Running head: DIA DE LOS MUERTOS VERSUS HALLOWEEN: DEALING WITH DEATH 1
Dia de los Muertos Versus Halloween: Dealing with Death Elizabeth Klein Siena Heights University PCM 330
DIA DE LOS MUERTOS VERSUS HALLOWEEN: DEALING WITH DEATH Introduction In Mexico, on an early November morning, a man meticulously cleans and decorates the tombstone of his fallen child. He believes that today his lost daughter will return to feast with
him, a welcome visit from a dearly departed soul. The seemingly somber tone presiding over this moment is soon eclipsed when meaningful remembrance leads to celebration. The man, along with so many others visiting the graves of their loved ones on this fall morning, are not here today to mourn. They are dead set on celebrating. During the day that follows, a macabre brand of partying erupts in the form of graveyard picnics, skeleton effigies, personalized shrines, candlelit vigils, and nighttime fireworks (Skal, 2002, p. 185). It seems difficult to associate such merrymaking with death, but during Dia de los Muertos, or The Day of the Dead, Mexican culture treats the weighty matter of going six feet under in a manner that is colorful and respectful, but never fearful. In contrast, the closest holiday counterpart that American culture has to Dia de los Muertos is Halloween, a festivity more associated with horror than healing, more with candy than connection. Although Halloween is full of sugar induced fun, Dia de los Muertos trumps the scariness of October 31st because it does more than satisfy sweet tooths; it provides an emotional and psychological benefit for dealing with death. Confronting Death Dia de los Muertos does not dance around death as Halloween often does. Instead, it fully embraces it by visiting loved ones graves. Cruz Villarreal, a Mexico native, stated that pilgrimages to the burial site are how the culture reconnects with its past. Its about reverence to ancestors, and its reflected back in the way they deal with living family. It adds perspective to existence (C. Villarreal, personal communication, May 28, 2013). Halloween, on the other
DIA DE LOS MUERTOS VERSUS HALLOWEEN: DEALING WITH DEATH hand, only tends to add calories to existence. In other words, Dia de los Muertos triumphs over
Halloween because its celebrations make the living think about death and honor their loved ones while doing so. After decorating and personalizing gravesites with such lively items as balloons, mementos, and marigolds, families return home with a greater appreciation of one another and life overall (Skal, 2002, p. 185). To pay respects to death and to those who have been claimed by it acts as a healing process and an eye opener. Many American children bring home excessive amounts of candy after Halloween, but surely not a healthier and more accepting view of life and death. Food and the Holidays Speaking of candy, even the way that Dia de los Muertos deals with food and feasting presents a more meaningful take on death. Customary foods dined upon during the holiday include skull shaped candies featuring the deads names inscribed in frosting, and a special sweet bread called pan de muerto, or bread of the dead. Each loaf of pan de muerto is symbolic of a single soul that has passed in the last year (Walsh, 1998, p. 66). These provisions are not just for the living, they are also for the dead, who are believed to come back and share in the banquet (Skal, 2002, p. 185). This sentiment of food being used to nourish spiritual life and spirits themselves stands in refreshing contrast from Halloween. Traditionally, Halloween candy is only consumed to appease the living, and is obtained in an even more selfish way through trick or treating. Where the Dia de los Muertos asks the living to provide a feast for the dead, Halloween only asks the living to mollify the living. Halloween, therefore, keeps us in our comfort zones when it should take the opportunity to have us contemplate what lies beyond life, as Dia de los Muertos does even through its food.
DIA DE LOS MUERTOS VERSUS HALLOWEEN: DEALING WITH DEATH Costumes, Decorations, and Death Finally, the respective getups that Halloween and the Day of the Dead adorn themselves in could not be more different. While Halloweens imagery distracts with guts and gore, Mexicos death centric holiday remains realistic to remind the living of their mortality. To start off, costumes on Halloween are intended to shock or to be silly. It does not help that the options are often blockbuster movie promotions, scantily clad numbers, or senseless bloody offerings featuring removable limbs and the like. So, although death or at least fatal wounds are referenced, they are still in a way removed from us due to being worn with an intended humor.
Calaveras bypass that comical comfort found in Halloween costumes. Skeleton effigies made of wood or papier-mache, calaveras showcase all manner of human activities, from boxing matches to weddings (Skal, 2002, p. 185). The boldness in showing a skeleton engaged in ordinary or extraordinary events in a human life demonstrates the bravado of the macabre fiesta; calaveras show the humans viewing them that they who have engaged in such activities themselves will someday become bones. Indeed, the imagery the Day of the Dead bestows upon the breathing acts to prepare them for the day when that breathing will cease. Conclusion In the past few decades, a slight overlap has been occurring between Dia de los Muertos and Halloween. Border cities close in proximity to Mexico are especially affected, picking up Dia de los Muertos traditions like painting candy skulls. Likewise, gravesites in Mexico are becoming increasingly adorned with Halloween decorations. This intercultural exchange has received criticism from Mexicans who want to keep their holiday free of American commercialism (Skal, 2002, p. 186-187). It is completely understandable that these individuals
DIA DE LOS MUERTOS VERSUS HALLOWEEN: DEALING WITH DEATH
would want to protect Dia de los Muertos. After all, those who celebrate Dia de los Muertos gain a great amount from tackling death, from the father visiting his dead child to the young baking bread for their long gone grandparents. By giving celebrants the opportunity to confront death while accepting the passings and remembering the lives of those once near and dear to them, Dia de los Muertos prepares individuals for their own demise. And how does Halloween deal with this issue? Well, it only sugarcoats it.
DIA DE LOS MUERTOS VERSUS HALLOWEEN: DEALING WITH DEATH References Skal, D.J. (2002). Death Makes a Holiday: A Cultural History of Halloween. New York: Bloomsbury. Walsh, R. (1998). The bread of the dead. Natural History, 107 (9), 66. Retrieved from http://envoy.lcc.edu:2259/ps/retrieve.do?sgHitCountType=None&sort=DA-
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