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Post by bixaorellana on Nov 5, 2011 23:05:20 GMT
Are you all feeling closed in by being under the arches for so long? Here are a few more bright spots, then we'll amble out into the graveyard, under the open sky.
This is a lucky break. I see this man and his daughter taking down their altar. He gives me permission to take pictures and as I squint through the camera, draws my attention to the figure over the altar. While his daughter takes it down, I put on my reading glasses and recognize whose work it is. Looking through the interior wall at the ruined chapel. This year it's surrounded by police tape and barriers because of its condition. What a shame. I never got close enough to find the inscription to the forgotten dead, one of my favorite things in this cemetery. To be continued .......
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Post by bixaorellana on Nov 6, 2011 5:41:01 GMT
It's finally time to wrap up this days of the dead report. What follows is more of the Panteón General, to a degree that's probably self-indulgent. I managed to find a little more information on the cemetery and its chapel: A new section was built in 1899 immediately adjacent to the existing old graveyard. The chapel in the center was built in 1834, but never completed. "Separated into three sections by high limestone walls with arched entryways leading from one section to another, the cemetery ... shelters its oldest graves at its core ..." Go here for much more from that source.
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Post by bixaorellana on Nov 6, 2011 5:57:36 GMT
Wandering around the Panteón alone on this day, using my camera at will, was a new experience for me. I've visited the cemetery before on regular days, I've attended funerals here, I've visited a family grave on All Soul's day. But all of those times were with other people and with no camera. Guess I made up for it this time!
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Post by bixaorellana on Nov 6, 2011 6:06:28 GMT
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Post by bixaorellana on Nov 6, 2011 6:29:19 GMT
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Post by bixaorellana on Nov 6, 2011 6:50:44 GMT
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Post by bixaorellana on Nov 6, 2011 7:07:30 GMT
So that's it, my friends -- a little taste of the days of the dead in Oaxaca, 2011. I hope everyone gets to see this exuberant living tradition one day. I want to stress that what I've shown here is just a low-key, tiny portion of what goes on and what can be experienced during the course of this celebration.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 6, 2011 7:11:16 GMT
Are marigolds used as decoration at all times of year and every event, or are they associated specifically with Muertos? (I'm wondering because of the chrysanthemum taboo in France.)
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Post by bjd on Nov 6, 2011 7:53:08 GMT
I too was struck by the use of the marigolds. They remind me of the movie Monsoon Wedding, where in India they are used for wedding decorations.
What do you call a "chrysanthemum taboo", Kerouac? They're not taboo, they're on every tomb.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 6, 2011 11:46:09 GMT
By chrysanthemum taboo, I mean that they are only used associated with funerals or cemeteries in France. Not the sort of thing that a guy would ever offer to his girlfriend.
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Post by bjd on Nov 6, 2011 12:24:39 GMT
I see. I know a Dutch-Italian couple who got married in the Netherlands. The Dutch family had the church decorated with chrysanthemums -- to the horror of the Italians.
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Post by MoeAli on Nov 6, 2011 12:52:14 GMT
thnx Bixa this is something interesting and beautiful culture
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Post by bixaorellana on Nov 6, 2011 17:28:06 GMT
First let me thank M.A. for taking the time to look and leave such a nice comment. Are marigolds used as decoration at all times of year and every event, or are they associated specifically with Muertos? Absolutely associated specifically with Muertos. If people grow them in their home gardens, they're growing them as a crop plant, to be harvested for the days of the dead. I too was struck by the use of the marigolds. They remind me of the movie Monsoon Wedding, where in India they are used for wedding decorations. I think it got lost somewhere in all the pictures, but I commented on this earlier in the thread. The marigold/tagetes is native to Mexico, so the festive use of it in India may have replaced some other gold-colored flower. By chrysanthemum taboo, I mean that they are only used associated with funerals or cemeteries in France. Not the sort of thing that a guy would ever offer to his girlfriend. When I read this, I started to automatically answer that it was the same in the US. Of course, that's a reflex of my coming from Louisiana and is not true in the rest of the States. The comment about what would be offered to the girlfriend prompted me to remember the mum corsages so linked with football season. Also, mums are the flower used in advertising to indicate Fall, or as table decorations in the Halloween and Thanksgiving seasons. I looked up chrysanthemums & the Wikipedia article is quite interesting. ("chrysanthemum gate" ;D) In some countries of Europe (e.g., France, Italy, Spain, Poland, Hungary, Croatia), chrysanthemums are symbolic of death and are only used for funerals or on graves - similarly, in China, Japan and Korea, white chrysanthemums are symbolic of lamentation and/or grief. In some other countries, it represents honesty. In the United States , the flower is usually regarded as positive and cheerful, with New Orleans as a notable exception. source
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Post by Deleted on Nov 6, 2011 17:34:55 GMT
table decorations in the Halloween and Thanksgiving seasons. Perfect for Halloween!
