All Local, All The Time

Niwot welcomes local dancers to celebrate cultural traditions

In indigenous Mexican culture, death was never something to be necessarily feared; instead, it was seen as a part of life. When the Spanish conquistadors arrived in Mexico in 1519, not only did they bring disease and violence, but they brought their own culture, namely religion.

Over time, traditional indigenous rites were mixed with Catholic ones, similar to many other traditions world wide. The result is el Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, that takes place on Nov. 2; with Nov. 1 being el Día de los Innocentes, or day of the children. These two days coincide with the Catholic liturgical calendar days of All Saints Day (Nov. 1) and All Souls Day (Nov. 2).

Catholicism, historically, had a trend of melding and/or co-opting pagan traditions to better suit their own beliefs. Halloween is another excellent example of this melding. The Church took the Celtic festival of Samhain as well as the Roman holiday of Feralia, both of which were late October-early November events, and in an attempt to dissuade people from celebrating these events, arranged for All Saints and All Souls Days to be at the same time.

When the conquistadors and Spanish missionaries arrived in Mexico, it only made sense for the highly religious Spanish to do the same in the New World.

It is worth noting that some historians dispute this claim, instead arguing that other, similar celebrations were present throughout much of medieval Europe; however, there is fairly strong evidence linking ancient Aztec traditions with tamer, modern ones.

Today the holiday is recognizable by the use of home altars (ofrendas), sugar skulls (calaveras), marigolds (cálendulas) and bread of the dead (pan de muertos). Families often also go to the graves of friends and family members to share some of these items, as well as favorite foods, beverages and meaningful items, with those who have passed.

While Día de los Muertos, for some, can be an intimate or even personal experience, for others, it has become a group celebration of Latinidad. In Niwot this year, the indigenous dancing group, Grupo Azteca Tlahuitzcalli, performed at the Niwot Children's park. This group has performed at various events, including the installation of the University of Colorado art exhibit for Los Seis de Boulder, a memorial to the six Chicano activists who were killed in two separate car bombings in Boulder in 1974, as well as for the Longmont Museum's various Día de los Muertos events through the years.

 

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