Day of the Dead in Mexico: how Dia de los Muertos is celebrated. Bright Halloween Sugar Skull Makeup - A Simple and Colorful Look
People who are not familiar with Mexican culture, when visiting this country, are shocked by the abundance of skulls and skeletons. Tourists are offered brightly colored skulls as souvenirs and skull-patterned fabrics. These terrible symbols of death can be seen on national holidays. Even in clothing and hat stores there are mannequins that look like skeletons.
To understand the origin of the Mexican death cult, one has to turn to the history of this country.
Origins of the death cult
In the Middle Ages, the Aztec empire existed on the territory of modern Mexico. In the culture of this people, unlike in Europe, death has never been a taboo subject. The Aztecs were no less concerned about their posthumous fate than the Christians, only the conditions for entering heaven in their religion were different. Warriors who died in battle and women who died during childbirth could count on a happy posthumous fate. Those who died peacefully in old age were met in the afterlife by the god Mictlantecuitli, wearing a mask in the form of a skull, and doomed the soul to complete destruction.
Such beliefs made us value life as much as possible and coax death with sacrifices so that it would not rush to take a person. Thus was born the cult of death, inherited by modern Mexican culture from the Aztecs.
The cult of death received a new impetus during the civil war that began in 1920, which required heroic self-sacrifice from many Mexicans.
In modern Mexican culture, a special attitude towards death persists. The Mexicans call her "Black Lady", "Holy Death" and even "beloved" or "bride".
The day of the Dead
The quintessential Mexican death cult is the Day of the Dead, celebrated on November 1-2. Here there is an interaction of two traditions - pagan and Christian.
The Aztecs had two festivals of the dead: Mikkailuitontli was dedicated to dead children, and Socotuetzi to adults. These holidays were combined with All Souls' Day, which the Catholic Church celebrates on November 2 - immediately after All Saints' Day. The indigenous people of Mexico rethought Christian customs: they perceived prayers for the dead as an appeal to the dead themselves, and alms, which Christians usually give for the dead, were considered sacrifices to the dead themselves.
The tradition of celebrating the Day of the Dead was picked up by immigrants from Europe and is preserved in modern Mexico. On November 1 and 2, Mexicans not only visit the graves of their loved ones, but also arrange solemn processions and turn to the Lady of Death with a request to grant health, happiness and quickly pick up enemies. Children these days are given sugar skulls and chocolate coffins.
It's no secret that makeup is an integral part of the scariest holiday of the year - Halloween. That is why the article will focus on the most frightening and winning examples of make-up for the occasion.
All Saints' Day
To take part in the origin of which is known little or, moreover, nothing at all - is not entirely correct. Do you know where Halloween comes from?
It is generally accepted that this holiday originates from America. However, this is not quite true! The first people who laid the tradition of celebrating and honoring the holy spirits were the British. They were firmly convinced that on this night all sorts of boundaries between the past and the future, between the dead and the living, between material and supernatural events are erased. And the direct ritual of dressing in costumes of spirits (witches, ghosts, werewolves) and decorating faces served as a protective barrier against possible negative acts on their part.
In modern times, it is customary to celebrate Halloween on the night of October 31 to November 1, not only in America and countries close to it, but also in Russia.
Witch, vampire or ghost?
According to the majority, the image should be mega-terrible and frightening. But this is not so either. Remember that Halloween is a holiday of honoring the holy spirits, and they, in turn, are not always frightening. The choice of the final image largely depends on your mental attitude and state. For example, if deep down you associate yourself with the sweetest and kindest angel, then spend a minimum of time on makeup and try to make it as natural as possible. But if a zombie lives inside, then draw a sugar skull on your face by your own example. Makeup in this style is especially relevant in recent years and will appeal to the most sophisticated critics. Further, I propose to get acquainted not only with the most popular methods of application, but also with some of its inherent features.
What is a sugar skull?