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Post by nycgirl on Nov 6, 2011 17:53:24 GMT
I forgot to mention it earlier, but little Wednesday Addams looked very cute. And she really got into character for the photo, with her somber pokerface! A complete 180 from her sunny Jessie persona. Also liked the photos of the goth kids.
This is such a wonderful, lovingly prepared photo essay and it really conveys a "you-are-there" feeling. I really enjoyed living vicariously through you. Thanks for sharing this.
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Post by fumobici on Nov 6, 2011 18:41:18 GMT
This continues to be fascinating needless to say. Very worthy of photo documentation and well documented.
That cemetery chapel needs the services of some Viollet-le-Duc type.
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Post by bixaorellana on Nov 6, 2011 20:49:38 GMT
Oh, thank you NYCGirl. Something I did not realize about Melissa/Wednesday until I saw her with her little school friends - she is tiny, really itsy-bitsy. I didn't pick up on it at her party because there were kids of different ages. But seeing her in her classroom really brought it home. I think the kid was overwhelmed by that whole raucous party. But yes, she was precious. Yeah, the goth kids were a hoot trying to stay in their dark (dark=goth in Mexico) personas when their cheerful friendly natures kept peeking out. Well, except for that one girl, who really has disaffected teen down to a science. Can't tell you how much your last comments mean to me. Towards the end, I felt I was pistol-whipping you all with the pics in my zeal to share everything. So thank you! Thanks so much, Fumobici. I really feel that someone with an arts background and sensibility needs to leave the cool northwest and come tackle the romantic ruin in the cemetery.
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Post by mich64 on Nov 7, 2011 1:20:35 GMT
I loved how they snacked and picnicked with their deceased relatives, I imagine them talking about them as if they were sitting right there with them sharing a meal together as they did when they were alive. Nothing is more intimate than a family sharing a meal together. So many wonderful traditions about this Festival I have learned from your pictures and essays Bixa. Cheers, Mich
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Post by bixaorellana on Nov 7, 2011 8:01:44 GMT
Thank you very much, Mich. It's really a pleasure showing all this because it's a learning experience for me, too. Even though I've lived here for years, these traditions are so ingrained in the culture that new things are always being revealed to me. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Way back, on page one of this opus, on Saturday the 29th: We're ... on the side of Santo Domingo church ... The reason we're on the side of the Sto. Domingo is because of a fun and exiting event I happened upon here, two of them, actually. I'll cover that in a separate thread, though. I finally got around to making that thread: anyportinastorm.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=pictures&thread=5505&page=1
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Post by Jazz on Nov 7, 2011 23:00:59 GMT
Bixa, fantastic thread! Rich in content, gorgeous photos and, your personal input. This could well be an iconic thread Online for this unique holiday. Thanks for the time you took to do this for us.
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Post by bixaorellana on Nov 10, 2011 1:29:12 GMT
Thank you, Jazz and really -- my pleasure!
Your generous comments prompted me to remember something I meant to put into the thread several times & kept forgetting. In the cemetery pictures there you can see some graves that are abandoned looking. On the days that people are ornamenting their own family graves, it's common to see them take some of the flowers and put them on the sad, forgotten graves.
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