1 00:00:01,360 --> 00:00:04,720 Speaker 1: Day of the Dead is one of Mexico's most celebrated holidays. 2 00:00:04,720 --> 00:00:08,039 Speaker 1: In this Bonus episode, even I discussed the celebration of 3 00:00:08,119 --> 00:00:11,479 Speaker 1: life through the lens of its traditional bandemertos bread of 4 00:00:11,520 --> 00:00:11,880 Speaker 1: the dead. 5 00:00:13,039 --> 00:00:16,000 Speaker 2: So we can't talk about Day of the Dead or 6 00:00:16,079 --> 00:00:19,040 Speaker 2: the little mortos without talking about bon demerto. 7 00:00:19,760 --> 00:00:23,760 Speaker 3: What's bond bandemut is also basically a brioche bread and 8 00:00:23,800 --> 00:00:24,639 Speaker 3: this is this spread. 9 00:00:25,000 --> 00:00:25,760 Speaker 1: The idea of. 10 00:00:25,720 --> 00:00:29,159 Speaker 3: This bread has roots in meso America right when you know, 11 00:00:29,240 --> 00:00:33,400 Speaker 3: pre pre conquest, when they would make types of bread 12 00:00:33,520 --> 00:00:36,440 Speaker 3: amara and sometimes you put a little blood in there 13 00:00:37,080 --> 00:00:40,000 Speaker 3: to offer it to the gods or a successful harvest, 14 00:00:40,320 --> 00:00:42,919 Speaker 3: you know, for a new year, brand new for rain. 15 00:00:43,000 --> 00:00:45,000 Speaker 1: Yeah, we're to appease the gods for whatever reason. 16 00:00:45,200 --> 00:00:48,639 Speaker 3: So this whole idea of like you know, blood right, 17 00:00:48,680 --> 00:00:50,360 Speaker 3: you associate it with life, and you also asso do 18 00:00:50,440 --> 00:00:52,720 Speaker 3: it with death right, and it's this sort of human 19 00:00:52,960 --> 00:00:55,880 Speaker 3: kind of sacrifice that makes people kind of uncomfortable. 20 00:00:56,160 --> 00:00:58,360 Speaker 1: But we see that this was part. 21 00:00:58,160 --> 00:01:00,480 Speaker 3: Of the culture and sometimes it was human blood, was 22 00:01:00,520 --> 00:01:01,639 Speaker 3: animal blood, sometimes. 23 00:01:01,440 --> 00:01:03,480 Speaker 1: It was sometimes it was just die. 24 00:01:03,560 --> 00:01:06,520 Speaker 3: So of course with the conquest, they were doing that 25 00:01:06,560 --> 00:01:08,240 Speaker 3: with the body and blood of Christ, right, it's the 26 00:01:08,319 --> 00:01:11,440 Speaker 3: same thing. It's just morning is a metaphorical when is 27 00:01:11,480 --> 00:01:13,440 Speaker 3: more little, but it's essentially the same thing. And it's 28 00:01:13,440 --> 00:01:15,360 Speaker 3: a way for people to understand the sort of cycle 29 00:01:15,440 --> 00:01:18,720 Speaker 3: of life, you know, and death and converting everybody to 30 00:01:18,800 --> 00:01:21,920 Speaker 3: Christianity was one of the main you know missions, you know, 31 00:01:22,040 --> 00:01:25,840 Speaker 3: post conquest, and so there were certain celebrations around the 32 00:01:25,880 --> 00:01:27,520 Speaker 3: time of Day of the Dead. So day the day 33 00:01:27,640 --> 00:01:30,440 Speaker 3: is November first and second, right, the day for the 34 00:01:30,520 --> 00:01:32,840 Speaker 3: kids and then the day for the for the adults. 