Día de los Muertos on Isla Mujeres

Inside the two Isla Mujeres cemeteries freshly cleaned and painted tombs are adorned with bright flowers, plus flickering candles, favourite foods, personal possessions, and photographs.

It’s time to celebrate, to share a graveside meal, and to remember the departed.

The Day of the Dead (People) begins on October 31^st. It includes November 1st, the Day of the Dead for children and November 2^nd the Day of the Dead for adults. Hanal Pixán, as the Mayas call it, translates as ‘food of the souls’. It is a 3000 year-old Mayan tradition that was integrated into the Catholic Church rituals as the La Día de los Muertos in the mid 1500’s. 

San Miguel de Allende 

 La Día de los Muertos is normally a private family celebration, but more recently it has become a public event drawing a huge number of visitors to nearby Mérida and other cities such as San Miguel de Allende.

A Facebook friend recently asked if there were any activities planned on Isla for the Día de los Muertos. I had to reply “I don’t know.” City organized events tend to be advertised very last minute, so maybe or maybe not.

 Although last year for the first time the Jean Piaget private school sponsored a silent parade, the Festival de los Animas. It was fascinating to see the students and public figures beautifully dressed as dignified dead people.

They silently walked the length of the busy Hidalgo Avenue past bustling restaurants and bars, culminating at the Casa de Cultura with a public display of altars or ofrendas.

Festival de las Animas

We put up an altar at our house in remembrance of our parents; Lawrie’s and his sister Linda’s, brother-in-law Richard Grierson’s, plus my parents.

A few years ago we had a neighbourhood gathering to celebrate our friends’ parents as well. The years have flown past so quickly and now many of us unfortunately find ourselves representing the oldest generation in our families.

One of our 'ofrendas' - the food was added later

There are no set in stone rules for building a La Día de los Muertos altar, but it should at least incorporate the basics. If you can, include an archway to represent the passage between life and death. The archway can be made of something light and flexible and covered with flowers.

Then add candles to light the way. Marigold flowers, to attract the souls of your loved-ones. A glass of water to quench the thirst of the spirits (although beer or tequila seems to be an acceptable option). A few personal trinkets, toys and chocolate for children plus photos of the people you are honoring. If you live in Mexico don’t forget to include the pan de Muertos a special bread available at most grocery stories and bakeries at this time of the year. Add other favourite foods to feed the hungry souls, and burn incense to chase away bad spirits.

Yani Medina - traditional Mayan meal for the celebration.

The altars are traditionally set up in three levels by using a series of empty boxes and crates covered over with a large table cloth or material. The number of levels depends on the personal beliefs of the altar designer. Two levels might symbolize heaven and earth, while three would represent heaven, purgatory and earth. Some altars include seven levels to represent the seven steps to Heaven.

Whatever your personal beliefs the basic idea is to create display that celebrates your loved ones.

Until next week,

Cheers from paradise

Lynda & Lawrie

Now available in paperback on Amazon!

Book #2 in the Isla Mujeres Mystery Series

5.0 out of 5 stars

Fast and furious

By CA reviews on September 26, 2017

Yasmin and Jessica are back and the gold they found in Treasure Isla is still haunting them, especially when Carlos, their boss at the Loco Lobo, and Yasmin’s new lover, is kidnapped. No spoilers here, but his captivity and the girls’ efforts to free him, with the help of Carlos’s pals—including local Isla Mujeres fishermen and a Mexico City cop—are the crux of this fast-paced story. Lock has created not only a compelling and authentic setting, but a well-developed ensemble cast. The next Isla mystery can’t come fast enough.

Dia de Muertos

Day of the Dead parade in Spectre 2015 

It’s a case of life imitating art. 

The most recent James Bond film, Spectre, released in November 2015 has an explosive beginning in Mexico City.  The famous British spy chases a bad guy through the historic downtown district while thousands enjoy a Day of the Dead parade. 

It was a fake parade, created just for the movie.

"Now,” according to the Minister of Tourism, “we’ve had to invent the Day of the Dead carnival because, after the James Bond movie, tourists will be looking for the carnival and they're not going to find it,” Enrique de la Madrid Cordero said when speaking to a convention of travel agents.

San Miguel de Allende - 2008, L Lock photo

In Mexico, November 1st honors children and infants "Día de los Inocentes”, and adults are honored on November 2nd as "Día de los Muertos".  The Day of the Dead (People) celebrations in Mexico can be traced back to the Olmec, Zapotec, Mixtec, Mexican or Aztec, Maya, P'urhépecha, and Totonac.  

