Happy Halloween and
Día de los Muertos (”Day of the Dead”)!
You are more
than halfway done with your semester. You are probably exhausted, overworked,
and drowning in everything you have to do before the week is out. At the same time, you’re being asked to start
thinking about the next semester. It can
be overwhelming. But, to be honest, you’ve
been there, last semester, and the semester before that, and the semester
before that…
Let’s take a
slightly different turn, consider a tradition of San Antonio, and many other
cities with a large Latino population.
That is La Día
de los Muertos. While it sounds a little morbid, the holiday
is more about reflecting upon loved ones who have passed away, and celebrating
the life that we’re living now. Dia
de los Muertos honors the
dead with festivals and lively celebrations, a typically Latin American custom
that combines indigenous Aztec ritual with Catholicism, brought to the region
by Spanish conquistadores. (Dia de los
Muertos is celebrated on All Saints Day and All Souls Day, minor holidays
in the Catholic calendar.)
On November 1, many
people create ofrendas—small,
colorful, personal altars honoring their loved ones. Ofrendas often have
flowers, candles, photos, favorite food and drink, and personal mementos of the
person being remembered. A common symbol
of the holiday is the calavera
(skull). Sugar skulls as gifts can be given to both the living and the dead.
Other holiday foods include pan de muerto,
a sweet egg bread made in various shapes from plain rounds to skulls and
rabbits, often decorated with white frosting to look like twisted bones.
While not as large as
Fiesta, San Antonio’s celebration of Dia de los Muertos is widespread.
Here's a link to just some of the festivities:
http://muertosfest.com/home/home.html.
Sometimes the best
way to negotiate an overwhelming situation is to step away from it for an hour
or two, and come back refreshed. I hope
you take a chance to get into San Antonio proper and celebrate being alive!
Cheers,
Dr. M
