Middlef ieldPOST Volume 9 ~ Issue8
Oct. 29, 2014
www.middlefieldpost.com
Neighborly News from Middlefield, Parkman, Huntsburg and Surrounding Communities
Inside ... Recipe Contest Page 2
Middlefield Village Page 4
n d a T s r k e c i ats r T
Berkshire Schools Page 12
Halloween Events
Cardinal Schools Page 13
Plain Country Section Inside
Page 10
A Trip to Mexico: Celebrating the Day of the Dead
By Christina Grand Porter
Postal Customer Local / ECRWSS
OR CURRENT RESIDENT
Middlefield Post P.O. Box 626 Middlefield, OH 44062
PreSort Std U.S. Postage PAID Middlefield, OH 44062 Permit No. 77
M
any people think that the Day of the Dead is a Mexican Halloween, but the meaning of the holiday is much deeper. In Mexico the living memories of dead ancestors are celebrated each year on the Day of the Dead that runs from Oct. 31 through Nov. 2. In Spanish, this holiday is called Día de los Muertos. Mexicans believe that the gates of heaven open at midnight on Oct. 31, and the spirits of deceased children (angelitos) reunite with their families for 24 hours. On Nov. 2, the spirits of adults come down to walk among the living and enjoy the festivities. People from all over the world throng to Mexico to view the beautiful altars with arches made of marigolds that are set up in tribute to the dead. The altars are filled with the departed’s favorite foods and beverages. Mexicans believe that the aroma of these savored dishes will help lead the dead back to their old homes. Christina Porter (left) learns how to make Photos of the deceased candles for Day of the Dead altars at the and some of their most home of the Ruiz Lorenzo family in Oaxaca. cherished possessions
American tourists decorate a forgotten grave at the San Miguel cemetery near Oaxaca, Mexico. (Post Photos/Christina Grand Porter) are also placed on the altars, as are paper mache skeletons depicting the profession that person held in life. Graves are adorned with flowers and gorgeous pictures made of colored sand. The entire night of Nov. 1 is spent at the cemetery eating, drinking, dancing and singing around the family graves. It is a celebration of both life and death, and an opportunity for the living to laugh in the face of death. To the Mexican culture, death is merely a stage of life, not an ending. Continued on page 2