( - SOE) - Dia de los Muertos or Day of the Dead - 10-20-2010 07:48 PM
More than 500 years ago, when the Spanish Conquistadors landed in what is now Mexico, they encountered natives practicing a ritual that seemed to mock death. The indigenous people had been practicing this ritual for at least 3,000. The Spaniards would try unsuccessfully to eradicate this practice.
Today it is known as Dia de los Muertos or Day of the Dead. Dia de los Muertos is celebrated in Mexico and some parts of the United States. Although it has since been merged with Catholic theology, it still maintains the basic principles of the Aztec ritual, such as the use of skulls. Today, people don wooden skull masks called “calacas” and dance in honor of their deceased relatives. The wooden skulls are also placed on altars that are dedicated to the dead. Sugar skulls, made with the names of the dead on the forehead, are eaten by a relative or friend.
The Aztecs and other Meso-American civilizations kept skulls as trophies and displayed them during the ritual. The skulls were used to symbolize death and rebirth and also to honor the dead, whom they believed came back to visit during the month long ritual. Unlike the Spaniards, who viewed death as the end of life, the natives viewed it as the continuation of life. Instead of fearing death, they embraced it. To them, life was a dream and only in death did they become truly awake.
However, the Spaniards considered the ritual to be sacrilegious. They perceived the indigenous people to be barbaric and pagan. In their attempts to convert them to Catholicism, the Spaniards tried to kill Dia de los Muertos. But like the old Aztec spirits, the ritual refused to die. To make it more Christian, the Spaniards moved Dia de los Muertos so it coincided with All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day (Nov. 1st and 2nd), which is when it is celebrated today. Previously it fell on the ninth month of the Aztec solar calendar, around the beginning of August, and was celebrated for the entire month. Festivities were presided over by the goddess Mictecacihuatl.
In rural Mexico, people visit the cemetery where their loved ones are buried. They decorate gravesites with marigold flowers and candles, bring toys for dead children and bottles of tequila to adults, sit on picnic blankets next to gravesites and eat the favorite foods of their loved ones.
Because we are such a diverse community here at SOE, we like to share our traditions and turn them into one big celebration. Who knows what cool things we will come up with and turn into a big party? What do you do for Halloween or Dia de los Muertos? Keep your eyes and ears peeled for an in game event! *Surely the Community Team will be creating an exciting event in your favorite game. Make sure to come join the fun!
Benito “Shingo” Martinez – Spanish Community Relations Representative
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