Rituals celebrating the deaths of ancestors have been observed by these people for as long as 2500–3000 years.  In the pre-Hispanic-era, it was common to keep skulls as trophies and display them during the rituals to symbolize death and rebirth.  The Dia de los Muertos celebrations include building private altars honoring the deceased, using sugar skulls, marigolds, and the favorite foods and beverages of the departed and visiting graves with these as gifts.  Some families leave a pillow and blanket outside the family home to provide a resting place for their loved ones.  In many places people have picnics at the gravesite of their family members.

Beauty-School altar Yucatan Living

Many tourists seeking a Day of the Dead experience head for rural indigenous communities in states such as Michoacán where cemeteries overflow with flowers, candles, color, and emotion.  

In Morelia, the capital of Michoacán state, it is evolving into a huge tourist attraction.  Nuevo San Juan Parangaricutiro better known as San Juan Nuevo, located 15 minutes from the city Uruapan features lighting of candles, release of balloons and floating candles, Passage of the Souls walk, a costume contest, music and art.  Closer to home, in Mérida the Passage of the Souls walk has grown to over fifty thousand participants. 

Here on Isla the municipality has created several new events to attract tourists to the Día de los Muertos.

Getty Images - Yucatan Expat

October 29^th will feature Flamenco Dancers at the Casa de la Cultura esplanda, that’s the area behind the building facing the ocean. 

October 30^th is the Magical Night of the Souls in the main square by City Hall, with troupes of folkloric dancers.

On November 2^nd The Parade of Silence, for the passage of the souls begins at the old cemetery at the north end of Hidalgo Avenue at six in the evening.  The route will take the participants down Hidalgo to Lopez Mateos and then culminate at the Casa de la Cultura.

But, please remember folks, it’s not Halloween.  It is a very intimate and personal way of conquering death, by bringing back dead loved ones for a visit with the family. 

November 2nd Festival de las Animas 

Join in the celebrations, but please be respectful of the customs. 

Cheers from paradise

Lynda & Lawrie

You are not in Kansas anymore

Night of the Kings Isla Mujeres M Watt photo

The great thing about being an ex-pat, living in another country, is the adventure.  

Different food, different language, and different customs – and it sure the hell isn’t exactly like “home.”  But that’s what makes the experience so enjoyable.

We grimace when we hear ex-pats criticize their new country, and I don’t just mean folks that have recently moved here to Isla, I mean any ex-pat in any country.  Unless you hold a valid passport for your new country you are not a citizen, you are a guest: plain and simple.  You are allowed to be in that country at the pleasure of the government.  Enjoy the experience for what it is!

Here’s some of the fun differences you will find in Mexico:

Did you know that gift giving at Christmas is not a widespread tradition in Mexico?

Lawrie with Jordan Kowalchuk, 2000 in Canada

The traditional day for gift giving is January 6^th the Night of the Kings, when the three wise men purportedly arrived in Bethlehem with gifts for the baby Jesus.  

Gift giving at Christmas only gained in popularity with the advent of television marketing and the influx of American and Canadian visitors.  Beleaguered parents must now purchase gifts for both Christmas and the Night of the Kings.  It’s a financial challenge for the parents, but a great score for the kids!

Did you know that the Cinco de Mayo celebrations are generally ignored in Mexico?

The Cinco de Mayo, 5^th of May, has been celebrated in California since 1863 when Mexican miners, who were working in northern California, learned that 4000 Mexican troops had defeated 8000 invading French troops at Puebla Mexico.  The French had conquered the important port of Veracruz in 1861 on the east coast and had then moved overland to invade Mexico City.  They were finally stopped and defeated by the Mexican troops at Puebla.  

At the time the Battle of Puebla took place in 1863 the United States was occupied with their Civil War.  France has hoped to establish a presence in Mexico so that they could support the Confederate Army in their battle with the U.S. Union forces.  The Mexican, working in California, were so overjoyed at the news of their country’s successful defeat of the French forces, they fired off rifle shots and sang patriotic songs.  By the 1930’s, in the United States, Cinco de Mayo was seen as a celebration of the Mexican culture.  The holiday didn’t come into US national prominence until the 1980’s when beer company marketers, primarily Corona, capitalized on the celebration and it grew in popularity in areas like Los Angeles, Houston, Chicago, and San Jose.