The make-up in this design is borrowed from the Mexicans, who use it as a classic make-up on one of the special days when the souls of deceased relatives return to their homes. It is this belief that exists among the peoples of Mexico. And the name of this holiday is the day of the dead.
At first glance, it may seem that it is almost impossible to create such a work of art on the face with your own hands. To refute this opinion, I propose to study several ways to apply makeup called a sugar skull.
Grim #1
The easiest option to depict it on your face without outside help is to draw a circle around the eyes with a black pencil, retouch the face with white paint to the outlined border, draw an inverted heart in black on the nose, and paint over the inner untouched part of the eye of your own free will. For example, you can do this, as in the picture below, or show your own imagination by adding more colors and paints.
At the end of the image, draw the lips in accordance with the sample.
Already now you can be sure that the sugar skull is a make-up that does not require special skills and special skills.
Now let's look at a slightly more complicated way.
Grim #2
The example shows that in such a case, the sugar skull is a makeup that is suitable for Halloween, not only in single, but also in pairs.
Decorating the image with a couple of elegant, and sometimes cute details, you can easily achieve an unsurpassed effect, which, no doubt, will become the main highlight of the evening.
Halloween Makeup
The photo at the end of the article is another example of how to stand out from the crowd and gain recognition from peers is a feasible task not only for professional makeup artists, but also for ordinary people.
Remember that both girls and boys can use it. And all because the sugar skull is a make-up that has no limits and restrictions.
Surely many have come across this strange element, which is widely used today. They decorate clothes with it, make jewelry with it, and even use it as a makeup idea for Halloween, photo shoots or themed parties. It can even be seen in the collections of popular designers (for example, Zara, Pull & Bear and the famous skull lover Alexander McQueen).In the people, the painted skull is called by different names. The most common of them are calavera and sugar skull. What does this element mean?
The day of the Dead
The word "calavera" in Spanish means "skull". In Mexico, it symbolizes the Day of the Dead - a holiday that is treated with great respect and honor. The Day of the Dead was the result of a fusion of archaic local culture with the traditions of the Spanish missionaries.
The conquistadors brought to the new continent not only a new religion, but also new customs. Among them was All Saints Day. During the celebration, it was supposed to make donations to the church. According to the teachings of the missionaries, this was supposed to help the souls of the departed find peace.
But the hardened pagans took everything in their own way. Before the arrival of Europeans, they commemorated the dead twice a year, during holidays, the names of which are better not to try to pronounce out loud: Mikailuitontli and Sokotuetztli. The first of them was supposed to be dedicated to the memories of dead children, the second - to adults. But in the traditions of the indigenous peoples of America, it was supposed not to mourn for those who are no longer in this world, but to rejoice that they found happiness in another. And the fact that this is exactly so, the Indians did not even doubt.
The result of mixing pagan and Christian traditions was the appearance of the Day of the Angels and the Day of the Dead. They began to be celebrated on November 1 and 2 - All Saints Day. But instead of donations, the Indians began to bring gifts to Christian temples to their dead relatives and friends. And the belief that death is not grief, but a new beginning, has not gone away. The local population continued to have fun at the funeral feast.
Amusements and festivities were invariably accompanied by an unusual character - Calavera Katrina, who is a skeleton dressed in a woman's dress. Katrina was decorated with ribbons, flowers, beads - it's a holiday!
Some scholars associate her image with the ancient goddess of death, Mictlanciuatl, to whom the ancient Indians in their time brought many human sacrifices.
In honor of Calavera Katrina, the Mexicans also prepare a festive treat - skulls molded from the sweet mass, richly decorated with paintings. In general, this image is widely used in festive paraphernalia, they are decorated with garlands and lanterns, depicted on masks and their own faces.
Many tourists visiting Mexico notice a huge number of souvenirs with a sugar skull. Over time, he became one of the symbols of the country. But this image is also popular far beyond the borders of Mexico.
