1 00:00:01,840 --> 00:00:07,600 Speaker 1: Welcome to Brainstuff, a production of iHeartRadio, Hey brain Stuff 2 00:00:07,680 --> 00:00:13,080 Speaker 1: Lauren Vogelbaum here. November first marks the Mexican holiday Elvia 3 00:00:13,119 --> 00:00:16,400 Speaker 1: de los Mortos, or the Day of the Dead. Although 4 00:00:16,400 --> 00:00:19,000 Speaker 1: it's celebrated around the same time of the year as Halloween, 5 00:00:19,160 --> 00:00:22,560 Speaker 1: and the two holidays share in affinity for skulls and sweets, 6 00:00:22,920 --> 00:00:27,560 Speaker 1: they're really very different. Halloween started as a pre Christian 7 00:00:27,680 --> 00:00:31,600 Speaker 1: Celtic festival called Sowen. The Celts had an idea that 8 00:00:31,640 --> 00:00:33,919 Speaker 1: the veil between the living and the dead grew thin 9 00:00:34,080 --> 00:00:37,400 Speaker 1: around the fall harvest, also the Celtic New Year, allowing 10 00:00:37,520 --> 00:00:41,360 Speaker 1: ghosts and ghouls to slip in. The Celts dressed up 11 00:00:41,360 --> 00:00:44,559 Speaker 1: as monsters and goblins to scare off evil spirits and 12 00:00:44,880 --> 00:00:48,280 Speaker 1: have a little fun in the process. A Weden Saint 13 00:00:48,360 --> 00:00:51,760 Speaker 1: Patrick brought Christianity to Ireland in the fifth century. The 14 00:00:51,840 --> 00:00:55,160 Speaker 1: Church incorporated some of the pagan traditions of Sowyn into 15 00:00:55,240 --> 00:00:59,560 Speaker 1: All Hallows Eve, observed October thirty first. The modern holiday 16 00:00:59,560 --> 00:01:02,880 Speaker 1: of Halloween was first popularized in America by Irish immigrants, 17 00:01:03,120 --> 00:01:06,000 Speaker 1: and developed from there into the spookfest we know and 18 00:01:06,120 --> 00:01:10,520 Speaker 1: love today. Meanwhile, a version of the Day of Dead 19 00:01:10,600 --> 00:01:13,600 Speaker 1: existed in pre Hispanic Mexico as far back as three 20 00:01:13,640 --> 00:01:17,560 Speaker 1: thousand years ago. By the fifteen hundred CE and the 21 00:01:17,600 --> 00:01:20,760 Speaker 1: reign of the Aztec Empire, this had become a massive 22 00:01:20,800 --> 00:01:23,600 Speaker 1: festival dedicated to the dead that was held during the 23 00:01:23,760 --> 00:01:27,240 Speaker 1: entire ninth month of the Aztec calendar, corresponding roughly to 24 00:01:27,360 --> 00:01:32,880 Speaker 1: late July early August. In as Tech mythology, the underworld 25 00:01:32,959 --> 00:01:36,160 Speaker 1: is ruled by mctec asoulat, the Lady of the Dead. 26 00:01:36,880 --> 00:01:40,000 Speaker 1: Her duty was to watch over the bones of past lives, 27 00:01:40,240 --> 00:01:42,560 Speaker 1: which were also the source of new lives on Earth. 28 00:01:43,400 --> 00:01:45,760 Speaker 1: Once a year, she would leave the underworld to check 29 00:01:45,800 --> 00:01:50,720 Speaker 1: on her living bones. The Aztecs welcomed the Lady of 30 00:01:50,760 --> 00:01:53,880 Speaker 1: the Dead and her husband with this month long death festival, 31 00:01:54,120 --> 00:01:57,800 Speaker 1: filled with offerings and dance, as sculptures of the couple 32 00:01:57,840 --> 00:02:02,120 Speaker 1: portray them with skeletal faces and necklaces, dangling with skulls 33 00:02:02,160 --> 00:02:06,760 Speaker 1: and severed hands. O. When the Spanish colonizers arrived in 34 00:02:06,800 --> 00:02:10,680 Speaker 1: the fifteen hundreds, they brought priests who converted indigenous peoples 35 00:02:10,760 --> 00:02:14,000 Speaker 1: by the sword. Some of the old traditions surrounding the 36 00:02:14,080 --> 00:02:17,000 Speaker 1: Day of the Dead got folded into Catholic observances of 37 00:02:17,040 --> 00:02:19,960 Speaker 1: All Saints Day on November first and All Souls Day 38 00:02:20,040 --> 00:02:25,680 Speaker 1: on November tecond. It's called religious syncretism when existing religious 39 00:02:25,680 --> 00:02:30,240 Speaker 1: customs and even deities are folded into a new belief system. O. 40 00:02:30,320 --> 00:02:33,360 Speaker 1: When the Aztecs and other indigenous Mexican groups fell to 41 00:02:33,400 --> 00:02:36,480 Speaker 1: the Spanish, they were forced to destroy their temples and 42 00:02:36,600 --> 00:02:40,080 Speaker 1: pagan idols and replace them with cathedrals and the Saints. 