Did you know that Halloween and The Day of the Dead are not the same?

Lynda & Lawrie

Halloween is believed to have originated in Ireland as a pagan celebration in appreciation of the afterlife, of survival, of continuing to be alive while others have died.  It is the day when the door to the afterlife is open.  Halloween has since evolved into a festival of funny costumes, parties, and trick-or-treating.

The Day of the Dead, Día de los Muertos, originated in Mexico around 3500 years ago.  It is a celebration in remembrance of friends and family who have passed on.  Celebrated over three days it is an important family event.  October 31^st the angelitos, spirits of dead children, are invited back to visit their families.  November 1^st is for the adult spirits, and November 2^nd is All Souls Day when families visit the cemeteries to decorate the graves of their relatives.  

Trick-or-treating is not part of the Day of the Dead celebrations.  But kids are always happy to embrace a new idea, especially one that includes candy.

 

Flowers for Day of the Dead

Did you know that Mexico is part of North America? 

It’s strange how most ex-pats or tourists think just of Canada and the USA when referring to North America.  Mexico is part of North America.  Central America starts at the southern border of Mexico and includes Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama.   And South America, well it is that really, really big continent south of Central America.  

The oldest permanent European settlements in North America are thought to be Mexico City settled by Spanish in the 1520’s, Port Royal in Nova Scotia Canada settled by French in 1605, and Jamestown Virginia USA settled by English in 1607.  That makes Mexican traditions about a hundred years older than Canadian or American traditions. 

Cooking with Abuelita Angelita, FaceBook photo

So now you know a bit more about Mexico, and hopefully our internet research is reasonably correct.  

Celebrate the differences and embrace your new adventure whole-heartedly.  Learn a bit about local customs, try different foods, attempt to learn the language even if you stumble and make a mess of the words.  

Try these fun adventures:

Spanish + English classes and Boot Camps in Isla Mujeres, taught by Christy Dix. 

Or learn Mexican cooking with Christy’s mother-in-law, Abuelita Angelita.   Both ladies can be found on Facebook.

 

Spanish Boot Camp with Christy Dix - FB photo

Live, laugh and enjoy!  Life is too damn short to be grumpy about little annoyances!

Hasta Luego

Lynda & Lawrie

A witches’ brew of traditions

Pink-haired rock stars and pretty devils

It’s the time of year when devils, skeletal Catrinas, pink-haired rock stars and hobgoblins make an appearance – in a witches’ brew of celebrations and traditions; the Mexican Dia de los Muertos, combined with our North American Halloween, and the very spiritual Mayan celebration of Hanal Pixán.   

It’s a fascinating time of year to be in Mexico.

Recent breakfast at Naval Officers' Club

October is also when the current Navy Commodore’s wife hosts the annual costume-party breakfast at the Officers’ Club on Medina Avenue.  Doña Olivia, along with her right-hand person Susana Olvera, did an outstanding job this year.  

The monthly breakfast event is an important fundraiser that helps purchase equipment and furnishings for the Navy hospital on Isla Mujeres.  

Minnie Mouse

It’s a fun time to visit with seldom-seen friends, and make new acquaintances.  Then breakfast is served, raffle prizes drawn, and sometimes a version of flash-card bingo is played.  The Gringa population informally refers to the event as The Navy Wives’ Breakfast because the longer Spanish name is a mouthful of difficult consonants and unfamiliar words. 

This year Minnie Mouse put in an appearance at the costume party.  Wearing over-sized yellow shoes she stumbled her way to the door.  Peering through eye-holes in the giant head she was greeted by scary hunchbacks, devils, and the Scream Ghostface man.  The room was jammed.   Everyone participated in the crazy fun by wearing costumes and disguises.  A huge amount of effort had gone into the decorations with black and orange balloons, table cloths, napkins, Halloween themed food and a pumpkin-faced cake.

Mariachis band - ten musicians

There was a short video presentation showing the various items at the hospital that had been purchased in the past year by the fundraising efforts of the women.  

Then a ten-person mariachi band played some great tunes and the door prizes were drawn.  At our table of fourteen women, islander Gail Stewart was the lucky one to win a prize. 

Our table at the breakfast

If any of your island friends ask if you would like to go to the Navy Wives’ Breakfast – say Si!  You will have a fun time, and be contributing back to the island.  

