From October 31, Mexico celebrates the "Day of the Dead" (also called "Day of the Dead"). This holiday in Mexico, both with the Western "Halloween (Halloween)" has similarities, but not exactly the same. The performance of a strong Indian national cultural characteristics.
Mexico's famous writer, Nobel Prize winner Octavio Paz said: "Death is actually a reflection of life. If death is meaningless, then its life must be the same." "It is death that shows the highest meaning of life; it is the opposite of life and the complement of life." This has not only become a cultural phenomenon with Mexican national characteristics, but also expresses the values and philosophical concepts of Mexicans.
The Mexicans inherited this view of life from the philosophy of the ancient Indians (Indian). As a result, they joyfully celebrate the completion of the life cycle and welcome the reunion of the living and the dead once a year. The annual Day of the Dead is an influence of such Aztec philosophical concepts and practices. People pay tribute to the dead, but never with sadness, and even sing and dance all night long, with the intention of celebrating the holiday with their dead loved ones. According to folklore, November 1 is the "young spirit" festival; the 2nd is the "adult spirit" festival.
People scatter yellow flower petals along the paths leading from cemeteries to villages or towns, so that the spirits of the dead can follow the fragrant paths back to their homes. In the evening, pumpkin lanterns are lit in front of homes to guide the spirits to the door, and offerings such as corn jelly, chocolate, bread, dumplings, chili sauce, pumpkins, sweets and desserts are placed on the altar for the spirits to enjoy. "The bread on the altar on the Day of the Dead is different from the usual bread. Different shapes have different meanings. Some are made in the shape of a "man", while others are made in the shape of a "man" without "legs", which means "ghosts". The spiral-shaped bread called "roscette" represents the cycle of life; the lasagna-shaped bread with decorations, "ohaldra", is meant to welcome back the dead. During the festival, men, women, and children of all ages are allowed to wear masks and garments of ghosts and ghouls with white bones printed on them and parade through the streets to signify the return of the dead.
In Mexico, children are told about the tradition from an early age. The Day of the Dead is listed as one of Mexico's most important traditions in the "Civics" textbooks for fourth-grade schoolchildren. Children learn from their textbooks that "The Day of the Dead, November 2, is a holiday we celebrate for those who are no longer with us. It's not a sad holiday, on the contrary, it's a holiday full of color; people decorate altars for the dead with food and other things; play music in the cemetery and write 'skeleton' poems to make fun of each other. This is an Indian custom, an Indian culture, that existed before the Spanish colonial era; this is how the Azteca celebrated it."
Newspapers also devote full pages on Day of the Dead to skeleton caricatures of presidents, cabinet ministers, and notable people, accompanied by epitaphs. Being painted as a skeleton of people also proud of luck, showing the Mexican nation's optimism and open-minded character and a humorous attitude towards death.
In the capital city of Mexico City, the government departments concerned in order to show this ancient culture, but also specially organized by the cultural sector of the districts in the city center of the Constitution Square set up a variety of altars. Participating units "eight immortals over the sea, each show their skills", digging out their minds, the altar to build a beautiful and artistic. This is to show that they have inherited the cultural identity of their people. Vendors are also allowed to sell various traditional foods around the square. The people who visit the plaza are so joyful that it is like a holiday. Although the Mexican "Day of the Dead" and other Western countries have similarities, with the Spanish colonization of the pre-Indian peoples and the Spanish dual origin, but the essence of the inheritance of the Indian traditions, showing the characteristics of the Indian culture, as well as their unique humor and ideas. It is generally recognized in Mexico that this culture is largely an inheritance of ancient Indian concepts, especially those of the Maya or Azteca. It also originates from the most advanced period of what is now known as "Mesoamerican culture". Although, as a cultural phenomenon, it was also influenced by the European culture of the colonial era. However, Mexicans have always been willing to distinguish themselves from other Western countries by referring to the ancient civilizations and cultures that they have inherited as their national identity. This consciousness is y rooted. 007: Ghostbusters" revealed the fourth set log, director Sam Mendes led the entire filming team to Mexico, with 1,500 actors and actresses together to faithfully recreate one of the most iconic Mexican holiday "Day of the Dead", and strive to create a 007 series of films in the history of the most exciting" movie! The most exciting" movie opening in the history of the 007 series. "Day of the Dead" is a grand Central American festival with a history of 3,000 years, during which people sing and dance all night long. It's not hard to imagine how James Bond and the mysterious SPECTRE will face off in this passionate carnival in the name of death.
Day of the Dead is the best representation of Mexican culture, and director Sam Mendes emphasizes that it has a very "special, exciting and colorful scene. In the video, the flowery altar, grimacing skeletons, sprinkled with marigolds, and marvelous dresses, and up to 4 meters high "Caterina" float together, reproduced a colorful and brilliant, each showing their skills in the grand "Day of the Dead" carnival.
For the entire cast and crew, costumes are the highlight of the Day of the Dead. Costume designer Jenny Temime said, the crew maximized respect for the local culture of Mexico; Mexican costume director Ana Terrazas deliberately for each set of costumes added elements of the undead. Obviously, in an industry where CGI is the order of the day, such a large-scale lineup of performances will bring every audience member personally into this unprecedented Pootenanny.
For Mexicans, "death is not the end of life, but the beginning of a new life". When "Ghostbusters" encounters "Day of the Dead", James Bond is once again standing on foreign soil, and the back of the ghost symbolizing death may really be the beginning of a brand new journey.
The origin of the festival
Day of the Dead is a product of the combination of Indian and Spanish cultures, led by the indigenous Indian culture. The Native Indian Day of the Dead is celebrated in July and August each year. Indigenous people believe that only good treatment of the dead, so that the spirits of the dead happy to go home for a festival, the next year the living people will be blessed by the spirits of the dead, no disease, no disaster, the crops will also be a big harvest.
The Spaniards came to the American continent, they will be the Western "Halloween", the indigenous Day of the Dead, as well as some of the indigenous burial and ritual customs combined to create today's Day of the Dead, the date is set in November 1 and 2 days. Today in Mexico and other Latin American countries, every year on November 1 is the "young spirit" festival, is the memory of the deceased children's holiday, 2 is the "adult spirit" festival, is the memory of the deceased adult day.