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163-467: Santa Muerte almost always appears as a female skeletal figure, clad in a long robe and holding one or more objects, usually a scythe and a globe . Her robe can be of any color, as more specific images of the figure vary widely from devotee to devotee and according to the ritual being performed or the petition being made. Her present day following was first reported in Mexico by American anthropologists in

326-803: A calaverita , a small gift of candies or money; they also ask passersby for it. This custom is similar to that of Halloween 's trick-or-treating in the United States, but without the component of mischief to homeowners if no treat is given. A distinctive literary form exists within this holiday where people write short poems in traditional rhyming verse , called calaveras literarias (lit. "literary skulls"), which are mocking, light-hearted epitaphs mostly dedicated to friends, classmates, co-workers, or family members (living or dead) but also to public or historical figures, describing interesting habits and attitudes, as well as comedic or absurd anecdotes that use death-related imagery which includes but

489-478: A Christian cross , statues or pictures of the Blessed Virgin Mary , pictures of deceased relatives and other people, scores of candles, and an ofrenda . Traditionally, families spend some time around the altar, praying and telling anecdotes about the deceased. In some locations, celebrants wear shells on their clothing, so when they dance, the noise will wake up the dead; some will also dress up as

652-454: A Jewish religious-Zionist youth movement , contains wheat, scythe and pitchfork , representing agriculture and the combination of land labor with the Torah. In 2012, The Wall Street Journal reported some American homeowners were eschewing motorized lawn mowers in favor of scythes, citing the lack of noise as well as the health benefits of scythe reaping as exercise . Day of

815-570: A "cult of crisis" by some scholars. Devotion to the skeleton saint has expanded rapidly during economic and social hardships, which tend to affect the working classes more. Santa Muerte tends to attract those in extremely difficult or hopeless situations but also appeals to smaller sectors of middle class professionals and even the affluent. Some of her most devoted followers are those who commit petty crimes, often committed out of desperation, such as sex workers and petty thieves. The worship of Santa Muerte also attracts those who are not inclined to seek

978-400: A "degeneration of religion". When Pope Francis visited Mexico in 2016, he repudiated Santa Muerte on his first full day in the country, condemning Santa Muerte as a dangerous symbol of narco-culture ; Santa Muerte has been described as a narco-saint . Scythe A scythe ( / s aɪ ð / SYDHE ) is an agricultural hand tool for mowing grass or harvesting crops . It

1141-470: A Japanese man showcased a wooden reaping tool with a metal edge, which he used to show how rice was cut. He was impressed with the speed of the local reapers, but said such a large scythe would never work in Japan. The Norwegian municipality of Hornindal has three scythe blades in its coat-of-arms. In Poland, especially regions surrounding Kraków , the memory of Scythemen ( Polish : Kosynierzy ) of

1304-525: A bun, topped with sugar, and often decorated with bone-shaped pieces of the same pastry. Calaveras , or sugar skulls, display colorful designs to represent the vitality and individual personality of the departed. In addition to food, drinks are also important to the tradition of Day of the Dead. Historically, the main alcoholic drink was pulque ; today families will commonly drink the favorite beverage of their deceased ancestors. Other drinks associated with

1467-514: A community altar, an Altar contest, a catrin/catrina contest, as well as lots of music, food, and vendors. Overall, San Diego is booming with colorful celebrations honoring ancestors across the county. In Italy , November 2 is All Souls' Day and is colloquially known as Day of the Dead or "Giorno dei Morti". While many regional nuances exist, celebrations generally consist of placing flowers at cemeteries and family burial sites and speaking to deceased relatives. Some traditions also include lighting

1630-435: A criticism of Mexican upper-class women who imitated European fashions. It was first published posthumously in a broadside with a text (not by Posada) that mocked working-class vendors of chickpeas . Posada's image of a skeletal figure with a big hat decorated with two ostrich feathers and flowers was elaborated into a full scale figure by Mexican Muralist Diego Rivera in a fresco painted in 1946–47. Rivera's Catrina has