Sue McDonald Lo is a great source for information and tickets.  Minnie Mouse is already planning her costume for next October!

As for the rest of the witches’ brew of traditions, the city is hosting a number of events to draw visitors into the local celebrations.  

Friday October 30^th is the Paseo de las Ánimas – the Parade of the Souls starting around 6:00 in the evening at the older cemetery in centro and finishing at the recently completed Casa de la Cultura – Cultural Center. 
 

Altars - Photo from FB Naranja Dulce

On Saturday October 31^st in the square at city hall there will be a mix of traditions: the judging of Halloween-style costumes for children, and the building of beautiful altars for the Mayan Hanal Pixán celebrations.  

The altars are traditionally decorated with candles, candy skulls, bright yellow Marigold petals, favourite foods and photographs of the deceased loved ones.   The Municipality of Isla Mujeres has until recently been very low-key on this important celebration, preferring to let the families privately honor their deceased loved ones. 

San Miguel de Allende

I have mixed feeling about making it a public event.  In San Miguel de Allende, closer to Mexico City, the amazing altars, offerings and decorations are a huge tourist draw.  We were there, accidentally, in 2008; the sight is breathtakingly beautiful. 

But a part of me thinks this should remain a private family event, not a tourist attraction. 

Still, it is a fascinating time of the year to be in Mexico.  We can’t think of anywhere else we would like to be right now.

Cheers from paradise!

Lynda & Lawrie

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Silly fun and sacred rituals

Sponge Bob and Spider-person

Halloween: it’s the one time of year when perfectly normal people happily make fools of themselves - playing dress-up!  Lawrie and I love costume parties, especially when there is enthusiastic participation of other friends in the zany fun. In previous lives we have worn some unusual outfits.

One year I was an armless-pumpkin requiring assistance to sip a drink through a straw.  Lawrie, on the other hand, was fetchingly attired in a green gingham dress.  Another year I was a bruised up accident victim, and he was the attending doctor.  More recently we were a pirate wench and a headless butler, followed by Miss Piggy and Elmo.  For the third year in a row, Curtis and Ashley Blogin hosted their annual costume party for invited guests at Villa la Bella.    

Sponge Bob and Spider-person who didn't have a clue!

This year my date was a very handsome Sponge Bob, while I was attired as Spider-person.  I had a slight costume-failure, arriving at the party wearing my costume backwards.  Apparently getting dressed without the aid of a mirror or without looking at the end result before heading out to a party is a very bad idea.  Sponge Bob was of no assistance with wardrobe advice as he couldn’t see his own feet, never mind what I was wearing. 

Sponge Bob also had a slight physical challenge; he could not reach his mouth with a beverage container so he cleverly inserted a length of clear plastic tubing up his arm, and into his mouth to aid with the consumption of a beer or two.  

 

Richard and Linda Grierson

 Halloween or All Hallows Eve is still a relatively unknown tradition in Mexico.  The dress-up, trick-or-treat customs originated in Europe and the British Isles and were brought to North America by settlers. Eventually the traditions found their way into parts of Mexico via television and stores like Wal-Mart, Sam’s Club and Costco.  Immediately following Halloween are two very important Mexican national celebrations. 

 

November 1^st Día de los Inocentes honors children, and November 2nd Día de los Muertos honors adults.  In Mexico the rituals and celebrations venerating ancestors can be traced back about 3000 years to the Olmec, Aztec, and Maya civilizations.

 

The Día de los Muertos celebrations include building private altars using sugar skulls, marigolds, favorite foods and beverages of the departed.  Some families leave a pillow and blanket outside the door to provide a resting place for their loved ones.  In many settlements people have picnics at the gravesite of their family members, including the departed in the feast. 




The holiday is celebrated joyfully with food, music, or parades with elaborate costumes in the bigger cities.  The emphasis is on honoring the lives of the dead, rather than fearing evil or malevolent spirits.

Flowers being delivered via UltraMar for Day of the Dead

Our traditional North American Halloween merriments are small in comparison to the Día de los Muertos celebrations – but various North American and European symbols such as witches, pumpkins, vampires, bats and black cats are slowly permeating the Mexican festivities. 

 

We have recently started to participate in the Día de los Muertos rituals.  We have a small altar in the kitchen, decorated with photos of our parents, flowers and candles and mementos.  Just something to remind us of those special people. 