35 00:01:32,920 --> 00:01:35,280 Speaker 2: You put all the offerings on the altar of their 36 00:01:35,319 --> 00:01:39,800 Speaker 2: favorite things, their favorite food, yeah, their articula there, you 37 00:01:39,840 --> 00:01:41,720 Speaker 2: know there gamal is. 38 00:01:41,920 --> 00:01:43,640 Speaker 3: And I don't know if you've noticed, because you can 39 00:01:43,720 --> 00:01:46,839 Speaker 3: only buy the like right around that during the type 40 00:01:47,240 --> 00:01:50,880 Speaker 3: up season super seasonal and I had only ever seen 41 00:01:50,960 --> 00:01:54,640 Speaker 3: growing up the round bread right, and the circle. It's 42 00:01:54,680 --> 00:01:56,640 Speaker 3: like a little gonta, right, like a brioche, but it 43 00:01:56,640 --> 00:02:01,360 Speaker 3: has the sad it has more flavors. The circle represents 44 00:02:01,400 --> 00:02:04,400 Speaker 3: this the circle of life and death, right, and on 45 00:02:04,480 --> 00:02:07,280 Speaker 3: the top of it has another little ball right like 46 00:02:07,320 --> 00:02:11,720 Speaker 3: the little circle on top, and that represents the skull, 47 00:02:12,400 --> 00:02:14,480 Speaker 3: and then it has the crossbones. So it's a skull 48 00:02:14,520 --> 00:02:16,360 Speaker 3: and crossbones, so it's a circle of life and then 49 00:02:16,360 --> 00:02:20,880 Speaker 3: the skull and crossbones, and each section in between the 50 00:02:20,919 --> 00:02:25,560 Speaker 3: skull and crossbones is the cardinal you know, directions, and 51 00:02:25,639 --> 00:02:29,040 Speaker 3: one of them represents the god of the Sun. And 52 00:02:29,080 --> 00:02:32,079 Speaker 3: then she pet is the god of death and rebirth, 53 00:02:32,120 --> 00:02:34,560 Speaker 3: and she Pettotic is a super interesting god because they 54 00:02:34,560 --> 00:02:38,400 Speaker 3: would like skin sacrificial victims, and the priest would wear 55 00:02:38,440 --> 00:02:42,560 Speaker 3: this this skin. And so another section represents la Look, 56 00:02:42,639 --> 00:02:45,520 Speaker 3: the god of rain. Another one represents the god of darkness. 57 00:02:45,800 --> 00:02:50,520 Speaker 3: So it's this super ritualistic bread. You're offering it in 58 00:02:50,560 --> 00:02:53,480 Speaker 3: the altars with the hot chocolate, with the tequila, with whatever. 59 00:02:53,720 --> 00:02:59,120 Speaker 3: But it has roots in indigenous ceremonies. And then some 60 00:02:59,200 --> 00:03:01,800 Speaker 3: of them that I didn't actually see until I moved 61 00:03:01,800 --> 00:03:05,080 Speaker 3: to La because there's such a huge Wahkan community here. 62 00:03:05,480 --> 00:03:07,840 Speaker 3: Some of the Day of the Dead bread is shaped 63 00:03:07,880 --> 00:03:10,600 Speaker 3: like a little person. Have you seen these breads? I 64 00:03:10,680 --> 00:03:13,079 Speaker 3: haven't that I had never seen them, And they're big 65 00:03:13,120 --> 00:03:15,280 Speaker 3: because the Day of the Dead, they're like a little 66 00:03:15,320 --> 00:03:17,800 Speaker 3: bit larger than a gontar. Sometimes they're a little bit bigger, 67 00:03:18,000 --> 00:03:20,200 Speaker 3: but it's like like a big like maybe one or 68 00:03:20,200 --> 00:03:22,920 Speaker 3: two feet and it's like a person that sort of 69 00:03:22,919 --> 00:03:25,679 Speaker 3: wrapped and they have a little face on them. 70 00:03:26,120 --> 00:03:29,679 Speaker 1: They have a little one and it has sesame seeds. 71 00:03:30,120 --> 00:03:30,360 Speaker 2: Yeah. 72 00:03:30,960 --> 00:03:33,079 Speaker 3: Yeah, so sometimes they have sesame seeds, you know, on them. 73 00:03:33,120 --> 00:03:36,720 Speaker 3: The flavor is the same, but they have these different shapes. 74 00:03:36,840 --> 00:03:39,960 Speaker 2: Well. They also say it's the top also other than 75 00:03:40,160 --> 00:03:41,960 Speaker 2: representing the bones, represents a grave. 