brief note:  Celebrations vary throughout Mexico and, even in the valley of Oaxaca, traditions differ from village to village, but the above articles will give you a general idea.  You can also click HERE for my Día de Muertos blog posts from previous years.

Read Full Post »

Loving hands of San Antonino

Posted in Celebrations, Creativity, Culture, Travel & Tourism, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , on November 5, 2015| 6 Comments »

Young and old, male and female…

it’s a family affair, labor of love…

as the tombs of San Antonino Castillo Velasco are painstakingly decorated on November 3.

Read Full Post »

Calacas & calaveras for Leo

Posted in Celebrations, Creativity, Culture, Holidays, Travel & Tourism, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on November 1, 2015| 7 Comments »

This year, around and about Oaxaca during Día de Muertos, especially for my skeleton loving grandson.  (Click on images to enlarge)

Besos y abrazos, Abue. 😉

Read Full Post »

Veruche vendor

Posted in Celebrations, Culture, Flora, Holidays, Travel & Tourism, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on October 30, 2015| 4 Comments »

Today I ventured down to Calle de Ignacio Rayón (the block between the Benito Juárez and 20 de Noviembre mercados) to purchase flowers for my Día de Muertos ofrenda (an altar of offerings).  On the list was cockscomb (cresta de gallo or borla de Santa Teresa), marigolds (cempasúchitl), and veruche (also known as flor de muertos).  I wasn’t alone, the sidewalks were crowded with other shoppers in search of the same traditional flowers, fruits, nuts, copal, and other items to place on their ofrendas.

P1150140

Veruche is a tiny relative of the marigold that grows wild in the valley of Oaxaca at this time of year.  Yellow was the color of death in southern Mexico, long before the Spanish set foot on the continent and, along with the scent of the flowers and smoke from the candles and copal, it is thought to attract the difuntos (spirits of the dead) to bring them to the ofrendas prepared for them.

Muchisimas gracias to Shawn D. Haley for his informative presentation at the Oaxaca Lending Library on the Zapotec celebration of Día de Muertos.  Needless to say, I also purchased the book he coauthored with photographer Curt Fukuda, The Day of the Dead: When Two Worlds Meet in Oaxaca.

Read Full Post »

Faces in the crowd

Posted in Celebrations, Creativity, Culture, Holidays, Religion, Travel & Tourism, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on November 2, 2014| 2 Comments »

If it’s November 2nd, it must be morning muerteada madness in San Agustín Etla .  A few faces in the crowd from the Barrio San José contingent…

IMG_6663

These guys had been dancing through the streets all night.  Cervesa seemed to be the beverage of choice this morning, though, bottles of clear liquid was also being passed around — and I’m sure it wasn’t  water!

P1030771

Had to snap this guy — not only was his makeup gory and great, he topped it off with a San Francisco 49er cap.

P1030731 copy

And, then there was this boy…  As with all the traditions here, children observe, learn, and participate at a very young age.

 

Read Full Post »

Video mapping Soledad

Posted in Buildings, Churches, Creativity, Culture, Holidays, Religion, Travel & Tourism, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , on November 1, 2014| 8 Comments »

As a treat for residents and visitors during the Muertos festivities, last night and tonight, the City of Oaxaca is presenting, “Manjares de Todos Santos” — a video mapping light and sound show at Santo Domingo de Guzmán and the Basílica de la Soledad.  Last night was a mob scene at Santo Domingo, so we opted for Soledad, where we had a ringside seat.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

¡Espectacular!

Chris, of Oaxaca-The Year After fame, shot video and I will post a link when he gets it uploaded to YouTube.  Update:  And the link is: http://oaxacanyear.blogspot.mx/2014/11/mapping-la-soledad.html

Read Full Post »

Older Posts »

%d bloggers like this: