I had always been fascinated by this unusual Mexican celebration of life after death. More commonly known as “Dias de los Muertos” – Day of the Dead. But, it is the night when the real action happens.
Before the Spaniards arrived, it used to be celebrated in the entire month of August, but the Spaniards in order to coincide with All Saints Day, moved the date to Nov. 1st. Now it is celebrated on Oct. 31st and Nov. 1st.
I got a chance to visit Tzintzuntzan, a small village on the shore of Patzcuaro lake in the state of Michoacan to document this old tradition. Tzintzuntzan, the land of the Purhepecha’s was the capital of the Tarascan empire until it was conquered by the Spaniards in the 1520s. The name Tzintzuntzan comes from the P'urhépecha language, meaning “place of the hummingbirds.” A lot of the natives still speak the old Purhepechan language.
Most of the festivities begin later in the evening, when the parade runs through the main city block. Families carry huge wooden hoards covered with marigold flowers and pictures of their loved one’s. The parade ends at the door steps of the town church and moves inside where the head priest takes over from there. The Church was not in the original tradition but got induced by the Spaniards.
As soon as the church services end, the cultural program begins, which involves talent shows and rich traditional dances by the little ones to the elderly. The traditional Aztec ball game of fire is played in the middle of the night. This game is played next to the “yácatas”, which are semi-circular pyramids. This is a special ball made of animal skin which is lit on fire and played with something that looks like a hockey stick. During the Aztec era, whichever team won the game were sacrificed to the Gods and was considered sacred and holy.
At the end of the night everyone retreats into the cemetery. The cemeteries which often represent a dead view by the world, suddenly looks alive with millions of candle light and people hovering around them. It is not only beautiful but a very spiritual experience. Family members gather around the tombstones often singing, sharing jokes or sometimes just being there quietly. They believe that on Oct31st night is when the children and the unmarried return followed by adults on Nov1st night.
It is a night to remember.
Noche de los Muertos
Posted by Uday K Labels: Celebration, Cultural, Day of the Dead, Mexico, Michoacan, Patzcuaro, Tzintzuntzan
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10 comments:
Uday, thanks for sharing your experiences. Your presentation magically transports the viewer to the candle lit graveyard. Congratulations.
Cheers,
Atul
Uday,
Beautiful colorful tradition and a equally brilliant capture!Must have been an excellent experience.
The pictures do all the talking dude. Brilliant work! Congrats for getting such an opportunity and thanks for sharing the same with us. With my 2 years stint in Mexico I couldn't witness this :(
Very well done Uday. I really enjoyed all of the images. The night shots in particular were exceptional.
Uday,
Hats off - a great project executed with great finesse! The pictures are wonderful and truly make the whole experience come alive for the viewer. I especially loved the night shots.
If you take requests, please do a similar feature on the Yakshagana tradition of south Kanara! I've seen the plays as a kid and would sit enthralled through the night as they portrayed the Indian epics - I can still recall the crowds, the rough mats and leaves we would sit on and the sounds and lights on stage - even the roasted peanuts we would buy and shell throughout the night!
Thanks for sharing this project! God bless!
Arti
Awe-some work! Very well narated. Thanks for sharing. Good luck with the Ecuador project.
Jayanth
brilliant. I like your voice over too
I have to let you know how proud you made me as mexican and as your friend with this project.
You captured the core of the biggest and more important tradition in Mexico and made possible for everybody to feel what "dia de muertos" is all about.
As mexican, I thank you for showing the world the truth of our traditions. As a friend I thank you for those amazing "full of life in the middle of the dead" pictures and audio that i enjoyed so much.
Uday. Wonderful piece of work. How true that a photograph says thousand words. You might have had a good time capturing those moments. Thanks for sharing and keep the photos coming.
Fantastic night shots! and what a privilege to have experienced that evening. I was raised in a family that never visited the cemetary to visit our dead relatives; but I'm intrigued & moved by the grave goods and shrines that people leave for their loved ones. El Dia De Los Muertos is the ultimate celebration of the ancestors - I envy both your talent & the fact you were able to experience it personally. Thanks for sharing.
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