A Tradition Worth Keeping

In the words of that famous milkman,Tevye, "Tradition tells a man who he is and what God expects of him." Wise words, because we're all standing on the rooftops, fiddling away like crazy, wanting to be recognized, win attention, and overcome our isolation. But instead we come perilously close to tumbling off our lofty perches. In this helter-skelter world that changes so fast we can't keep up, old traditions, venerable customs, time-honored rituals and practices keep us grounded and connected to our social groups. We may want to keep old knowledge alive, but we are suffering from a decline in ancient wisdom and communal activities. There is an epidemic of loneliness and disconnectedness resulting in serious threats to social bonds. Everybody recognizes that the basic human need for belonging and unity cannot be over-emphasized. But like the people of  Anatevka, we know that it's a balancing act. How do we maintain culture, history, shared identity, religion, customs, social connections and at the same time forge our progress and make room for change? Tevye knows that there is one answer: Tradition.

We are fortunate that during these coming weeks we celebrate an ancient custom, a tradition that connects us to the past and at the same time points to our common future. This tradition is the  product of the cultural cross-fertilization bequeathed to us by the powerful presence of indigenous Mexican culture fused with Spanish Mediterranean Catholicism and now a part of American culture, Los Días de los Muertos, The Days of the Dead. 

The tradition of the Days of the Dead is observed starting on the Feast of All Saints, the remembrance of the pious who are in Heaven, on November 1. The Souls in Purgatory, those in need of purification, are honored on November 2, All Souls Day in the Catholic calendar. These observances melded with Mexican Indian traditions and in keeping with the Indian custom continue through the month of November. The Days of the Dead are a bit like Halloween (All Hallows Eve, the night before All Saints) the time when the thin veil separating the human and spiritual worlds falls away and the two join together. The ancestral Celts called it Samhain and on that day the spirits of the dearly departed still visit Ireland, Scotland, and other lands heavily influenced by the far-wandering Scots and Irish. In the Mexican tradition the dead also come to visit, guided to their former homes and loved ones by los Itzcuintli, the little Aztec dogs who attend the dead. The deceased are permitted a temporary return to the human world and they come back, lured by the heady aroma of Cempasuchil, Mexican marigolds, flowering plants beloved of the dead. From this fusion of European and Indigenous beliefs comes the tradition of "ofrendas," offerings to the ancestral dead. In Mexico and the U.S., the "ofrendas" are made with "altares," altars, displays of photos of the deceased loved ones with offerings of the food and drink they enjoyed while they were alive. This is a loving rite, a happy action. 

It has to be said that here is nothing "Halloweenish" about this, nothing scary or macabre. It is not ancestor worship. Many may not understand it this way, but it is the end of grief, of our mourning for the dead. And that makes it worthwhile, a powerful healing and bonding ritual. We bond not only with the dead, but with all of our loved ones on earth in carrying out the ritual. It is the affirmation of the love we have for our departed loved ones, the desire to connect with them. It's a Christian thing because we know that in their sojourn in the purifying place called Purgatory the dead are sentient beings who benefit from our prayers and attention. It's a way of reconnecting with our loved ones, both the dead and the living. But not only that. It's a way of balancing ourselves through reconnecting with our past, with our culture and the traditions we share with our friends and families. And it is an immense consolation that when our time comes, when the inevitable end of life comes, when that future death claims us, we will still have a connection with our loved ones on earth.

Joe Barrera, Ph.D., is the former director of the Ethnic Studies Program at UCCS. He teaches Mexico-U.S. Border Studies and U.S. Military History. He is a combat veteran of the Vietnam War.