Dia de los Muertos and Halloween
Maybe it's the internet, maybe it's a resurgence of a tradition, maybe it's the merging of cultures, but this year I have been seeing more and more about Dia de los Muertos - the Mexican holiday celebrating Day of the Dead. Obviously, hence the post, I have found it an intriguing holiday.
What I've read is that it originated with the Aztecs and is a celebration honoring the life and death of ancestors, family, and friends that we've lost. In this light, the skull is a happy symbol. I like that. I also like the idea of honoring those who are gone. A day to focus on celebrating them. A day to wish them well. I remember forever ago a hairstylist I was going to had one of these skulls tattooed on her arm and it stuck with me.
I might want to try someday sneaking parts of this tradition into our traditions. Halloween is so fun and I don't see this as a replacement, but maybe a little way to take some of the scary out of the season and replace it with some meaning. (Here is an abbreviated, and maybe slightly biased, comparison of the holidays.) Have you guys been seeing a lot of this this year too? What do you think? Mom, I know you don't like skulls, does this soften that at all??
Happy October -- in all it's fall loveliness and fullness.
xo
Like you said, not that it would (or could) ever replace Halloween, but what a BETTER reason to celebrate! I do like that this holiday isn't as morbid as it appears. I honestly never knew what it was all about. But injecting a little more meaning into sometimes controversial Halloween couldn't hurt!
ReplyDeleteSounds similar to "All Hallows Eve." The Eve of All Souls Day, which is what the Catholic Church celebrates. I too like the idea of adding a bit of meaning to a holiday that at times seems to verge on celebrating "evilness" rather than simply honoring the dead.
ReplyDeleteAt any rate; It sure hasn't been hard to welcome in this snow so far. Apparently the sunshine followed the snow here. :)