Dia de los Muertos (11/2)

Dia de los Muertos or the Day of the Dead is a celebration particular to Mexico.  On this day, families and friends gather in their homes and at the graves of loved ones to celebrate those that have already died.  The preparation for this day usually begins several days or even weeks in advance with the collection of certain symbolic items to represent the person who had passed and to cook various favorite foods of the deceased as well as food specific to the day.  An ofrenda or offering is set up in the home or at the grave with candles and the items above.  The food prepared is then consumed by the participants and it is a day of celebration, not mourning.  The Day of the Dead is a national holiday in Mexico and the entire country stops to honor it.  I was ridiculously excited to finally be a part of it as many of my art history classes spoke extensively of the Day of Dead art and culture.

Again, because of the unique nature of the home, we celebrate it a little differently here.  The day started with a kind of mass in the chapel with all the kids.  The chapel had been elaborately decorated beforehand by the art therapist and her kids. 

The Catrina, a now common Day of the Dead figure who originated as a satire of Mexican noble women, can be seen on the right.

Me and Luz at mass.

Our girls.

A large offering in the middle of the chapel was covered in calabazas or skulls made of sugar, candy, fresh fruit, and other goodies that were partitioned out to the kids once the mass was over.  Each section was called up randomly, one by one, to take a part.  Even volunteers were included.

The rest of the day was spent preparing our own ofrendas in each section.  Everyone enthusiastically participated as later in the day each ofrenda would be judged and the winners awarded prizes.  The section got pretty messy and crazy trying to get it all ready in time.

Painting our skeletons we had started that weekend.

Being somewhat productive.

Two of our girls were painted and dressed up to play the skeleton couple of our ofrenda.  I helped here the most, finding the paint and using my art skills.  They looked pretty freaky when we were done and were the most talked about part of our ofrenda.

Each ofrenda is dedicated to someone or some group.  Ours was for Father Wasson.

Our Mr. Skeleton with our papier-mâché set next to her.

Before we knew it, time was up and the judging had started.  Again, the kids were allowed to roam free in and out of the different dorms for one of the few times in the year.  I jumped on the judging train a little late, but was able to get some good photos of the different ofrendas.  Here's a selection:

Each ofrenda has several common elements: marigolds (the flowers of the dead), the skeleton couple, a chosen person for dedication, and smaller elements such as earth, water, and pan de muerto.

A part of the competition was explaining these elements and their symbolism in the Mexican tradition.

I was glad to not actually be judging.  The directors and a few other select people took care of that.  They were all so impressive to me; I wouldn't have been able to choose!

Volunteers had their own personal ofrenda that we set up gradually throughout the day.  It wasn't meant to be a part of the competition, merely a memorial for us, but apparently it was a part of the tour.  Three of us had lost a grandparent within the last year, me, Moni, and Teresa, so our offerings were the main features.

Our offering in candlelight.

For Gramma, I put a bottle of wine, a cup of soup, and several photos I have of her here with me.  It was a special and unique way to honor her memory.

Dinner was a little later than normal due to the judging and I came back to the dorm to find the girls crowded around the ofrenda trying to resist the urge to dig in.  Finally everything was distributed and cleaned up and they were off to bed.  School began again the next day so thankfully it was an early night.