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Dia de los muertos altar coco5/16/2023 ![]() ![]() However, I experienced it as a time of intrigue for the majority of the tourists including myself who were present this night. It is a time of celebration and remembrance for the families. Each brought similar sentiments as the first, with various types of music and food, and of course, mezcal. This night of Muertos continued at two more panteónes. The deep significance of the celebration for those who were there was clear to me. Thousands of shining lights dancing in the night lined the gravestones. Candles and flowers completely engulfed the panteón. Others present were clearly tourists, evidenced primarily by the large black cameras slung around their necks, spending more time trying to ‘capture’ the moment rather than experience it. ![]() While other times merrily chatting with others, holding a glass of mezcal, sometimes singing. They would sit around the grave of a long lost family member, typically in silence. Local Oaxacans filed up and down the pathways coming to meet their families at the tombs. It was packed as I tried to navigate the graveyard. There were decorations, people in costumes, painted faces and more. Vendors selling various warm drinks and beer lined the streets. Live music blasted into the stand-still of people trying to access the panteón (graveyard). Although it was pushing 10:00pm by the time we arrived, the town of Xoxocotlán was alive and celebrating in full force. The night of October 31st our entire group went to visit some of the local graveyards in the surrounding area of Oaxaca. The spirit of Muertos was one of continuous excitement and flurried activity. Pan de Muerto (a traditional bread sold during Muertos) also began to emerge throughout the city bakeries. Photo Credit: James Krick.Īs the celebration approached, the Cultural Institute of Oaxaca, my academic home here in Oaxaca, began decorating with altars, offerings and calaveras (skulls). James with women with painted faces at the panteón in Xoxocotlán. It was a different scene from what I began to see in the rest of the city. In fact, our family hosted a Halloween party filled with music, drinks, and costumes. The experience in my household was much more of a Halloween celebration than that of Muertos. Instead, the weeks prior to the celebration consisted of my 23-year-old host brother decorating the house with fake cobwebs, a plethora of spooky dolls, and various other Halloween-themed items: from grim reapers to fake blood. I expected an elaborate altar filled with marigolds or cempasúchil, food, and photos of deceased relatives. There’s a certain intimacy surrounding the spirit of Muertos in México.įrom my own experience living with a host-family here, Muertos was different than I anticipated. Here in Oaxaca, celebrations range from decorating a large altar or ofrenda in one’s house to spending the evening with deceased loved ones in the cemetery. These individualized experiences and celebrations vary widely across México. While arduous to describe, it is a unique cultural event that holds special significance for each person and community. The week is filled with events that unite Oaxaca, including plays, live concerts, and daily parades. It’s a community effort with preparations beginning weeks beforehand and lots of behind the scenes work. ![]() Photo Credit: James Krick.ĭía de los Muertos is a holiday in Oaxaca, México that brings together the community in a week of celebrations, festivals, and gatherings. Altar de Muertos at an evening celebration in el Barrio de Xochimilco. ![]()
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