1793-502: A hand reaper that would be considered a scythe. The Abbeydale Industrial Hamlet in Sheffield , England, is a museum of a scythe-making works that was in operation from the end of the 18th century until the 1930s. This was part of the former scythe-making district of north Derbyshire , which extended into Eckington . Other English scythe-making districts include that around Belbroughton . The German Renaissance scythe sword ,

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1956-443: A holy water font, or under a cross in a cemetery, whereby it would be transformed into a memento mori. Regardless of its origin, the festivity has become a national symbol in Mexico and as such is taught in the nation's school system, typically asserting a native origin. It is also a school holiday nationwide. A number of Mexico City's museums and public spaces have played an important part in developing and promoting urban Day of

2119-588: A manifestation of syncretism . The beginning of the Christian observance of Allhallowtide , including All Saints' Day and its vigil, as well as All Souls' Day, is observed on the same days in places like Spain and Southern Europe, and elsewhere in Christendom. Critics of the Native American origin claim that even though pre-Columbian Mexico had traditions that honored the dead, current depictions of

2282-568: A national symbol in recent decades and it is taught in the nation's school system asserting a native origin. In 2008, the tradition was inscribed in the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO . Views differ on whether the festivity has indigenous pre-Hispanic roots, whether it is a more modern adaptation of an existing European tradition, or a combination of both as

2445-580: A person dressed up as the deity offering gifts to poor children. In this context, the Day of the Dead began to be officially isolated from the Catholic Church by the leftist government of Lázaro Cárdenas motivated both by "indigenismo" and left-leaning anti-clericalism . Malvido herself goes as far as calling the festivity a "Cardenist invention" whereby the Catholic elements are removed and emphasis

2608-531: A plethora of Santa Muerte paraphernalia like the votive candles that have her image on the front and in a color representative of its purpose. On the back of the candles are prayers associated with the color's meaning and may sometimes come with additional prayer cards. Color symbolism is central to devotion and ritual. There are three main colors associated with Santa Muerte: red, white, and black. The candles are placed on altars and devotees turn to specific colored candles depending on their circumstance. Some keep

2771-480: A polychrome seven-color candle, which Chesnut believed was adopted from the seven powers candle of Santería , a syncretic Afro-Cuban faith brought to Mexico by Cuban migrants. Here the seven colors are gold, silver, copper, blue, purple, red, and green. In addition to the candles and vestments, each devotee adorns their own image in their own way, using U.S. dollars, gold coins, jewelry, and other items. Santa Muerte has no official annual feast day but November 2, Day of

2934-409: A popular traditional sport, called segalaritza (from Spanish verb segar : to mow). Each contender competes to cut a defined section of grown grass before his rival does the same. There is an international scything competition held at Goričko where people from Austria, Hungary, Serbia, and Romania, or as far away as Asia enter to showcase their culturally unique method of reaping crops. In 2009,

3097-610: A prominent role in modern Day of the Dead observances in Mexico and elsewhere. The Catrina phenomenon has in fact gone beyond Day of the Dead, resulting in non-seasonal and even permanent "Catrinas", including COVID-19 masks, tattoos, permanently decorated cars, and Catrina-themed artworks. Some artists have even developed a sub-specialization in Catrina imagery. Theatrical presentations of Don Juan Tenorio by José Zorrilla (1817–1893) are also traditional on this day. The traditions and activities that take place in celebration of

3260-404: A red candle or "lumino" on the window sills at sunset and laying out a table of food for deceased relatives who will come to visit. Like other Day of the Dead traditions around the world, Giorno dei Morti is a day dedicated to honoring the lives of those who have died. Additionally, it is a tradition that teaches children not to be afraid of death. In Sicily , families celebrate a long-held Day of

