In a fight between Halloween and Day of the Dead, Dia de los Muertos gets the K.O. in my book.
In case you are unfamiliar with the
Dia de los Muertos holiday, we will turn to one of the Internet's
least reliable sources,
Wikipedia:
The Day of the Dead (El Día de los Muertos or All Souls' Day) is a holiday celebrated in Mexico and by Latin Americans living in the United States and Canada. The holiday focuses on gatherings of family and friends to pray for and remember friends and family members who have died. The celebration occurs on November 1st and 2nd in connection with the Catholic holiday of All Saints' Day which occurs on November 1st and All Souls' Day which occurs on November 2nd. Traditions 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.
Now, I've never had the pleasure of attending a real, live Dia de los Muertos celebration. It's definitely on the long-term to do list. However, I have experienced a good 30 Halloweens now, and here's my list of why Halloween, well, bites:
1. Selfishness. It's a day for kids to run around to all the neighbors' homes demanding candy, and expecting to get it if the neighbor is at home. Said neighbor has no choice in the matter, regardless of how much higher candy prices are than normal.
2. Trickery. How many November 1sts have YOU experienced where there weren't splotches of orange smeared across streets as far as the eye can see? Those poor, defenseless pumpkins were ripped from their nice, comfortable front porches and hurled to their deaths. Not cool.
3. Deceit. Masks, wigs, make up, and strange clothing. It's a holiday where anything goes, especially with regard to clothing. How are we supposed to know that the man in the corner wielding the axe is really a civil servant, or that the milk maid with the low top and the short skirt is really a 46-year-old mother of 5? I suppose that it's a day for us all to live out our fantasies, which I can appreciate, but I don't enjoy being hit in the head by a kid in a mask who thinks that putting a mask on gives him the freedom to attack complete strangers in the streets.
4. Sexism. It's nearly impossible to go to a costume shop and find an interesting costume for a woman that doesn't require her putting on a show. I mean, when was the last time you saw a bumble bee collecting pollen with that much cleavage hanging out? And how is Bat Girl supposed to fight the forces of evil in a tube top? Why don't more men wear tight leather pants and tank tops? Don't you think that should be a requirement for male costumes, even if it's a costume portraying a gorilla? I understand that women play into the sexism by buying and wearing these costumes, but keep in mind that we've grown up watching our mothers and their friends dressing like this. Not to mention that these are the vast majority of affordable costumes on the market. And considering that 2/3 of the American population is either overweight or obese...
5. Sugar highs. Another post for another time, but needless to say, my daughter turned into a demon child today, and both her little church friends and her mother had to suffer for this. I still have pink handprints on my face from one of this morning's run ins, and the poor little girl with the blonde pigtails probably still has teeth marks on her arm.
On to Day of the Dead. Reasons that I L-O-V-E this particular holiday:
1. Happy calaveras:
Our American culture has generally taught us that death is scary and sad. Talking about death is something that only those goth and emo kids do. And they're weirdos for doing it, right?
All it takes is a quick look at our happy, smiling calavera to the left to realize that he's just as happy in death as he probably was in life. And he looks as though he probably passed over to the other side quite some time ago, before even the Mexican Revolution.
I'm guessing that if Hollywood accepted the idea of death as a wonderful, celebrated event rather than as something that is morbid, depressing, and final, we would all be much happier. No more horror films, the war films would likely evoke much different emotions, and we would all smile and cheer instead of cry when someone paid the ultimate price for a friend.
And happy calaveras make for some awesome artwork!
2. Marigolds:
Thought to attract the souls of the dead to the offerings being made by the living, Marigolds are a beautiful reminder of the happy celebrations of the day.
Marigolds are also a favorite because of the way that their bright,
cheerful color compliments the beautiful, traditional handmade fabrics worn by many of the indigenous peoples in southern Mexico where the holiday originates.
3. Reconnections:
Dancing, celebrating, dressing up as the dead, and lighting candles in honor of relatives who have gone before not only allow you to reconnect with your closest living relatives, but it gives you the chance to reconnect with the dead ones as well. Even if you have never before met your great-great grandmother, stories will be told and laughs will be shared that will help you to get an idea of what this great woman was like. You may even get a sense of some of the traits that she passed on to you (who knew that liking purple was genetic?). When we honor our dead, we better understand and connect with them.
4. Family, food, and picnics at the graveyard:
Even better than reminiscing about dead relatives is sharing your dinner with them. Eating Tia Maria's favorite enmoladas is great, but why should she be excluded from the meal? It's honoring her, after all. Dia de los Muertos provides families with the opportunity to bring savory tortillas right to Auntie's final resting place. It isn't morbid or scary to eat on top of her grave. It's generous. And Maria thanks you for it.
5. Sugar skulls:
Awesome.
