In the previous blog post I talked about Samhain, All Saints’ Day and Halloween. I will describe other festivals about the remembrance of the dead, however I will strictly stick to the sources, as I do not have experience with them. Also, I will (selfishly) pick out the most visually unique ones, but here is a small list of other festivals I found: Pchum Ben,Undas, Luminația, Qingming, Pitru Paksha. If I have gotten anything wrong, please to not hesitate to contact me.
Día de los Muertos / Day of the Dead
The annual Día de los Muertos celebration embodies the Mexican relationship with death. Even though it is a very important and solemn occasion, Día de los Muertos is not considered a time to be sad about the loss of loved ones, but rather a time to be happy for their return. The dead are guests at a feast that the family has prepared in their honor – they enjoy the scent of foods, incense, and flowers but cannot participate in the conversation. To help guide the dead home, relatives spread aromatic flowers that emit a pungent scent leading them toward the ofrenda (altar), where the banquet awaits them.
In some regions, October 27th is the day to remember spirits with no survivors to greet them and no home to visit, and October 28th is set aside for those who died by accident, murder, or other violent means. In contrast, dead children are expected to come home to visit on October 31st, but to leave by November 1st to make room for the adult dead. In the afternoon of November 1st, bells toll at churches announcing the arrival of the “Faithful Dead” (adults). In the evening, complete families may go to the cemetery to offer a vigil for the souls of their loved ones. By midnight, cemeteries are filled with lit candles. The souls return to the world of the dead on the afternoon of November 2nd.
Día de los Muertos instils values that foster hope; those who provide offerings trust that their own survivors will take care of them in a similar fashion after death. In this manner, an individual’s immortality is assured. Mexicans embrace death, as is reflected through this celebration as well as the different rituals that are practiced when someone dies. This celebration also serves to demonstrate the intensity of familial fidelity, a devotion that reaches beyond the grave. This devotion to those who have died also embraces friends and even strangers; offerings are often made to the “ánima sola” (the forgotten soul) or “el muerto desconocido” (the unknown dead). Traditionally, the costumes of children would consist of images of the dead, such as a corpse bride, a catrina (a female skeleton that represents death), or a skeleton.
Gutiérrez, I. T., Rosengren, K. S., & Miller, P. J. (2015). Día de los Muertos: Learning about death through observing and pitching in. In Advances in child development and behavior (Vol. 49, pp. 229-249). JAI.
Festival de Barriletes Gigantes / Día de los Difuntos
The barriletes gigantes developed specifically within a Guatemalan Maya cultural context. The kites reflect centuries of colonialism and Christianity mingled with subversive Indigenous Maya beliefs, while also presenting a vision for the future through their imagery. Their function is not passive but active, inherently invested in constructing Maya culture. If participants successfully get the kite up into the air, they write notes and wrap them around the rope, then wait for the wind to push them upward and transmit the messages to their deceased loved ones.
While small kites are flown in cemeteries throughout Guatemala on Día de los Difuntos, these giant kites are made only in Sumpango and Santiago, Department of Sacatepéquez. These kites represent a fusion of art, religion, and politics. Their construction and display allow the living to honour the ancestors and communicate with them in a communal setting – grief is not individual. Simultaneously, the kites function to raise consciousness among the living about issues of injustice or their heritage. These two functions work together to help promote Maya ways of living and beliefs about life and death, particularly regarding the insignificance of the individual compared to the wider community.
By honouring the past, they also require an investment in the future. Beyond these historical lessons, the kites honour Maya heritage, make a statement about what it means to be Maya in the present day, and offer a vision for the future. These kites occur at the intersection of the past, present, and future of the Maya community, communicating messages between the ancestors, the living, future progeny, and the surrounding nature.
Deutsch, B. (2020). Barriletes Gigantes in Guatemala: Kites as a Communication with the Past and Future (Master’s thesis, Graduate Theological Union).
