Day of the Dead | View From Casita Colibrí

Posts Tagged ‘Day of the Dead’

Creating with love for the departed

Posted in Celebrations, Creativity, Culture, Holidays, People, Travel & Tourism, tagged celebrations, cemetery, Day of the Dead, Día de los Muertos, Día de Muertos, Fernando Moctezuma Valencia García, flowers, Mexico, Oaxaca, panteón, San Antonino Castillo Velasco, sculptures on November 3, 2019| 2 Comments »

Today, November 3, blogger buddy Chris and I made our annual pilgrimage to experience the flowers and families of the panteón in San Antonino Castillo Velasco. We have been doing this for many years and are always surprised and delighted by the creativity of the living, as they decorate the graves of their departed. This year was no exception — especially the sculptures on two of the graves. (Click on image to enlarge.)

Below, the plaque on the simple wooden cross read, 1994 – 2018 Fernando Moctezuma Valencia García “Tachuma” Te amoremos por siempre, tu familia (We love you forever, your family). A little internet research revealed that the young Fernando was already a talented ceramicist.

The hands of a loved one honoring Fernando by creating this exceptional sculpture on his grave, moved me to tears.

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Nourishing the departed

Posted in Celebrations, Creativity, Culture, Food, Travel & Tourism, tagged cemetery, Day of the Dead, Día de los Muertos, Día de Muertos, death, fruit, graves, Mexico, nuts, Oaxaca, pan de muerto, panteón, photos, Tlacolula de Matamoros, tombs on November 1, 2019| 10 Comments »

The difuntos have begun arriving and, like every year on November 1, I escape the tourist craziness of the city to spend time in the tranquility of the panteón in Tlacolula de Matamoros. Under the dappled sunlight of early afternoon, families clean, bring flowers, and celebrate. The departed must have nourishment for their travel between the world of the living and dead, thus fruit, nuts, bread, and beverages are placed on the graves.

The difuntos also seem to appreciate artistry.

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Calaveras, calacas, catrins & catrinas

Posted in Celebrations, Creativity, Culture, Holidays, Travel & Tourism, tagged calacas, calaveras, catrin, Catrinas, Day of the Dead, Día de los Muertos, Día de Muertos, Mexico, Oaxaca, photos, popular travel destinations, skeletons, skulls on October 30, 2019| 5 Comments »

Calaveras, calacas, catrins, and catrinas, oh my! (Click images to enlarge.)

In the city and villages, walls and windows, sitting and standing, happy and sad — they are everywhere in Oaxaca!

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Muertos, it’s only just begun

Posted in Creativity, Culture, Travel & Tourism, tagged Catrinas, comparsa, costumes, dancers, Day of the Dead, Día de los Muertos, Día de Muertos, face painting, Magna Comparsa, Mexico, muerteada, Oaxaca, parade, photos on October 26, 2019| 5 Comments »

Tonight, the living began welcoming the dead with a Gran Comparsa through the streets of Oaxaca, beginning at Parque Juárez El Llano and ending at the Plaza de la Danza — the latter, almost on my doorstep! Visitors and Oaxaqueños, young and old, lined the parade route in anticipation.

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.

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. Even the dates and times the difuntos arrive to join their living families can differ. However, in both ciudad and pueblo, the goal is to bring together the living and their dead to eat, drink, and reminisce.

After the comparsa passed, I walked around the corner to Casita Colibrí. However, no sooner had I downloaded my photos, the unmistakable sound of fireworks being launched from the Plaza de la Danza called me out onto my terrace. The music and partying continued until 10:30 PM.

The celebrations have only just begun! Click HERE for the very long list of Día de Muertos cultural events in the City of Oaxaca. And, below are some of the activities happening in many of the villages outside the city. (Click on image to enlarge.)

