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| UNA VELA MAS The Days of the Dead |
07 September 2007
The Days of the Dead: Una Vela Mas
We will have a new candle on the altar for the days of the dead this year.
Carmen: Santiago's mother and the girls' grandmother. She will die within
the next 24 hours, or sooner. She went down hill very suddenly and asked
to be brought back to her own little thatch hut, to "leave from my own house".
So last night, we brought her back from another son's house, where she
has been, safe from the hurricanes and storms. We had been using the
little house to store goods for the new rooms we are building for the Inn,
so she is in among boxes of tile, water heaters and electrical wire, plumbing
supplies, and her special saint, once again back in it's place. She sees
none of it, her spirit seems to have already gone. We are just waiting for
her body to follow.
The girls and Santiago have all come to me, one by one, seeking comfort,
each trying to be strong for the other, trying not to show their tears.
But none of us can control that, Carmen meant to much to all of us.
We have her best dress laid out, one she made, and her fuston (unskirt), and the meter of white cloth that she will be wrapped in. I have the
11 white candles, and will soon go to buy Nescafe coffee, sugar, and the cookies for the all night vigit that will follow her death. The cookies
called "Marias", "Soles", and animal crackers are deemed most appropriate, along with the soft drinks of Pepsi, Orange Crush, and sebada,
a barley drink).
The Days of the Dead will be hard for us this year, but we will be thankful that her passing was swift and apparently painless. Her daughter
Pilar will be here to celebrate all the proper rituals one must do, and Carmen will rest easier knowing this.
Proper ritual is as follows. The body is wrapped in a white cloth and placed in the coffin, supported by 4 chairs, in the middle of the house,
where a vigil will be maintained for the next 12 hours. The body will never be left alone. It will be cleansed and bathed, dress and placed
in the coffin by the women members of the family. (Superstition has it that anyone involved in crops, animal husbandry, or bee keeping will
have crop failure, or loss of livestock, if they touch or look upon a dead body, so many of these men will not come to a vigil. The ones who
do come will be constructions workers, hotel/restaurant service people, or craftsmen of various types, shop keepers, anything not associated
with the 3 agricultural activities).
Candles will be lit in glass jars decorated with saint's images, (Guadalupe is the most popular), and placed under the coffin and on the one
table that the family owns. 11 white candles, for 11 virgins, (no one seems quite sure who they all are anymore), will be placed at one end
of the room, stuck on the floor, lit and burned once until they go out. The table becomes an altar, with crosses and flowers and more
candles. The dead person's possessions, hammock, sandals, and clothes, will be placed under the table with live oak leaves, "hojas de
roble". As the leaves wither and "die", they will pull out the bad spirits from these possessions. After eight days, the items can be used
again, or given away, cleansed of all bad spirits.
The Catholic religion and Mayan beliefs are so mixed here that the rituals don't seem true to either, but are a whole new tradition altogether.
However, some parts seem to have affected people stronger than others, among those the "last rites".
Carmen was Mayan to the core. She never wore anything except the traditional hand embroidered, (by herself), "huipil" dress. Her feet
were so deformed by the years and work that she could wear nothing except a thong-like sandal. Her hair was long, braided, and pined up.
She refused to wear glasses, saying it made her look too old. She wore a necklace and medallion that I made for her years ago, and simple
small hoop earrings, and that was all the jewelry she ever had. She refused to be buried with anything except her dress, wrapped in a meter
and a half of white percale cotton cloth.
She spoke only Mayan, but she loved certain TV soap operas that of course are in Spanish, and she watched them everyday she could.
She could also recite long prayers and parts of the Bible in Latin, that she learned in the church as a child. So her beliefs were a strange
mix of Catholic and Mayan.
Carmen would not let go. By the second day she had slipped into a kind of coma, and her breathing was terribly harsh. Every one in the
family had arrived and she was never alone. We closed the Inn, putting out a sign saying we were repainting. By evening, it became
obvious that she was waiting for something, some trigger to let her go. Her sons and daughter, grandchildren and friends were all with her.
Santiago finally decided to bring a "resadora", a woman who recites traditional prayers, to the house, thinking maybe it would bring Carmen
the peace she needed.
