SEASON’S GREETINGS TO ALL

La Catrina, marigolds, decorated sugar skulls, and vigils at cemeteries bring to mind November 1st and November 2nd, All Saints and All Souls Days – Días de los Muertos.  Our annual NEWSLETTER arrives after this special time, so we have never before made it a feature in the NEWSLETTER.  Gayle Castañeda, Museum director, continues our narrative.  November 1st and 2nd are holy days, both melancholic and festive.  November 1st is All Saints Day, when officially recognized saints and those who are in heaven, are celebrated.  November 2nd is All Souls Day, a day of prayer for all souls in Purgatory.  In Mexico, a blend of Aztec ritual associated with the goddess Mictecacihuatl and Roman Catholic beliefs has evolved into present day Days of the Dead activities.  I will be alternating the use of Day of the Dead/Día de los Muertos and Days of the Dead/Días de los Muertos.

We are fortunate that here in Tucson, a Day of the Dead parade is held each year, and my family and I have participated in a few parades.  One photo shows some of us in our costumes, with one of my sisters in a La Catrina outfit with the classic huge hat.  Another photo provides a view of my cousin, walking through downtown Tucson, in the midst of the thousands of parade attendees.

One of my aunts and I attended a special service for these holy days at a cemetery here in Tucson. Remembering family and friends who have gone before us brought tears to the eyes of all attending.  It was an emotional, beautiful service.  Throughout the cemetery, many families were picnicking at family grave sites.  In Mexico, certain indigenous groups are famous for Day of the Dead altars they construct in their cemeteries, and we have a doll in the Museum collection picturing such an activity.  Another photo shows a home altar.  Altars are set up in homes, displaying photos of deceased family members.  Special Day of the Dead bread, food items the deceased enjoyed while living, (often including liquor), candles, sugar skulls, and other items are placed on the altar, which is strewn with marigolds, the flower of the dead.  So departed souls can find their way home, a path of marigolds leads them from the outside to the altar inside. There the deceased can partake of the essence of the offerings.  Many decades ago in Mexico, one stern relative of ours would not permit marigolds in the house at any time, since they were the flower of the dead. 

Even the Mattel Toy Company has issued a series of Day of the Dead Barbies and Kens.  I just had to have a Day of the Dead Barbie®, and the lid of her box is pictured here.

Earlier in the NEWSLETTER, we mentioned La Catrina, and colorful porcelain figures of her are sold in all sizes.  José Guadalupe Posada, a Mexican illustrator, created the Catrina image in approximately 1910.  The etching portrayed her from the shoulders up only, and the original etching is pictured below.  The image served as a critique of high society.  Detailed, fascinating information about La Catrina can be found on several Internet sites.  I heartily recommend that our readers gather more information about her for themselves and also search for more information about the variety of Days of the Dead activities and their history.  

Of course, our NEWSLETTER would not be complete without a heartfelt thank you to all our supporters.  Donations great and small provide us with the opportunity to educate the public about peoples and cultures from around the world, and no amount is too insignificant.  We list here several special donors, who gave between October 2021 and October 2022:  Robert & Ysabel Brown, Charles & Thali Castañeda, Beth Dittrich, Candee & Adrian Gaxiola, Helen & Greg Greene, Edward & Barbara Haugland, David & Carol Hoffman, Joan Russell, Kathy Street, and the Marjorie R. Van Steen Memorial Fund.  We were delighted to receive three exceptional Guatemalan huipiles (women’s upper garments), from Catherine Jacobson, to add to the Museum’s Guatemalan textile collection.   

 

Again, a sincere thank you to all, and remember the Castañeda Museum is a 501(c)(3) entity.  Donations are tax-deductible to the extent provided by law.

 

WISHING YOU A BLESSED 2023!

                                      

Gayle Castañeda           Director and Curator