This image was also noted by the world-famous company Mattel, from the conveyors of which the famous Barbie doll once descended. The manufacturer came up with and entered into the plot of the series "School of Monsters" a character with Mexican flavor - Skelita Calaveras, whose make-up was made in the best traditions of "de los Muertos". Later, a doll of the same name appeared, which has already been released in several releases today.
Sugar skull occupies a strong position in the art of tattoos. Masters note that today, among all tattoos with skulls, the calavera is confidently in the lead. It is believed that such tattoos endow the owner with stamina, faith in rebirth and optimism, and sometimes they also testify to his conviction that earthly death is not the end at all.
A reckless holiday, all-pervasive fun and thousands of the living dead filled the city - nothing surprising. This is Mexico celebrating Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead).
Everything is turned upside down. The night will become day, the cemetery will become the most popular place in the city, the living will dress up as dead, and the dead will come to life.
Historically, it so happened that in Mexico there is a completely different attitude towards death than in Europe we are used to. Death for them is not the end, but the continuation of life in another world. The dead are not remembered here, but welcomed with joy. After all, this is the only day when beloved relatives who have left this world can visit them.
History of Dia de los Muertos
The celebration of the Day of the Dead with its traditions goes back to the ancient Aztecs and Mayans. Their belief system was strongly associated with the rituals of death and resurrection. Even before the conquest of Mexico by the Spaniards, the Aztecs kept the skulls of their relatives at home and used them in symbolic ceremonies.
In the summer, for one month, a revelry was organized in the form of a series of bloody sacrifices, thereby paying tribute to the dead, the underworld and its patroness, the goddess Mictlancihuatl.
Even the first conquerors of Mexico thought that the Aztecs in their rituals mock death. The rituals were considered blasphemous. The indigenous population of Central America was forcibly converted to Catholicism, but their traditions were not so easy to eradicate. Of course, we managed to cancel the bloody sacrifices and reduce the monthly revelry to 3 days. But to replace joy with sorrow, and the skull (one of the main symbols of Day of the Dead) did not work on the cross.
When is Day of the Dead in Mexico?
They tried to fit the pagan holiday into the Christian canon as much as possible. Previously, Dia de los Muertos was celebrated on the 9th month of the Aztec calendar, but it was moved to November 1-2, when Catholics celebrate All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day. Sometimes they start celebrating it earlier, on October 31st.
Dia de los Muertos is a national holiday in Mexico, so these days are considered holidays, schools and businesses are closed.
- Nov. 1- Day of little angels (Día de Angelitos), when the dead children and babies are honored.
- November 2- actually Día de los Muertos itself, when dead adults are commemorated.
Day of the Dead Traditions
According to the beliefs of the Mexicans, it is believed that the dead continue to live in the afterlife - Mictlan, and death is only a transition from one life to another. And a year after death, the deceased return to their homes to feel the joy of life, to see relatives and friends, to get what they loved.
In large cities, Dia de los Muertos is prepared months in advance. Schools, institutes and local communities are starting to make masks and costumes, life-size puppets. Musicians rehearse daily. The design of the altars is drawn, trucks of freshly cut flowers are ordered.
Altar and offerings
The yellow marigold altar is a symbolic door between the worlds, which is designed to help souls to go home. The flower itself is often called the flower of the dead - flor del muerto. An altar should be in every home. In recent years, they have even been installed in squares, schools, shops and restaurants, hospitals, hotels and airports.
Gifts are placed at the altar: flowers, candles, tamales (a dish of cornmeal), fruits, toys for children, alcohol for adults. Mandatory attributes are water, as the spirits are thirsty after the journey, and a special sweet bread of the dead (pan de muertos).
Women spend the whole day preparing the food that the departed loved most. Beds are being made in the houses on which the dead could rest. Friends and relatives gather together for a joyful meeting with the deceased.