3423-607: A saint and protector of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) communities in Mexico , since LGBTQ+ people are considered and treated as outcasts by the Catholic Church , evangelical churches , and Mexican society at large . Many LGBTQ+ people ask her for protection from violence, hatred, disease, and to help them in their search for love. Her intercession is commonly invoked in same-sex marriage ceremonies performed in Mexico. The now defunct Iglesia Católica Tradicional México-Estados Unidos , also known as

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3586-419: A scythe blade is maintained by occasional peening followed by frequent honing . Peening reforms the malleable edge by hammering; creating the desired edge profile , locally work-hardening the metal, and removing minor nicks and dents. For mowing fine grass, the bevel angle may be peened extremely fine, while for coarser work a larger angle is created to give a more robust edge. Peening requires some skill and

3749-641: A shop in Mercado Juárez in Monterrey, where tarot readers , curanderos , herbal healers, and sorcerers can also be found. The establishment of the first public shrine to the image began to change how Santa Muerte was venerated. The veneration has grown rapidly since then, and others have put their images on public display, as well. In 2001, Enriqueta Romero built a shrine for a life-sized statue of Santa Muerte in her home in Mexico City, visible from

3912-487: A sickle made of the strongest metal to her youngest son Kronos , who is also the youngest of the Titans and god of the harvest, to seek vengeance against her husband Ouranos for torturing their eldest sons. The Grim Reaper is often depicted carrying or wielding a scythe. According to Jack Herer and Flesh of The Gods (Emboden, W. A. Jr., Praeger Press, New York, 1974), the ancient Scythians grew hemp and harvested it with

4075-423: A simple Tehuana dress and a feather boa, as well as other features that make allusions to the indigenous peoples of Mexico. Through the addition of these indigenous features, Rivera rehabilitated Catrina into a nationalist emblem. The Catrina character has become deeply associated with the Day of the Dead. Catrina figures made of a wide range of materials, as well as people with Catrina costumes, have come to play

4238-408: A special wicker basket of the dead called "cannistru dei morti" or "u cannistru", which typically consist of various sweets, small toys, boned-shaped almond flavored cookies called "ossa dei morti", sugar dolls called "pupi di zucchero", and fruit, vegetable, and ghoul shaped marzipan treats called " Frutta martorana ". The pupi di zucchero, thought to be an Arabic cultural import, are often found in

4401-669: A traditional two-day celebration culminating in a candlelight procession to the historic El Campo Santo Cemetery. The festival also was held annually at historic Forest Hills Cemetery in Boston 's Jamaica Plain neighborhood. Sponsored by Forest Hills Educational Trust and the folkloric performance group La Piñata, the Day of the Dead festivities celebrated the cycle of life and death. People brought offerings of flowers, photos, mementos, and food for their departed loved ones, which they placed at an elaborately and colorfully decorated altar. A program of traditional music and dance also accompanied

4564-572: A wicker basket under the bed (the size varied according to the money there was in the family) that at night the dear dead would fill with sweets and gifts that we would find on the 2nd morning upon awakening. After a restless sleep we woke up at dawn to go hunting… Because the dead wanted to play with us, to give us fun, and therefore they didn't put the basket back where they had found it, but went to hide it carefully, we had to look for it… The toys were tin trains, wooden toy cars, rag dolls, wooden cubes that formed landscapes… On November 2nd we returned

4727-504: Is "generally informal and unorganized". Since worship of this folk saint has been, and to a large extent still is, clandestine, most rituals are performed at altars in the homes of devotees. Recently public shrines have been mushrooming across Mexico. The one on Dr. Vertiz Street in Colonia Doctores is unique in Mexico City because it features statues of Jesús Malverde and Saint Jude along with Santa Muerte. Another public shrine

4890-513: Is a skeleton dressed in female clothes or a shroud, and carrying both a scythe and a globe. Santa Muerte is distinguished as female not by her skeletal form but rather by her attire and hair. The latter was introduced by a believer named Enriqueta Romero. The two most common objects that Santa Muerte holds in her hands are a globe and a scythe . Her scythe reflects her origins as the Grim Reaper ( la Parca of medieval Spain), and can represent