43 00:02:41,840 --> 00:02:44,680 Speaker 1: But the missionaries knew that a conquered people would have 44 00:02:44,720 --> 00:02:47,720 Speaker 1: an easier time accepting a new God and new traditions 45 00:02:47,960 --> 00:02:51,560 Speaker 1: if they fit into an existing religious worldview and ritual calendar. 46 00:02:52,200 --> 00:02:55,680 Speaker 1: And they saw that the locals venerated the dead, so 47 00:02:55,960 --> 00:02:59,799 Speaker 1: the Church looked for existing Christian holidays that emphasized communion 48 00:03:00,000 --> 00:03:03,440 Speaker 1: between the living and those beyond. All Saints Day and 49 00:03:03,480 --> 00:03:06,519 Speaker 1: November first is a time for Christians to remember and 50 00:03:06,639 --> 00:03:10,359 Speaker 1: honor fallen saints and now in heaven, and All Souls 51 00:03:10,400 --> 00:03:13,160 Speaker 1: Day November two marks the time to pray for the 52 00:03:13,160 --> 00:03:15,680 Speaker 1: souls of departed loved ones who may be trapped in 53 00:03:15,680 --> 00:03:21,640 Speaker 1: purgatory waiting for admission to Heaven. Still, some peoples held 54 00:03:21,720 --> 00:03:26,520 Speaker 1: tight to pre Hispanic symbols like Mctechasua and her skull necklace, 55 00:03:26,800 --> 00:03:30,720 Speaker 1: which endure today as the skeleton Sheik Katrina and brightly 56 00:03:30,760 --> 00:03:36,800 Speaker 1: painted sugar skulls. American concepts of death tend to be fearful, 57 00:03:37,000 --> 00:03:40,360 Speaker 1: and Halloween is a scary time. The spirits of the 58 00:03:40,360 --> 00:03:43,280 Speaker 1: dead are more likely to return as creepy ghosts than 59 00:03:43,400 --> 00:03:48,560 Speaker 1: friendly visitors. But Eldiya dels Mortos is a celebration of life, 60 00:03:48,840 --> 00:03:51,720 Speaker 1: both here and beyond, when the souls of the departed 61 00:03:51,800 --> 00:03:56,080 Speaker 1: come home for feasting and fun. The holiday's traditions help 62 00:03:56,160 --> 00:03:59,480 Speaker 1: us remember, respect and celebrate loved ones who have passed, 63 00:04:00,040 --> 00:04:03,160 Speaker 1: and they let us laugh at death while poking fun 64 00:04:03,200 --> 00:04:08,040 Speaker 1: at the living. The Mexican poet and author Octavial Pus 65 00:04:08,080 --> 00:04:12,280 Speaker 1: described this attitude, writing that a Mexican person quote is 66 00:04:12,320 --> 00:04:15,960 Speaker 1: familiar with death, jokes about it, caresses it, sleeps with it, 67 00:04:16,040 --> 00:04:19,160 Speaker 1: celebrates it. It is one of his favorite toys and 68 00:04:19,200 --> 00:04:24,720 Speaker 1: his steadfast love. Even the cemetery, a place that Westerners 69 00:04:24,760 --> 00:04:29,320 Speaker 1: tend to associate with mourning and fear, is tinged with laughter, music, 70 00:04:29,480 --> 00:04:32,800 Speaker 1: and colorful decorations on the Day of the Dead. A death, 71 00:04:32,920 --> 00:04:38,000 Speaker 1: after all, is part of the human experience. We'll get 72 00:04:38,040 --> 00:04:40,240 Speaker 1: back to the cemetery in a moment, but Day of 73 00:04:40,279 --> 00:04:42,600 Speaker 1: the Dead really starts in the home with the building 74 00:04:42,640 --> 00:04:46,679 Speaker 1: of afrandas, a type of festive altar dedicated to deceased 75 00:04:46,760 --> 00:04:51,239 Speaker 1: love ones. An afranda can be small or large, humble 76 00:04:51,440 --> 00:04:54,320 Speaker 1: or ornate, but ite's sure to include a picture of 77 00:04:54,360 --> 00:04:56,720 Speaker 1: the person who has passed a plus some of their 78 00:04:56,720 --> 00:04:59,600 Speaker 1: favorite foods and drinks to help them refuel after the 79 00:04:59,640 --> 00:05:03,719 Speaker 1: long journey from the spirit world. The path home is 80 00:05:03,720 --> 00:05:06,520 Speaker 1: marked by flower petals scattered on and around the altar, 81 00:05:06,960 --> 00:05:11,280 Speaker 1: a smoky incense candles, and papel piccato, a multicolored sheets 82 00:05:11,279 --> 00:05:14,800 Speaker 1: of tissue paper with elaborate designs cut into them. The 83 00:05:14,839 --> 00:05:18,000 Speaker 1: dominant color of afrendas is the rich orange yellow of 84 00:05:18,040 --> 00:05:21,520 Speaker 1: Mexican marigolds. In the days approaching Day of the Dead, 85 00:05:21,880 --> 00:05:25,919 Speaker 1: a flower market sell mounds of fragrant marigolds for decorating offrendas, 86 00:05:26,279 --> 00:05:29,360 Speaker 1: along with white baby's breadth and purple red cock's comb. 87 00:05:30,920 --> 00:05:32,800 Speaker 1: But in parts of Mexico where a Day of the 88 00:05:32,839 --> 00:05:36,440 Speaker 1: Dead is still traditionally observed, much of the celebration centers 89 00:05:36,520 --> 00:05:40,440 Speaker 1: around the local cemetery. In the days leading up to 90 00:05:40,480 --> 00:05:43,280 Speaker 1: November first, families will clean up the grave site of 91 00:05:43,320 --> 00:05:46,279 Speaker 1: a loved one. They'll pull out weeds, put a fresh 92 00:05:46,279 --> 00:05:49,240 Speaker 1: coat of paint on iron fences or white down headstones. 93 00:05:50,120 --> 00:05:53,239 Speaker 1: In humbler cemeteries, where a grave might only be marked 94 00:05:53,240 --> 00:05:56,560 Speaker 1: with a simple wooden cross, families might bring shovels and 95 00:05:56,640 --> 00:06:01,000 Speaker 1: mound up fresh soil over the grave. Then it's time 96 00:06:01,040 --> 00:06:05,680 Speaker 1: to decorate a graveside off brendas include lots of marigolds, candles, 97 00:06:05,720 --> 00:06:08,640 Speaker 1: and offerings of food and drink for the famished souls 98 00:06:08,640 --> 00:06:13,320 Speaker 1: of the departed. On the night of November First, families 99 00:06:13,400 --> 00:06:16,400 Speaker 1: gather around the graves. They bring food and drinks for 100 00:06:16,440 --> 00:06:19,799 Speaker 1: themselves as well as for their spirit guests. A musicians 101 00:06:19,839 --> 00:06:23,840 Speaker 1: take requests for loved one's favorite tunes. Families stay in 102 00:06:23,880 --> 00:06:27,800 Speaker 1: the cemetery all night, visiting with neighbors, telling stories and jokes, 103 00:06:27,960 --> 00:06:30,719 Speaker 1: and keeping the candles lit and the plates of food 104 00:06:30,760 --> 00:06:36,120 Speaker 1: full for the unseen guests of honor. A Spanish word 105 00:06:36,160 --> 00:06:39,800 Speaker 1: for skeleton is calivera, and calaveras play a large role 106 00:06:39,839 --> 00:06:43,719 Speaker 1: in Day of the Dead imagery, costumes, and art. Although 107 00:06:43,760 --> 00:06:46,680 Speaker 1: skeleton motifs go back to the Aztec Lady of the Dead, 108 00:06:47,080 --> 00:06:51,000 Speaker 1: a modern calivera imagery is deeply influenced by Mexican printmaker 109 00:06:51,240 --> 00:06:54,680 Speaker 1: Jose Guadalupe Posada, who gained fame in the late eighteen 110 00:06:54,760 --> 00:06:59,680 Speaker 1: hundreds drawing satirical cartoons of Mexico's