Marigolds and Monarchs

Marigolds and monarch butterflies have been associated with the Day of the Dead for a long time.  

Monarch butterflies begin to arrive in Mexico around the Day of the Dead, after their long migrations from Canada and the United States.  Legend says that their wings carry the souls of the dead. Marigolds, bright orange fragrant flowers, are used to decorate the ofrendas (altars) and show the souls the way to the ofrendas, so they can return to their families.  Beautiful.

Marigolds also have other meanings in Mexican folklore.   

In one story, two Aztec children, Huitzilin and Xochitl, grew up together and explored a nearby mountaintop. While there, they offered flowers to the Sun God, who, in return would “smile from the sky with warm rays”.  As adults, they fell in love and swore eternal love to each other. Sadly, Huitzilin died in a war. Devastated, Xóchitl returned to the mountaintop and prayed to the Sun God to be reunited with her love. Then, a ray of sunshine kissed her cheek and transformed her into a flower as bright as the sun.  Suddenly, a hummingbird touched the flower, and the flowers' petals opened. According to the story, their love will remain as long as marigolds and hummingbirds remain on earth. 

Another legend states that a marigold grows where each innocent victim of the Spanish conquest fell.  

Cempasúchil is the Spanish word for marigold.  It comes from the Aztec language, the Nahuatl, and means twenty petals flower. 

Pictures

1) I went on a group day trip to a small town called Comonfort about 30 minutes away from SMS.  There, we visited a large field where they grow marigolds, and a few other flowers for the Day of the Dead. This is me, and Moishes, a retired cowboy who came on the trip.  

2) One of the men cutting the flowers for customers.  At the end of several of the rows of flowers had a stake and name on it.  Yep, these people had pre-bought that row.

3) Me and Barbara in the field

4) a local lady selling the flowers by the roadside

5-10)  As the day of the Dead got closer, more and more businesses and parts of the city were decorated with marigolds.  It really was very pretty

La Catrina

One of the most iconic symbols of the Day of the Dead is La Catrina.  But she's a modern addition, with her first appearance happening in 1910!  At the beginning of the Mexican Revolution.

The Mexican artist and political satirist who created her, Jose Guadalupe Posada, had been using pictures with skeletons to satirize politicians and public figures of the time.

His "La Calavera Catrina" depicted a female skeleton wearing a French hat decorated with ostrich feathers, but no clothes.

His goal was to poke fun at the Mexican president, Porfirio Diaz, who wore European clothes and makeup to make his skin look white, and at Mexico's poor street vendors who tried to deny their indigenous roots and look European by wearing European clothes and selling garbanzo beans instead of their traditional corn.

In 1947, Diego Rivera (Frida Khalo's husband) further popularized La Catrina in his mural “Dream of a Sunday Afternoon in the Alameda Central,” which depicts himself as a boy, Frida Kahlo, Posada, La Catrina, and hundreds of characters from 400 years of Mexican history.  The image is a political commentary on the confrontation between Indigenous people and the new European authorities. 

Today, La Catrina is seen in many different forms, including colourful sugar and papier mache skulls for decorations, women and men in Day of the Dead parades, and statues in plazas and store fronts.

Pictures

1-3 ) There were La Catrinas decorating stores, restaurants, and houses

4, 6, 7) People dressed up us La Catrina throughout the Day of the Dead celebrations.

5) There were all sorts of places where people could get their make-up done 

Dia de Los Muertos

Dias de los Muertos translates to Days of the Dead.  The singular, Dia, or Day is often used.  But I'm going with the plural because there are truly 2 days, November 1 and 2.  

The Days of the Dead is a blend of 3 main traditions.  One is the 2500 year old Celtic Samhain, celebrated the evening of October 31, the day that separates summer's lightness and the dark of winter, and on which the veil separating the dead and living was especially thin.  On this evening, the Celts would commune with the dead by preparing their favourite foods and circle bonfires while carrying the skulls of their ancestors.

Another is the Christian tradition of commemorating saints. In early times this was done on the Sunday after Pentecost (ask Google about this).  In the year 609, the date was changed to May 13, to coincide / absorb the Roman pagan festival of Lemuria, in which restless and malevolent spirits were appeased. By the year 800, All Saints Day was moved to November 1st, likely to coincide with Samhain.

