Obsession with the Devil: How Latin America Celebrates Death
If any of you missed Halloween this year, let us break down what likely happened: the girls walked around in no more than a bra and panties and pretended they were cops, sailors, nurses or some sort of pre-packaged ho-in-a-bag (maybe the origin of the expression “ho-bag”). Now the guys, well they thought they were clever by dressing as something related to balls and dicks (some just got lazy and went as balls and dicks). Everyone got drunk, took pictures and had random sex with other costumed individuals.
The idea of Halloween is an Americanized version of an old Irish tradition of dressing in costumes, trick-or-treating, eating apples swinging from doorknobs and baking fortune-telling fruity cake called barmbak. Underneath all the fluff, Halloween is historically about honoring the dead. Latinos cut right to the core and preserve this idea better than we do. They make their respective “Halloweens” all about death. This makes them look like they’re obsessed with the devil but we reckon they don’t give a fuck. Their celebrations happen in November and far surpass our own quick salute in the devil’s direction. Here is how the Latinos do it up:
Mexico
“Dia de los Muertos”
To Americans, the Mexican Day of the Dead celebrations are probably the most familiar out of the Latin American worship of the dead traditions.We turn again to our favorite Mexican who not only knows a great deal about swine flu, she gives us an interesting take on the Dia de los Muertos celebrations in Guadalajara, we asked:
OTP: How do people in Guadalajara celebrate Dia de los Muertos?
Esmeralda: Dia de los Muertos is a big celebration everywhere in Mexico. It is celebrated on November 2nd. Some of the traditions include building altars with pictures of the dead person, using flowers, colors, sugar skulls, and the favorite foods and beverages of the departed. We also put some of the things that the ancestors liked like for example music, soccer balls, etc. We also visit commentaries and bring food, flowers and sometimes Mariachi. What we try to demonstrate is that we are not afraid of death and we see it as a way to remember and party with our departed. So we feel that they are still here with us.
This tradition has lived on for centuries and connects the living with their dead in an interesting way. No slutty police women here!
Peru
This festival takes place the week before November 5th on the banks of Lake Titicaca (not a name that translates well in English). The traditional dances (complete with dangling red crucifixes) are rumored to be led by the devil himself. Uniformed in feathers and elaborate (and damn scary) face masks, devil dancers perform traditional dances dedicated to Satan. A few ideas about the origins of this festival exist. The one we find most convincing: This region of Peru is mostly a mining area and workers spend much time underground. According to ancient Incan beliefs, Satan lives underground making the mine workers very vulnerable to his powers due to their daily proximity. The festival is designed to honor Satan, thus keeping the workers safe. They even pour drinks on the ground for his consumption (talk about one for the hommies).
Brazil
Dia de Finados
We already know Brazilians love to dress up (or dress down since they’re mostly naked). They do it up extra special for their worship of the dead festival, Dia de Finados. Also known as “All Souls Day”, this festival rips up the streets of Rio on November 1 and 2 every year. It originates from the Catholic notion of praying for the souls of the departed. Brazil steps it up a notch by creating other-worldly altars and costumes to commemorate the souls of their past.
Guatamala
Todos Santos Cuchumatan
The Guatamalan version is called Todos Santos Cuchumatan. While the idea of worshipping the dead remains the same, they throw kite flying into the mix. Kites are symbols of childhood and hope. Accordingly, Guatamalans fly their kites on November 1st to commemorate the souls of dead children (gruesome, we know). These are not little dinky Toy-R-Us type kites either. Towering to the size of ferris wheels, it takes several men to get these things in the air.
Ecuador
Dia de los Difuntos
Dia de los Difuntos is the name of the game here and it’s all about food. We’re not talking steak and eggs here; rather, GuaGuas de pan (or, for those not well-versed in Ecuadorian, “bread babies”). Yes, bread babies are paired with a deep burgundy drink called Colada Morada (baby blood maybe?). With this odd symbolic food in hand, Ecuadorians have picnics in cemeteries to honor their disfuntos (or deceased; they stay away from the term “muertos” or dead, as they find it too crude for their tastes). Want to watch people make bread babies? Scroll down this page and enjoy.
Nicaragua
Nicaraguans take “rest in peace” to a whole new level. While they perform similar traditions to their other Latin American counterparts (i.e. decorate graves, bring food and set up alters to honor the dead), they also often sleep at the gravesites of their deceased. The idea is that by sleeping with the dead, Nicaraguans reinforce the emotional connection they hold with those loved ones that have passed. Whatever the reasoning, we give them a big thumbs up for ballsiness.
Bolivia
Best for last as always. Ready? Bolivians celebrate their version of the Day of the Dead by keeping the skulls of their loved ones calling it the “Day of the Skulls”. Not just making skulls out of paper but real-deal-holyfield human bone skulls! These decaying heads are brought out each year on November 8th and taken to the cemetery where Bolivians feed them, give them cigarettes and booze. Keeping and entertaining the skulls of their deceased is seen as a way for the dead to be immortalized. They believe the skulls of their ancestors protect the living by warding off evil spirits. Word of advice when visiting Bolivians: don’t go digging in their fridge if you scare easily.
In our egocentric society, worship of the dead (our Halloween) is all about us. Latin America diverts the attention to those that have passed instead. Point is, we all think about death in different ways. Some of us dress up as whores and testicles while others fly kites, build altars and sleep at the cemetery. Maybe next Halloween, you can check out the darker side of the ritual by visiting Latin America (or you can dress like a testicle again, whatever).
Written By: Anna Starostinetskaya
1 Comment
AWESOME ! VERY INTERESTING.