wealthy elite and corrupt politicians, 111 00:07:00,200 --> 00:07:04,919 Speaker 1: all portrayed as comical skeletons. His most enduring image is 112 00:07:05,000 --> 00:07:09,240 Speaker 1: La Calavera Katrina from around nineteen ten. It portrays a 113 00:07:09,320 --> 00:07:14,440 Speaker 1: skeleton wearing a beautiful posh lady's hat decorated with flowers 114 00:07:14,440 --> 00:07:19,120 Speaker 1: and feathers and pretty tassels in her not hair. It's 115 00:07:19,120 --> 00:07:24,520 Speaker 1: a commentary on vanity, youth, beauty, money. You can't take 116 00:07:24,600 --> 00:07:28,679 Speaker 1: any of it with you. Today you'll find ornate clay 117 00:07:28,720 --> 00:07:33,160 Speaker 1: statues of colorfully painted Katrinas and her male counterpart Katrine 118 00:07:33,400 --> 00:07:36,240 Speaker 1: for sale at Day of the Dead markets, alongside smaller 119 00:07:36,240 --> 00:07:41,480 Speaker 1: figurines of Calaveras at work and play Calivera dentists, Caliverra bartenders, 120 00:07:41,560 --> 00:07:47,160 Speaker 1: Calovera footballers, etc. But there's also a second type of 121 00:07:47,240 --> 00:07:50,680 Speaker 1: Day of the Dead Calovera owen. Posado was making his 122 00:07:50,840 --> 00:07:54,000 Speaker 1: prints in turn of the twentieth century Mexico. Many of 123 00:07:54,000 --> 00:07:59,720 Speaker 1: his drawings adorned satirical poems called calaveras literarius literary calaveras. 124 00:08:00,800 --> 00:08:04,360 Speaker 1: These short, rhyming verses poked fun at all classes of 125 00:08:04,360 --> 00:08:08,520 Speaker 1: Mexican society and writing original colorvedos is still part of 126 00:08:08,600 --> 00:08:11,520 Speaker 1: Day of the Dead festivities for kids and grown ups. Alike. 127 00:08:13,560 --> 00:08:17,640 Speaker 1: Skeletons also appear as sugar skulls, bright white skulls made 128 00:08:17,680 --> 00:08:21,440 Speaker 1: of a type of sugarpaste called alfa yike. Those craft 129 00:08:21,480 --> 00:08:25,320 Speaker 1: markets have them in all sizes from tiny to life sized, 130 00:08:25,840 --> 00:08:30,560 Speaker 1: iced with colorful designs. However, though technically edible, they're meant 131 00:08:30,560 --> 00:08:33,640 Speaker 1: to be decorative, placed on afrendas or given as gifts. 132 00:08:35,400 --> 00:08:38,160 Speaker 1: The markets have plenty of skulls meant for snacking, though, 133 00:08:38,240 --> 00:08:44,400 Speaker 1: including chocolate skulls, lollipop skulls, and marshmallow skulls. Another holiday 134 00:08:44,400 --> 00:08:48,760 Speaker 1: treat is Pandemorthos, the bread of the Dead, available mostly 135 00:08:48,800 --> 00:08:52,240 Speaker 1: only around late October. Pandamorthos is made with a rich, 136 00:08:52,320 --> 00:08:55,360 Speaker 1: eggy dough flavored with a dash of orange blossom extract. 137 00:08:55,800 --> 00:08:58,600 Speaker 1: It's shaped into a round and topped with bulbous ropes 138 00:08:58,600 --> 00:09:01,880 Speaker 1: of dough shaped like crossper before being dusted with sugar 139 00:09:02,080 --> 00:09:09,800 Speaker 1: and baked. Today's episode is based on the article ten 140 00:09:09,880 --> 00:09:11,720 Speaker 1: Lively facts about the Day of the Dead on how 141 00:09:11,760 --> 00:09:14,800 Speaker 1: stuffworks dot com, written by Dave Ruse. Brain Stuff is 142 00:09:14,800 --> 00:09:17,640 Speaker 1: production of iHeartRadio in partnership with HowStuffWorks dot com and 143 00:09:17,760 --> 00:09:20,480 Speaker 1: is produced by Tyler Klang. Four more podcasts from my 144 00:09:20,520 --> 00:09:23,839 Speaker 1: heart Radio. Visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever 145 00:09:23,880 --> 00:09:25,280 Speaker 1: you listen to your favorite shows.