Municipio de Cuitzeo, Michoacan, Mexico
Phone from USA to Mexico 011 52 1 443 228 3839
The Day of the Dead, Día de los
Muertos, a festival celebrating the reunion of dead relatives with their
families, November 1st and 2nd. Come and stay with us at beautiful Lake Cuitzeo only 1 1/2 hours from lake Patzcuaro and avoid the overcrowd and rush!
The Day of the Dead
celebrations in Mexico can be traced back to the indigenous peoples such as the
Olmec, Zapotec, Mixtec, Mexican, Aztec, Maya, P'urhépecha, and Totonac. Rituals
celebrating the deaths of ancestors have been observed by these civilizations
perhaps for as long as 2500–3000 years. In the pre-Hispanic era, it was common to keep skulls as
trophies and display them during the rituals to symbolize death and rebirth.
The festival that
became the modern Day of the Dead fell in the ninth month of the Aztec calendar, about the
beginning of August, and was celebrated for an entire month. The festivities
were dedicated to the goddess Mictecacihuatl, known as the "Lady of the Dead," corresponding
to the modern Catrina.
In most regions of Mexico, November 1st honors deceased children and
infants where as deceased adults are honored on November 2nd. This is indicated
by generally referring to November 1st mainly as "Día de los
Inocentes" (Day of the Innocents) but also as "Día de los
Angelitos" (Day of the Little Angels) and November 2nd as "Día de los
Muertos" or "Día de los Difuntos" (Day of the Dead).
To get to the island it is
necessary to take launches that constantly go to and fro Janitzio,
carrying and bringing passengers as well as provisions and merchandise.
There is no busier times for the launches that on the days of the
dead.
On the eve of El Día de Muertos, the boats are loaded with people that are very busy taking the flowers and essential articles for the celebrations.
The island is dressing up with beauty and mysticism!
On the lake, one can also see the fishermen with their
traditional nets that grace the view. They are called Butterfly Nets.
Watching the fishermen go out in groups is a bewitching spectacle, particularly
during the early ours of the morning, with the mist and the calming stillness
of the lake.
The people of Janitzio have conserved this form of
fishing, as well as other millenarian customs and traditions that are part of
the enchantment of this island. Especially distinctive is the way in which the
women dress , and their methods of cooking.
In addition to
fishing, they complement their economy with the production of handicrafts for
sale to the many visitors that come to Janitzio, and in many
small inns they offer the delicious pescado blanco, white fish,
unique to Lake Patzcuaro.
By October 31st, all the houses and shops, as well as the docks are decorated with cempasuchil flowers and fruits from this region. The whole community participates enthusiastically in the preparations of this festivity!
Markets are filled with the cempasúchil
flower; this orange marigold was the flower that the Aztecs used to remember
their dead by. Its color represents the tones of earth and is used to
guide the souls to their homes and altars.
Many families grow their own cempasúchil,
believing that doing so is more appropriate for their offerings. Through their
work and their care, these flowers grow and will finally adorn their ofrendas
and their tombs.
Cuitzeo October 2008 Celebrations!
