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Chicago and Mexico observe Dia de los Muertos: The Day of the Dead
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This ofrenda dedicated to the memory of Arturo Velasquez, Sr. (1915-2009) is part of the Camino a Casa (Coming Home) exhibition at the National Musuem of Mexican Art in Chicago. Velasquez came to the United States from his native Mexico when he was 8. He became a successful businessman, starting Verlasquez Autmoatic Music Co. with a single jukebox in his mother's Chinatown taco shop. He was active in community efforts to improve the lives of Chicago's Latino residents, focusing particularly on education. He was the first Mexican-American to be a trustee for the City Colleges of Chicago. PHOTO: Dennis D. Jacobs
Halloween, of course, derives its name from being the evening before All Saints Day, also called All Hallows. All Saints Day was initiated by Pope Boniface IV in 609 A.D. to commemorate the conversion of the Pantheon in Rome from a pagan place of worship to a Christian church. This event occurred in May, but All Saints Day was later moved to November 1 to combat a popular pagan harvest festival called Samhain. Later, November 2 became All Souls Day, a day to pray for the dearly departed who – unlike the saints celebrated on the previous day – had not yet passed through the gates of Heaven, but were instead consigned to await their fate in purgatory.
Paganism, in this case traced back to an Aztec festival honoring the goddess Mictecacihuatl, also influenced the way All Saints Day and All Souls Day were celebrated in Mexico after the Spanish brought Catholicism to the land in the 1500s. Day of the Dead observances are held in Mexico on both days. November 1 is dedicated primarily to children and is known as Dia de los Inocentes (Day of the Innocents) or Dia de los Angelitos (Day of the Little Angels), while November 2 is Dia de los Muertos or Dia de los Difuntos (Day of the Deceased).
A vendor transports marigolds by boat at a canal in Xochimilco Lake in Mexico City, Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2009. Known as "cempasuchil" in Nahuatl language and "flor de muerto" in Spanish, marigolds are purchased throughout the country each year to adorn traditional Day of the Dead altars.(AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)
Mictecacihuatl was the queen of the underworld in Aztec mythology. Her legacy on The Day of the Dead observances among is evident in the skeletal Catrina figures displayed in many Mexican homes this time of year. The indigenous people of Mexico often kept skulls of the deceased, and the skull is still a prominent symbol of the Day of the Dead and is sometimes used in ofrendas (offerings) built for the occasion.
Ofrendas are created in homes and gravesites and can become quite elaborate to encourage the souls of the departed to communicate with the living. They often include photos and memorabilia, as well as favorite foods of beverages of the dead. The most popular flower used in ofrendas is the marigold, also called in Mexico flor de muerto (flower of the dead).
Examples of ofrendas are on display now through Dec. 13 as part of the special Camino a Casa (Coming Home) exhibit at the National Museum of Mexican Art in Chicago. The museum is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day of the week except Monday and admission is free. It’s located at 1852 W. 19th St. between Damen and Ashland, south of the Eisenhower Expressway and Roosevelt Road and north of the Stevenson Expressway.
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