There were three deaths in the village that same day, unusual, and we found that all the proper resadoras were already taken. There were
none left to come to us at that time. Normally these prayers are started just after death, after the body has been cleansed and dressed and
placed in the casket. Out of sheer desperation, Santiago went to see cousin Leon, who worked for years as caretaker and assistance to the
priest at our huge Catholic church. He finally agreed to come, not liking to go out after dark being afraid of spirits, but for Carmen he would
come. He gathered all her children and grandchildren around, and recited what is actually a Catholic ritual. As he started to speak, in Spanish,
her breathing became quiet. At "The Father, The Son, and The Holy Ghost", she gave a little sigh, and left. It was the sign she had been
waiting for.
Postscript: Her sons all went to the cemetary on the 8th day after her death. This is the day they believe the soul departs from earth and is
an emotional day for all. It is a way for the earth bound to give a final good-bye to the person that they loved.
We have now had 11 days of "rosarios", special prayer sessions, lead by certain village
women; one session for each of the 11 candles that we lit. These three women came
every afternoon, to pray for Carmen's soul and ask for it to be admitted to heaven. One
of these days was devoted to her mother and father, one to her deceased daughter and
dead husband, and the last three days to all her other deceased relatives. Everyone
has now been honored. Three of these days involved special foods prepared by her
daughter Pilar, her nieces, and neighbors. These days are the day after death, 8 days
after death when everyone gathers again, and the final 11th day.
There will be another Rosario held at 7 weeks when everyone who can will come again,
and then at 6 months, and one year, all involving specially prepared foods. Each year
thereafter there will be a Rosario on the day of her death, the altar will be set up with
the proper foods, and candles and flowers will be taken to the cemetary.
Thus we will remember Carmen, as she wanted.
Kristine,
Flycatcher Inn, Santa Elena,
15 minutes southeast of Uxmal in Yucatan, Mexico
The Days of the Dead: Una Vela Mas
We will have a new candle on the altar for the days of the dead this year.
Carmen: Santiago's mother and the girls' grandmother. She will die within
the next 24 hours, or sooner. She went down hill very suddenly and asked
to be brought back to her own little thatch hut, to "leave from my own house".
So last night, we brought her back from another son's house, where she
has been, safe from the hurricanes and storms. We had been using the
little house to store goods for the new rooms we are building for the Inn,
so she is in among boxes of tile, water heaters and electrical wire, plumbing
supplies, and her special saint, once again back in it's place. She sees
none of it, her spirit seems to have already gone. We are just waiting for
her body to follow.
The girls and Santiago have all come to me, one by one, seeking comfort,
each trying to be strong for the other, trying not to show their tears.
But none of us can control that, Carmen meant to much to all of us.
We have her best dress laid out, one she made, and her fuston (unskirt), and the meter of white cloth that she will be wrapped in. I have the
11 white candles, and will soon go to buy Nescafe coffee, sugar, and the cookies for the all night vigit that will follow her death. The cookies
called "Marias", "Soles", and animal crackers are deemed most appropriate, along with the soft drinks of Pepsi, Orange Crush, and sebada,
a barley drink).
The Days of the Dead will be hard for us this year, but we will be thankful that her passing was swift and apparently painless. Her daughter
Pilar will be here to celebrate all the proper rituals one must do, and Carmen will rest easier knowing this.
Proper ritual is as follows. The body is wrapped in a white cloth and placed in the coffin, supported by 4 chairs, in the middle of the house,
where a vigil will be maintained for the next 12 hours. The body will never be left alone. It will be cleansed and bathed, dress and placed
in the coffin by the women members of the family. (Superstition has it that anyone involved in crops, animal husbandry, or bee keeping will
have crop failure, or loss of livestock, if they touch or look upon a dead body, so many of these men will not come to a vigil. The ones who
do come will be constructions workers, hotel/restaurant service people, or craftsmen of various types, shop keepers, anything not associated
with the 3 agricultural activities).