The most relevant tradition, in many ways here in Mexico, is the indigenous celebration of the Goddess of the Underworld, Mictecacihuatl.  A month long celebration that included flowers and the favourite foods of the dead.

When the Spanish invaded Mexico, they realized they could not completely stop local traditions.  So they blended the Catholic traditions with Indigenous traditions.  Now, Mexicans have a 3 day celebration: All Saints Eve on October 31, which is starting to look like our Canadian Halloween, All Saints Day on November 1, which focuses on the souls of young departed, and All Souls Day on November 2, which celebrates the death of adults.   

Interestingly, one of the most iconic images of the Day of the Dead, the Catrina, was only added to the mix in 1913.  But that is another blog post!

Pictures

1-5) These are all altars (ofrendas) that various organizations and families set up in public places around the city.  Apparently, the dead must be able to see a picture of themselves to know which altar to go to. There was a surprising variety of styles.  Some with humour, some more sombre.  Always including marigolds, items and foods that were important to the dead being honoured

6-7) These are all little figures apparently made of icing sugar, or something like it.  They are for putting on the altars.  If you look very carefully, you'll see little coffins with skeletons in them.  There's a string attached to the skeletons.  If you pull, it, the skeleton sits up and peeks through the little window in the coffin!

A Tough Day 1 San Miguel de Allende 2024

It has been quite a year.  A few years really in some ways.  So I'm treating myself to a fall trip to Mexico, about 3 weeks in San Miguel de Allende and 2 days in Guanajuato.  

Yesterday, Day 1, was kinda tough.  Transitions often are.  My accommodations, for this first week are beautiful in many many ways, but quirky, and a little bit run down.  Light switches are hard to find and a few don't work.  Since I arrived in the evening, after dark, this felt yucky.

The house has an amazing kitchen with an open wall and the staircase to my bedroom is outside. So, there are many ways a bad guy could get into the living spaces, if they climbed over the exterior walls. Not likely, but there are 7 doors with locks.  Too many!

On day 1, it was cloudy and rainy. Discouraging since so many of the best spaces of this house are outside patios.  

And... I fell!  While walking to meet a friend.  A man was washing the sidewalk in front of his shop.  He stopped to let me walk by.  But the soapy water... I slipped on the inclined curb a few feet after the shop!  Luckily, the only thing I hurt was my ring finger on each hand.  I was shaken by the event and my fingers really hurt yesterday.  But now, they're just swollen and uncomfortable.  

Photos

1) The back patio at my first accommodation.  It was such a pleasure to watch the parrots fly overhead, while lying / napping on the swing 

2) My room, on the upstairs floor, was almost all glass.  Soooo nice with the morning sun! 

3) The kitchen was so pretty in many ways.  During the day, it was so nice to have such an open view on the garden.  At night tho, it was too dark cause there were no lights on in the courtyard, and it was chilly!

4) The bath tub was so historic feeling! 

5) My street, Del Vergel, had several big trees like this, in the middle of the road. 

6) a pretty street near me 

7) some of the landscape from the airport to SMA.  Beautiful in a desert kinda way

A Beach, Babu, Sparkly Fabric and More

Toby did not come with me to San Miguel de Allende this fall.  He has lots to do on the farm. But we took a 3 day trip, to enjoy time together and get me to the airport in Toronto. Yay!

The highlights of our little adventure?  

The beach in Cobourg was the first.  It was a warm sunny day.  We walked the beach, did yoga, and even put our feet in the water.  So nice!  Especially since it was mid October!

Babu was the next for sure.  A sri Lankan food take out place in a strip mall in Markham.  Toby was so excited to be there!  We ordered two "lamprais", rice and 6 different curries wrapped in a banana leaf.  And a selection of short eats too. I so like this word for snack type foods! 

After eating our Babu take out in a park, we drove to Rouge National Park for a walk.  It kind of blew my mind that there's so much green space so close to such a big city.

The next day, we visited the Centennial Park Conservatory, a lovely greenhouse and park, ate Indian take out and napped in a park, then drove to Jagjit, a really big Indian fabric store in Bramptom.  So much fun!!!  So many people!  So many sparkles!  I got 6 pieces of lightweight cotton to make skirts. I'd been looking for a new indian cotton skirt for a while. Yay! 