5053-691: Is also used for personal cleansing and for cleansing statues of Santa Muerte According to popular belief, Santa Muerte is very powerful and is reputed to grant many miracles. Her images are treated as holy and can grant miracles in return for the faith of the believer. As Señora de la Noche ("Lady of the Night"), she is often invoked by those exposed to the dangers of working at night, such as taxi drivers, bar owners, police, soldiers, and sex workers. As such, devotees believe she can protect against assaults, accidents, gun violence, and all types of violent death. Her effigies are dressed differently depending on what

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5216-521: Is an equalizer. Skeletons were clad in extravagant dresses with braids in their hair, altering the image of Posada's original La Catrina. As opposed to being the political message Posada intended, the skeletons of equality became skeletal images which were appealing to tourists and the national folkloric Mexican identity. Veneration of Santa Muerte was documented in the 1940s in working-class neighborhoods in Mexico City, such as Tepito . At present, Santa Muerte can be found throughout Mexico and also across

5379-475: Is being requested. Usually, her vestments are differently colored robes, but it is also common for the effigies to be dressed as a bride (for those seeking a husband) or in European medieval nun 's garments similar to female Catholic saints. The colors of Santa Muerte's votive candles and vestments are associated with the type of petitions made. White is the most common color and symbolizes gratitude, purity, or

5542-415: Is being used here, but blades can be free-peened using various designs of peening anvils. The peening jig shown has two interchangeable caps that set different angles: a coarse angle is set first about 3 mm back from the edge, and the fine angle is then set on the edge, leaving an edge that lends itself to being easily honed. The blade is then honed using progressively finer honing stones and then taken to

5705-409: Is damp, and so hay-making historically began at dawn and often stopped early, the heat of the day being spent raking and carting the hay cut on previous days or peening the blades. Scythes are designed for different tasks. A long, thin blade 90 to 100 centimetres (35 to 39 in) is most efficient for mowing grass or wheat, while a shorter, more robust scythe 60 to 70 centimetres (24 to 28 in)

5868-508: Is dedicated to adults."   He also notes that the same object, such as a stone skull carved by the Aztecs, would have different meanings in different religious contexts. For the Aztecs, bones—and skulls in particular—were reservoirs of enormous sacred power. A stone skull could evoke sacrifice, and the skull racks where the skulls of sacrificed captives were displayed. The Spanish could take an Aztec skull and repurpose it by placing it on

6031-408: Is done using a peening hammer and special anvils or by using a peening jig. Historically, when mowing in teams, a peening station was set up on the edge of the field during harvest, but now more likely back in the workshop. In the example below, a short scythe blade, being used to clear brambles , is being sharpened. Before being taken to the forest, the blade is peened in the workshop: this reforms

6194-470: Is historically used to cut down or reap edible grains , before the process of threshing . The scythe has been largely replaced by horse -drawn and then tractor machinery, but is still used in some areas of Europe and Asia. Reapers are bladed machines that automate the cutting of the scythe, and sometimes subsequent steps in preparing the grain or the straw or hay . The word "scythe" derives from Old English siðe . In Middle English and later, it

6357-420: Is in a small park on Matamoros Street very close to Paseo de la Reforma . Shrines can also be found in the back of all kinds of stores and gas stations. As veneration of Santa Muerte becomes more accepted, stores specializing in religious articles, such as botánicas , are carrying more and more paraphernalia related to her worship. Historian R. Andrew Chesnut has discovered that many botanicas in both Mexico and

6520-422: Is in matters of the heart. The red candle that symbolizes love, lust, and passion is helpful in various situations having to do with love. Her initial main purpose was in love magic during the colonial era in Mexico , which derived from the love magic being brought over from Spain. The Spanish Grim Reapress fused with the indigenous conceptualizations of death are at the root of La Flaca's existence, in so that