76 00:03:42,240 --> 00:03:44,240 Speaker 1: Oh, the bones, oh, the top instead of the. 77 00:03:44,240 --> 00:03:46,840 Speaker 2: Okay, yeah, it's the bones, and then the bread is 78 00:03:46,840 --> 00:03:47,240 Speaker 2: the grave. 79 00:03:47,360 --> 00:03:47,680 Speaker 1: Okay. 80 00:03:48,280 --> 00:03:51,400 Speaker 2: Uh. And the bones represent the deceased one or like 81 00:03:51,440 --> 00:03:55,000 Speaker 2: the bones are coming out of the grave. That's why 82 00:03:55,240 --> 00:03:57,160 Speaker 2: it's like a little ball on a tear drop. 83 00:03:57,520 --> 00:04:01,320 Speaker 3: Oh. And I've heard that the sugar that sometimes it's 84 00:04:01,320 --> 00:04:03,520 Speaker 3: sprinkled with sugar, that those are the. 85 00:04:03,520 --> 00:04:06,360 Speaker 1: Tears, oh, top with sugar sugar. 86 00:04:06,520 --> 00:04:06,800 Speaker 3: Yeah. 87 00:04:07,040 --> 00:04:09,960 Speaker 2: You put it as an offering, yes, as. 88 00:04:09,840 --> 00:04:11,640 Speaker 1: An offering to the deceased. 89 00:04:11,640 --> 00:04:14,440 Speaker 3: And then the family comes and they feast and it's 90 00:04:14,480 --> 00:04:18,960 Speaker 3: this beautiful celebration. It's this beautiful celebration of life. 91 00:04:19,279 --> 00:04:21,520 Speaker 2: Yeah, and not death. It's actually a day of the 92 00:04:21,560 --> 00:04:23,840 Speaker 2: day is a celebration of life. Have you eaten? 93 00:04:24,800 --> 00:04:25,040 Speaker 3: Yeah? 94 00:04:25,080 --> 00:04:25,479 Speaker 1: I get it. 95 00:04:25,520 --> 00:04:27,000 Speaker 3: Every year, you do get it. I do get it 96 00:04:27,040 --> 00:04:29,240 Speaker 3: every year. I don't really, I don't really anybody. I 97 00:04:29,320 --> 00:04:32,039 Speaker 3: don't offer it. I just eat it. But I know 98 00:04:32,360 --> 00:04:34,920 Speaker 3: that you know and I but I know a lot 99 00:04:34,960 --> 00:04:38,240 Speaker 3: of people that actually make altars in their home every year. 100 00:04:38,320 --> 00:04:45,279 Speaker 2: But the big Bandul such an iconic banduls. It's so interesting. 101 00:04:45,320 --> 00:04:48,920 Speaker 2: It's only around that day because it's so good. It's 102 00:04:48,960 --> 00:04:51,600 Speaker 2: soft and spongy, del so delicious. 103 00:04:51,600 --> 00:04:52,920 Speaker 1: It's so special, like you have to wait. 104 00:04:53,040 --> 00:04:56,640 Speaker 3: I always get and I always get simpasuti the marigold flowers. 105 00:04:56,920 --> 00:04:59,120 Speaker 3: This is the flour that they use so that this 106 00:04:59,720 --> 00:05:03,760 Speaker 3: has a It has a really strong the merry goals. 107 00:05:03,800 --> 00:05:08,000 Speaker 3: And it's so bright that it's supposed to light the way. 108 00:05:08,160 --> 00:05:11,919 Speaker 2: The spirit home, light the spirit the road for the 109 00:05:11,920 --> 00:05:16,479 Speaker 2: spirits home. It's like a citrus infused essence of orange bloss. 110 00:05:16,560 --> 00:05:20,520 Speaker 2: The orange blossom bring back the sweet memories of loved ones. 111 00:05:21,080 --> 00:05:26,360 Speaker 1: That's sad, so sweet. Go back and listen to season 112 00:05:26,400 --> 00:05:28,960 Speaker 1: one of Hungry for History. Thank you so much. 113 00:05:35,440 --> 00:05:37,960 Speaker 2: Hungry for History is a hyphen a media production in 114 00:05:38,080 --> 00:05:41,039 Speaker 2: partnership with Iheart's michaela podcast network. 115 00:05:41,279 --> 00:05:44,120 Speaker 3: For more of your favorite shows, visit the iHeartRadio app, 116 00:05:44,240 --> 00:05:50,560 Speaker 3: Apple podcast, or wherever you get your podcasts.