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Potpourri of pan de muertos

Posted in Celebrations, Creativity, Culture, Food, food festival, Holidays, Travel & Tourism, tagged bread of the dead, Day of the Dead, day of the dead bread, Día de los Muertos, feria, Mexico, Oaxaca, pan de muerto, photos, popular travel destinations, San Pablo Villa de Mitla, Villa Díaz Ordaz, Villa de Zaachila, Villa Hidalgo Yalalag on November 9, 2018| 8 Comments »

Several pan de muerto festivals sprung up in the valley of Oaxaca during Día de los Muertos — including a Festival del Pan de Muerto in Villa Díaz Ordaz, a Feria del Pan de Muerto Adornado in Villa de Zaachila, and a Feria del Pan y Chocolate in the city of Oaxaca. While the intention of these fairs is to attract tourists, both foreign and domestic, the primary market remains ofrendas (offerings) to the difuntos (departed) — who must be fed during their brief return to visit with their loved ones.

And, like apron styles, pan de muerto (bread of the dead) varies from village to village, be it sold at a feria, mercado, or neighborhood panadería.

Panadería Yalalag in Oaxaca city.

San Pablo Villa de Mitla.

Mercado, 20 de noviembre, Oaxaca city.

Villa de Zaachila.

Villa de Zaachila

Villa de Zaachila.

Though my difuntos have departed and my altar has been disassembled, I couldn’t consign my beautiful (but stale) pan de muerto offerings to the garbage can.

Pan de muerto from Yalalag, Mitla, and Zaachila.

So, here they remain in a basket on my counter — until they disintegrate or the hormigas (ants) enjoy a feast.

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Fruit & nuts for the departed

Posted in Celebrations, Creativity, Culture, Food, Travel & Tourism, tagged cemetery, Day of the Dead, Día de los Muertos, death, fruit, graves, Mexico, nuts, Oaxaca, Octavio Paz quote, panteón, photos, Tlacolula de Matamoros, tombs on November 3, 2018| 8 Comments »

Under the dappled sunlight filtering through the 500 year old ahuehuete trees in the panteón of Tlacolula de Matamoros, lovingly placed fruit and nuts nourish the souls. (Click on images to enlarge)

In the afternoon, when the light and shadows dance on the graves, beautiful still lifes greet the departed, their living family, friends, and visitors. It is a tranquil setting to contemplate the words of Octavio Paz (The Labyrinth of Solitude, the other Mexico, and essays, Grove Press, 1985, p. 54)

The opposition between life and death was not so absolute to the ancient Mexicans as it is to us. Life extended into death, and vice versa. Death was not the natural end of life but one phase of an infinite cycle.

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Feast for the departed

Posted in Agriculture, Celebrations, Culture, Food, Travel & Tourism, tagged Day of the Dead, Día de los Muertos, farm to table, food, Mexico, Oaxaca, photos, popular travel destinations, tamales, Teotitlán del Valle on November 1, 2018| 8 Comments »

Today, at 3:00 PM in Teotitlán del Valle, as leaves in the mountains and fields rustled, the arrival of the difuntos (departed) was announced with the sound of cohetes (rockets) and church bells. Incense burners were lit and placed in front of ofrendas in each home’s altar room — the smoke and scent of copal helping to guide the spirits home for their yearly twenty-four hour visit.

Tonight they will feast on tamales amarillos — special tamales that are traditionally served three times a year in Teotitlán — in July for the Fiesta de la Preciosa Sangre de Cristo, in October for the Fiesta de la Virgen del Rosario, and today, November first, in honor of the returning difuntos.

As we have done for many years, blogger buddy Chris and I came to the home of Zacarías Ruiz and Emilia Gonzalez with our offering of pan de muertos and a bottle of mezcal to place on their altar — paying our respects to their difuntos. In turn, we were offered mezcal and cervesas (beer), followed by the aforementioned tamales amarillos.

The tamales were days in the making. Several of the family’s organic free range chickens were sacrificed; corn from their milpa was nixtamalized to make a silky smooth masa; and the ingredients for mole amarillo were toasted, chopped, blended, and boiled. The final preparation began at 3:30 this morning — 250 tamales were assembled, filled, and wrapped in fresh green leaves from their milpa and placed in the steaming pots. The results were to die for!

For me, more than painted faces and parades, this is what makes experiencing Día de los Muertos in Oaxaca so special.

