I've lived in Mexico for over two months now, and next week I swear in as an official Peace Corps Volunteer. I feel ready to move onto the next stage of Peace Corps with all its unknowns & uncertainties...grow or die, sink or swim, thereby go I.One of my hopes for the next two years that I will be in Mexico is that I never cease to be amazed and that I never cease to be inspired.
In general I am amazed by so many things here: the pretty skies, the weather, the food, the friendly people, the churches, how everyone instinctively knows how to dance, free events for the performing arts on any given day easily accessable to everyone, and the fact that (in my humble opinion) the Mexicans celebrate Halloween better than Americans!
They actually really celebrate Day of the Dead (today November 2nd) but they've started incorporating Halloween, so for the last three days I've seen kids walking around in Halloween customes (for three days). Plus, every main plaza in the city is packed with food stands, custome stands, candy stands, and main stages with free events daily. I'm especially amazed of the Mexican concept of the Long Weekend, which they call 'el puente' or the bridge....so if your Holiday is in the middle of the week, it is most probable that a long weekend/puente will be given and you will get 4-5 day holiday!! I've been celebraing Day of the Dead since last Friday!!
To celebrate Day of the Dead people make alters (alter making competitions, in the plazas & in the homes), and eat Pan de Muerto (Bread of the Dead). They go to the cemetaries and clean off the graves of their loved ones; I have never see a cemetary so full of people! There were mariachi's singing around graves, the cemetaries were so colorful and festive, with family members working, eating, singing, and drinking. My favorite was an entire family sitting around the grave, strumming the guitar & all singing their loved one's favorite drinking songs-it was so heartfelt, happy and sad all at the same time.
Death being my least favorite subject, I gather that the point of Day of the Dead is more than just commemorating their dead loved ones. It's more to put everyone on the same playing field, and to point out that no one escapes death, whether rich or poor, beatiful or ugly, cunning or otherwise. A socialistic outlook on death...much like many other aspects of life in Mexican society.
No comments:
Post a Comment