It is a fun time of year with the costume parties, and a contemplative time remembering our family members.

Special thank you to Ashley Blogin, Joyce Urzada, Richard and Linda Grierson for supplying the photos of the Halloween party. 

Halloween & Day of the Dead



Our neighbourhood monsters!

 When you combine the cultures of England, Canada, the USA, and Mexico you get a one-night celebration that turns into a week of candy mooching and fun, mixed in with ancient family rituals honoring their dead relatives.  The Halloween that most North Americans are familiar with is, of course, October 31st, or in some parts of the USA such as Ohio, there is also the added celebration of Beggar’s Night on October 30th.  Here, our European-North American celebration is followed by the two Mexican national holidays, the Day of the Dead for children on November 1st and the Day of the Dead for adults observed on November 2nd.  

Rituals celebrating the lives of dead ancestors had been performed by the cultures of the Olmec, Zapotec, Mixtec, Aztec, Maya, and Totonac civilizations for at least 3,000 years.   It was common practice to keep skulls and display them during rituals to symbolize death and rebirth.  The festival which was to become El Día de los Muertos fell on the ninth month of the Aztec Solar Calendar, near the start of August, and was celebrated for the entire month.


El Día de los Muertos in San Miquel de Allende

When the Spanish Conquistadors arrived in Central America in the 15th century they were shocked at the existing pagan practices, and in an attempt to convert the locals to Catholicism moved the popular festival to the beginning of November to coincide with the All Saints and All Souls days.  All Saints' Day is the day after Halloween, which was in turn based on the earlier pagan ritual of Samhain, the Celtic day and feast of the dead.  So the question is - which culture actually started this interesting celebration?

Sugar Skulls on sale - photo credit R&L Grierson

The Day of the Dead holiday is celebrated joyfully in Mexico with food, music, parades in the bigger cities, and elaborate costumes.  The mood is much lighter than Halloween, with the emphasis on celebrating and honoring the lives of the dead, rather than fearing evil or malevolent spirits. 

My favourite place to be at this time of year is in San Miguel de Allende in the mountains closer to Mexico City.  This city really celebrates the occasion.

Walking around the downtown area of San Miguel is the best way to discover a number of the beautiful private altars dedicated to deceased family members.   The public display in the town square in front of the cathedral is decorated with thousands of colourful paper flags, similar to the “snowflakes” that we made in grade school with paper and blunt-nosed scissors.   In a separate market off the square there are many stalls of vendors selling a multitude of candles, and a huge selection of offerings for the altars. 



Day of the Dead decorations on a tomb

 Here on Isla Mujeres the families celebrate the event in a similar fashion, but not with the beautiful public displays that are in the centre of San Miguel.  We have a three or four-day long “trick or treat” barrage from the various island kids.  They start around October 31st trick-or-treating at houses and businesses until November 2nd or 3rd, sometimes the 4th.  Whenever the whim strikes them.   As with most kids they like candy as their reward, however peso coins are also happily accepted.  We typically see various small groups of kids out and about with older siblings, or a parent, collecting goodies but nothing like the all out attack by hundreds of costumed monsters and space aliens that invade our Canadian and American neighbourhoods every Halloween. 

A number of the kids wear simple costumes of face paint and dark clothes – done up to resemble devils, or skulls.  There are Halloween costumes for sale in all of the bigger department stores but they are not as popular as in the USA and Canada.   (In our previous neighbourhood in Summerland BC, Canada, our adult neighbours took great delight in trick-or-treating with a glass of wine in hand, knocking on various doors asking for more wine.  Very civilized in my opinion!) 


Two more neighbourhood monsters!

 By November 1st the graveyards will be awash in beautiful flowers, simple bouquets or fancy arrangements some in fresh flowers and some in plastic.  Walking through the various neighbourhoods is a great way to see the family alters decorated with photos, toys, candles, candy, sugar skulls, bottles of tequila or beer, hot food in pretty dishes, and marigolds, lots of marigolds as this particular flower it thought to attract the souls of the dead towards the offerings.  Some families leave a pillow and blanket outside the family home to provide a resting place for their loved ones.  In many places, including Isla Mujeres, people have picnics at the gravesite of their family members.  It's an event that I so much want to take photos of, but because this is such an emotionally private time for families, I have to keep my distance and respect their privacy.  We truly enjoy the blending and mixing of various cultures.

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