Skulls, skeletons and more
On the eve of the Feast of the Dead, store shelves are filled with miniature skulls, skeletons and coffins that are made of chocolate, clay or cardboard. On the windows they often stand in pyramids, vaguely reminiscent of the Aztec tzompantli - walls made of the skulls of the vanquished, as a symbol of the inseparable pair of death and life.
Skulls and skeletons are everywhere: in windows, doors, on the streets, painted on clothes, walls and pavement. Often they are smiling, made in bright cheerful colors. They can even give you a skull or a coffin with your name on it, don't be surprised - it's from the bottom of your heart. They are usually given as gifts to relatives and friends. And children in general can feast on such lollipops in the form of skulls.
Calavera Katrina
The skeleton, dressed in rich women's clothing with a wide-brimmed hat, is also one of the unchanging symbols of the Day of the Dead. Some believe that this is how the goddess Mictlancihuatl should look now. But in fact, this symbol came from an engraving by the artist José Guadalupe Posada - La Calavera de la Catrina (1913). The artist sought to show that the rich and successful are also subject to death. But one way or another, over time, the image of Katrina firmly entered the attributes of the Day of the Dead.
Engraving: José Guadalupe Posada
Visiting the cemetery - the culmination of the holiday
Parking lots near the cemetery are busy for miles around, and people flock to it in a dense stream.
The graves are in order. They are strewn with petals, wreaths and bouquets of yellow marigolds, decorated with candles, they bring the favorite food and drinks of the deceased, his photographs. There is also a picnic and dancing to mariachi music.
A night trip to the cemetery is not a sad event, but a long-awaited meeting with relatives, an opportunity to spend time with them, and at the same time have fun, eat well and drink with family and friends. Near each grave is a family idyll. Men talk, women fuss around snacks, older relatives tell funny stories from the life of the deceased, dressed up children play, and babies sleep in their parents' arms.
Parade of the Dead
Nevertheless, the tradition of heartfelt night gatherings at the cemetery is more likely to be inherent in residents of small towns and villages. But in large policies, they are increasingly organizing a real carnival.
In Oaxaca de Juarez, Dia de los Muertos is celebrated on a grand scale. This is a city of dancing skeletons, colorful skulls, brass bands and mariachis.
Deserted during the day, the city is suddenly filled with wandering orchestras closer to night. Classical and folk instruments create an incredible musical mix of motifs that will raise the dead from the grave, and make the living dance all night long.
Behind the orchestras, long processions of mummers and just onlookers gather - this is the so-called comparsa. Surprisingly, such a procession occurs spontaneously and has neither a clear route nor a schedule. You can join the dancing crowd at any time and in a musical frenzy cut circles around the city.
The carnival is everywhere. But the mind-clearing madness will be gone at first light on November 3rd, until next year.
Regional differences
Today, the Day of the Dead celebrations in some parts of Mexico outshine Christmas. But traditions often vary from region to region. We will only briefly mention them.
IN Oaxaca de Juarez prefer carnival processions.
IN Valley of Mexico- decoration of altars and houses of the dead dominates.
IN the city of Pomuch still observe traditions more characteristic of pre-Columbian culture. Here, every year, the remains of their loved ones are exhumed and cleansed of the flesh, and in subsequent years they are wiped. Do not watch the next video for the faint of heart.
Near Tlahuac in Mexico, rural folk traditions have been preserved. It is here that you can see one of the most brightly decorated cemeteries.
IN Okotepeque arrange a huge number of sacrifices. And from the houses where people died over the past year, a road covered with flowers leads to the cemetery.
Halloween and Day of the Dead
Both of these holidays are held almost at the same time, and at first glance they have a lot in common. Both Halloween and the Day of the Dead originated from early cultures and later mixed with Christianity. Also, both are based on the belief that these days the dead return to the world of the living. The paraphernalia with the symbols of death is very similar. But that's where the similarities end.
Halloween is more of a fear of death. The holiday is replete with negative characters: demons, witches, vampires, zombies and so on. Masks are put on so that evil spirits take the living for their own and do not harm them.