Candles will be lit in glass jars decorated with saint's images, (Guadalupe is the most popular), and placed under the coffin and on the one
table that the family owns. 11 white candles, for 11 virgins, (no one seems quite sure who they all are anymore), will be placed at one end
of the room, stuck on the floor, lit and burned once until they go out. The table becomes an altar, with crosses and flowers and more
candles. The dead person's possessions, hammock, sandals, and clothes, will be placed under the table with live oak leaves, "hojas de
roble". As the leaves wither and "die", they will pull out the bad spirits from these possessions. After eight days, the items can be used
again, or given away, cleansed of all bad spirits.
The Catholic religion and Mayan beliefs are so mixed here that the rituals don't seem true to either, but are a whole new tradition altogether.
However, some parts seem to have affected people stronger than others, among those the "last rites".
Carmen was Mayan to the core. She never wore anything except the traditional hand embroidered, (by herself), "huipil" dress. Her feet
were so deformed by the years and work that she could wear nothing except a thong-like sandal. Her hair was long, braided, and pined up.
She refused to wear glasses, saying it made her look too old. She wore a necklace and medallion that I made for her years ago, and simple
small hoop earrings, and that was all the jewelry she ever had. She refused to be buried with anything except her dress, wrapped in a meter
and a half of white percale cotton cloth.
She spoke only Mayan, but she loved certain TV soap operas that of course are in Spanish, and she watched them everyday she could.
She could also recite long prayers and parts of the Bible in Latin, that she learned in the church as a child. So her beliefs were a strange
mix of Catholic and Mayan.
Carmen would not let go. By the second day she had slipped into a kind of coma, and her breathing was terribly harsh. Every one in the
family had arrived and she was never alone. We closed the Inn, putting out a sign saying we were repainting. By evening, it became
obvious that she was waiting for something, some trigger to let her go. Her sons and daughter, grandchildren and friends were all with her.
Santiago finally decided to bring a "resadora", a woman who recites traditional prayers, to the house, thinking maybe it would bring Carmen
the peace she needed.
There were three deaths in the village that same day, unusual, and we found that all the proper resadoras were already taken. There were
none left to come to us at that time. Normally these prayers are started just after death, after the body has been cleansed and dressed and
placed in the casket. Out of sheer desperation, Santiago went to see cousin Leon, who worked for years as caretaker and assistance to the
priest at our huge Catholic church. He finally agreed to come, not liking to go out after dark being afraid of spirits, but for Carmen he would
come. He gathered all her children and grandchildren around, and recited what is actually a Catholic ritual. As he started to speak, in Spanish,
her breathing became quiet. At "The Father, The Son, and The Holy Ghost", she gave a little sigh, and left. It was the sign she had been
waiting for.
Postscript: Her sons all went to the cemetary on the 8th day after her death. This is the day they believe the soul departs from earth and is
an emotional day for all. It is a way for the earth bound to give a final good-bye to the person that they loved.
We have now had 11 days of "rosarios", special prayer sessions, lead by certain village
women; one session for each of the 11 candles that we lit. These three women came
every afternoon, to pray for Carmen's soul and ask for it to be admitted to heaven. One
of these days was devoted to her mother and father, one to her deceased daughter and
dead husband, and the last three days to all her other deceased relatives. Everyone
has now been honored. Three of these days involved special foods prepared by her
daughter Pilar, her nieces, and neighbors. These days are the day after death, 8 days
after death when everyone gathers again, and the final 11th day.
There will be another Rosario held at 7 weeks when everyone who can will come again,
and then at 6 months, and one year, all involving specially prepared foods. Each year
thereafter there will be a Rosario on the day of her death, the altar will be set up with
the proper foods, and candles and flowers will be taken to the cemetary.
Thus we will remember Carmen, as she wanted.
Kristine,
Flycatcher Inn, Santa Elena,
15 minutes southeast of Uxmal in Yucatan, Mexico
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| All content on this website, except where otherwise noted, is copyright 2003-2008 Flycatcher Hotel Inn B&B, Santa Elena, Uxmal, Yucatan, Mexico, and may not be copied or reproduced in any way without the express written permission of the copyright owner. |
| Carmen making tortillas, 2005. |
| Rose & Carmen cooking fresh tortillas, 2005. |