HALOWEEN

Every year at this time I am reminded of the trip I took to Mexico City in 1975.

We arrived October 31st in the evening and nothing was open.  This was the eve of the Day of the Dead or in Spanish, Dia de los Muertos.

I was in a group of nurses taking part of a Continuing Education program on the Mexican Health Care System.  The tour & educational guide was at onetime married to one of the doctors still practicing in the largest hospital in the city; therefore we had access to many areas not normally open to foreigners.

Where nothing was open that evening, including restaurants the coordinator arranged for us to travel around town in a bus, visiting several cemeteries.

We were quite surprised to see so many scull and bone like decorations and food.  Not the fun looking type scull & bones but gruesome looking ones.

The next thing we were aware of was the City was alive with music. Everywhere we went there were bands playing Mexican music. Not sad songs you might expect in the cemetery but lively happy dance type music.

Everywhere in the cemeteries there were lights or candles by the hundreds that lit up the graves.  And the graves were highly decorated with flowers, linen placed over the flat of the grave and laid, as if it was a table, with all kinds of foods placed on top. They were picnicking on the graves of their dead relatives. How odd it seemed.

We were quite baffled by the whole affair until it was explained that this is a celebration for them… they believe that on the day of the dead, their relatives come back to visit with them.  Every household makes their relatives their most liked foods and have the food ready for when they return… the music is also the favorite music of the deceased.

When one looks at it the Mexican way it does seem that our US custom is lacking in significance. I think it would be a nice thing to have the celebration of Halloween expanded to incorporate our love and respect for our relatives too