And the Day of the Dead is rather love for loved ones, the joy of meeting with the dead, their veneration. In Dia de los Muertos, death is something to be celebrated, not feared.
The second time we were lucky enough to be in Mexico at the time of the year when the Day of the Dead is celebrated - November 1-2. But even for the second time, I looked forward to this day to walk around the flower-decorated city and take pictures of altars and painted faces. But this time I wanted to understand what this holiday is about and why it is celebrated in this way.
9 Interesting Facts About the Day of the Dead in Mexico
- Dia de los Muertos is a Mexican holiday born from a mixture of Spanish Catholic and Mesoamerican traditions. It is believed that once a year the spirits of the dead return to earth to visit the living. And instead of tears and crying, here they prefer to meet the spirits with joyful smiles. Here they believe that birth and death are integral parts of life, so the celebration of the Day of the Dead is in some way a celebration of life. There are no scary costumes on the Day of the Dead, but decorations are always bright and cheerful.
Altars are made from flowers and various seeds (beans, corn, rice)
- The Day of the Dead lasts for 3 whole days, and sometimes even longer! It all starts on October 31st, when altars are built and offerings are made, children dress up in costumes and even sometimes receive sweets (although this is a recent innovation and more likely to come from American Halloween). November 1 is celebrated in Catholicism as All Saints Day, and in Mexico on this day the souls of children who have passed away are commemorated. And the official Day of the Dead, November 2, is dedicated to adults who died this year.
The boys carry a cardboard coffin :)
Bright altars in the square
- Day of the Dead in Mexico is a very serious holiday. It's not Halloween with costumes and candy (which I personally have nothing against). And even if this holiday seems like a fun party, it is still a day that Mexicans treat with great respect. These days, families gather together, remembering deceased relatives, and one day (November 3 this year) no one goes to work.
Hundreds of candles are lit in the evening!
As darkness falls, the festivities are just beginning
- One of the symbols of the Day of the Dead - Katrina (a skeleton in a European dress and hat) - was originally a caricature of the native Mexican Indians who tried to Europeanize, but gradually fell in love with everyone and became the main female symbol and costume for the Day of the Dead.
Photo from www.queconque.com.mx
Now Katrina is the only costume for girls and women on the Day of the Dead
- But the skulls on the Day of the Dead came from the Aztecs and Mayans, who also celebrated this holiday, and one of its symbols were skulls, personifying death and rebirth.
There are skulls on every altar
And some even have skeletons :)
- What about "sugar skull"? For some, this is an intricate print on a T-shirt, for another, a painted face for Halloween. But it turns out that all these patterns come from a long tradition of decorating and painting sugar skulls, which are actually made from sugar cane! So multi-colored skulls are completely edible (albeit not for everyone)!
Photo from www.escapehere.com
Bright altar in the city center
A makeshift cemetery in front of the main cathedral of San Miguel
Each altar is unique and handmade.
- The traditional delicacy for this holiday is Pan de los muertos (bread of the dead) - a bun of a certain shape.
Photo from www.negocilibre.com
Children love to look at bright decorations.
- Well, the traditional orange daisies are the unshakable symbolism of the Day of the Dead. It seems that out of nowhere the whole city is suddenly orange! And this color suits San Miguel especially, because the city is built in shades that blend perfectly with daisies - yellow, orange, burgundy, brown.
Daisies on the main square of the city
Elderly American women dressed as Katrina
Fresh flowers are used for decoration.
Finishing touches
All the altars are very beautiful, it's good that you don't have to choose the best one
This is how the Day of the Dead is celebrated in Mexico. In each city, celebrations may differ, but what’s there - even in the same city, something new appears every year, so you won’t get bored. Here we are in the same San Miguel, and everything was a little different. There were many more events this year - the Catherine parade, a tour of the cemetery, workshops for children, special dinners at restaurants and pool parties.