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Muertos murals in progress

Posted in Celebrations, Creativity, Culture, Holidays, Travel & Tourism, tagged calacas, Catrinas, Day of the Dead, Día de los Muertos, faces, Mexico, murals, Oaxaca, photos, popular travel destinations, skeletons, skulls, street art, Villa de Zaachila, wall art on October 30, 2018| 4 Comments »

Not all the Día de los Muertos murals in Villa de Zaachila were finished, some were still works in progress…

with ladders and paints standing by…

waiting for their artists to pick up the brush…

or spray can, as the case may be.

I first saw many of the murals in the summer of 2017 and was happy to see they are still intact, albeit some are a little faded. Celebrated by the community, the new murals join the old and become a part of the landscape of the village.

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Zaachila calaveras for Leo

Posted in Celebrations, Creativity, Culture, Holidays, Travel & Tourism, tagged calacas, Day of the Dead, Día de los Muertos, Mexico, murals, Oaxaca, photos, popular travel destinations, skulls, street art, Villa de Zaachila, wall art on October 27, 2018| 2 Comments »

A regalito (little gift) to my calaca and calavera loving grandson from today’s visit to Villa de Zaachila for their first Feria del Pan de Muerto, Mole, Chocolate y Espuma.

From murals along the outer side of the panteón (cemetery) in Villa de Zaachila. Click to enlarge images.

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Miles of marigolds

Posted in Celebrations, Culture, Flora, Holidays, Travel & Tourism, tagged cempasúchil, Day of the Dead, Día de los Muertos, Día de Muertos, flowers, marigolds, Mexico, Oaxaca, photos, zócalo on October 22, 2018| 6 Comments »

Today the sun (finally) came out and hundreds (thousands?) of pots of cempasúchil (aka, cempoalxóchitl, cempaxochitl, cempoal, zempoal, flor de muertos) arrived in the city center.

This was a photo op not only for yours truly but also the local press, as they trailed after the wife of Oaxaca’s governor while she viewed the unloading…

and planting of the iconic Día de los Muertos flowers in the beds of the Zócalo and Alameda.

The color and fragrance of the cempasúchil provide a lovely setting to sit and contemplate the world (and check your cell phone).

Oaxaca is putting on her best to welcome her difuntos (deceased) along with the thousands of tourists who will soon be arriving.

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Coco’s inspiration

Posted in Celebrations, Creativity, Culture, Holidays, Travel & Tourism, tagged Basilica de la Soledad, cemetery, Coco movie, Day of the Dead, Día de los Muertos, Mexico, Oaxaca, panteón, photographs, photos, San Antonino Castillo Velasco, skulls, Tlacolula de Matamoros 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.

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Muertos memories in B&W

Posted in Celebrations, Creativity, Culture, Holidays, Travel & Tourism, tagged Black and white photography, comparsa, Day of the Dead, Día de los Muertos, Día de Muertos, face painting, Magna Comparsa Oaxaca 2017, Mexico, muerteada, Oaxaca, photographs, photos on November 12, 2017| 2 Comments »

Looking back, in black and white…

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

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Virgins in sand

Posted in Celebrations, Creativity, Culture, Religion, Travel & Tourism, tagged Day of the Dead, Día de los Muertos, Día de Muertos, Mexico, Nuestra Señora de la Soledad, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, popular travel destinations, sand paintings, tapetes de arena, Virgen de Guadalupe, Virgen de Juquila, Virgen del Carmen, Virgen del Rosario, Virgen Dolorosa 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…

Virgen Dolorosa — Our Lady of Sorrows

Virgen del Carmen — Our Lady of Mount Carmel

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.”

Santa María de Guadalupe — Our Lady of Guadalupe

Nuestra Señora de la Solidad — Our Lady of Solitude

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

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Dancing in the streets

Posted in Celebrations, Creativity, Culture, Travel & Tourism, tagged Catrinas, comparsa, dancers, Day of the Dead, Día de los Muertos, face painting, Magna Comparsa Oaxaca 2017, Mexico, muerteada, Oaxaca, photographs, photos on October 29, 2017| 2 Comments »

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

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.

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.

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!

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…