About 1 block from Jagjit, Toby turned the car kinda quick, RRRRRR.....movie style, into a strip mall parking lot.  What?! Why?!  Another Sri Lankan take out food place!  Even better than Babu in my opinion.  Turns out, Brampton is "Little India" and "Little Sri Lanka". 

Thank you Toby, for such a lovely send off xxx

Pictures

1) Me in my hand made wool skirt at the beach in Cobourg.  Happy!

2) Toby and me at the beach

3) Toby happy at Babu!

4) Eating "lamprais" in the park

5) Rouge National Park.  I'm not sure if the farmland is part of the park??

6) a silly cat thing at a roadside food truck in Prince Edward County

7) Toby in the Centennial Park Conservatory

Looking Back on 2023 - Uncertainty in Cancun

We were supposed to fly home the evening of April 5.  But there was a massive ice storm in Ottawa, all over Ontario and Quebec, it turns out. Our plans were changing.

It was stressful. Not knowing when our flight would happen. Or if it would happen anytime soon.   

We got the first flight delay notice in the morning. The next around noon. If the delay was more than 3 hours, we could reschedule our flight to another day at no cost, and get insurance money to pay for extra accommodation and food. Cool!  But as of 2 ish pm, our delay was still only about 2 hours.  

The uncertainty was hard for me!  If we stayed in Cancun longer, where to stay? I searched for Air BnB's, sent messages, but the responses were slow to come.  

At about 4 pm, we decided to go to the airport, to wait things out there. Eventually we'd fly home, right?  But!!!  Just as the Uber was coming, we got the next delay message!  More than 3 hours!  Cancel the Uber!  All this time, we'd been by the pool at the Airbnb we stayed at the night before. The hosts were so kind!!  We could stay by the pool until we figured ourselves out.

Soon enough I got a response from an Air BnB reservation!  We had a plan!  A few days in Cancun!

Photos:

1 & 7)  The swimming pool and kitchen at our place in Cancun.  It was so solidly in suburbia that there was a Costco right next door!  But we were grateful to find something so nice at an affordable price and with such short notice 

2, 3, 4) The beach in Cancun is amazing!  It goes on forever!  But the public sections, not kept kinda private by hotels, were super busy the day we went. It was the weekend and locals were enjoying their own riches, as they should! 

5) We found a neat park near our place in suburbia.  Toby had some fun. 

6)  Our last dinner in Cancun.  We splurged and got a big meat platter! 

Note:

Changing our flight with Flair was stressful. We spent several hours composing emails and on the telephone.  But Flair came through on their promise to book us on the next available flight, I think 3 days later.  yay!

Looking Back on 2023 - Young Boy & German Lady at la Aldea

It was so hot!  When we visited SMA in March 2023. Our accommodation was OK, but it didn't have much nice outside space and certainly no water for cooling off.  So we went to the swimming pool at La Aldea, a local hotel, as day guests a couple of times.

The swimming pool was outside with lounge chairs around it.  When we arrived, the first time, there were a few guests that caught my eye.  A German Lady with her husband, and a family with a Young Boy, about 5 years old.  

The German Lady's husband didn't seem to want to chat with his wife much.  She seemed a little restless.  The Young Boy wanted to play in the water but seemed scared.  His parents must've been busy with other stuff.

So the German Lady approached the Young Boy.  I don't remember the details.  But I so remember that the interaction was beautiful.  The boy was pleasant, willing to engage and ready to have some fun.  The lady was kind and encouraging.  I think I suggested looking for fish and making bubbles.  It was so nice!

Funny ish thing was we went back to the same swimming pool a couple of days later.  The German Lady was there again with her husband.  But a different family was there with their kids.  So different!  The kids were loud and splashy.  The German Lady asked the kids / parents to play more quietly.  Nope.  It didn't happen.  So, for as much as the German Lady was kind and patient one day, she left the pool this time in a huff.  I can't entirely blame her.  The family was annoying.  But such a contrast in her demeanour! 

Photos

1) The German Lady and the Young Boy.  Their interaction was so nice and fun, it warmed my heart!

2-3, 5) The grounds at La Aldea, so beautiful! Built in the colonial style of the 18th Century

4) Streets of SMA.  In March, the jacaranda trees were in bloom!

6) the pool at La Aldea, courtesy of Google