6683-477: Is laid on indigenous iconography, the focus on death and what Malvido considers to be the cultural invention according to which Mexicans venerate death. Gonzalez explains that Mexican nationalism developed diverse cultural expressions with a seal of tradition but which are essentially social constructs which eventually developed ancestral tones. One of these would be the Catholic Día de Muertos which, during

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6846-518: Is more appropriate for clearing weeds, cutting reed or sedge and can be used with the blade under water for clearing ditches and waterways. Skilled mowers using long-bladed scythes honed very sharp were used to maintain short lawn grass until the invention of the lawnmower . Many cultures have used a variety of 'cradles' to catch cut different kinds of grain stems, keeping the seed heads aligned and laying them down in an orderly fashion to make them easier to sheaf and winnow . The cutting edge of

7009-480: Is not limited to cemeteries, skulls, or the grim reaper , all of this in situations where the dedicatee has an encounter with death itself. This custom originated in the 18th or 19th century after a newspaper published a poem narrating a dream of a cemetery in the future which included the words "and all of us were dead", and then proceeding to read the tombstones. Current newspapers dedicate calaveras literarias to public figures, with cartoons of skeletons in

7172-506: Is represented on this date both in Spain and in Mexico since the early 19th century due to its ghostly apparitions and cemetery scenes. Opposing views assert that despite the obvious European influence, there exists proof of pre-Columbian festivities that were very similar in spirit, with the Aztec people having at least six celebrations during the year that were very similar to Day of the Dead,

7335-465: Is seen again and again in various drug safe houses . Ironically, the military and police officers that are employed to dismantle the White Lady's shrines make up a large portion of her devotees. Furthermore, even though her presence in the drug world is becoming routine, the sale of black candles pales in comparison to top selling white, red, and gold candles. One of Santa Muerte's more popular uses

7498-512: Is surrounded by offerings left to it, including: flowers, fruits (especially apples), candles, toys, money, notes of thanks for prayers granted, cigarettes, and alcoholic beverages that surround it. Enriqueta Romero considers herself the chaplain of the shrine, a role she says she inherited from her aunt, who began the practice in the family in 1962. The shrine is located on 12 Alfarería Street in Tepito , Colonia Morelos . For many, this Santa Muerte

7661-481: Is the patron saint of Tepito. The house also contains a shop that sells amulets, bracelets, medallions, books, images, and other items; the most popular item sold there is votive candles. On the first day of every month Enriqueta Romero or one of her assistants lead prayers and the recitation of the Santa Muerte rosary , which lasts for about an hour and is based on the Catholic rosary. On the first of November

7824-458: Is then covered in banana leaves and steamed in an underground oven over the course of several hours. Once cooked, it is dug up and opened to eat. A common symbol of the holiday is the skull (in Spanish calavera ), which celebrants represent in masks , called calacas (colloquial term for skeleton), and foods such as chocolate or sugar skulls, which are inscribed with the name of

7987-410: Is too long for the skill level, failing to start with a sharp edge and persevering with a dull one during use, chopping or hacking at the grass, trying to cut too wide a strip of grass at once and striking the ground with the blade. Historically, beginners relied on mentors to help them set up and maintain their scythe and to teach them to mow comfortably and efficiently. Mowing grass is easier when it

8150-781: Is translated as "Most Holy Death" or "Most Saintly Death", and devotees often call her Santisma Muerte during their rituals. Santa Muerte is also known by a wide variety of other monikers: the Skinny Lady ( La Flaquita or La Flaca ), the Bony Lady ( la Huesuda ), the White Girl ( la Niña Blanca ), the White Sister ( la Hermana Blanca ), the Pretty Girl ( la Niña Bonita ), the Powerful Lady ( la Dama Poderosa ),

8313-439: Is used instead of incense , which is traditionally used for purification by Catholics. Food such as cake, chicken with mole , hot chocolate, coffee, and atole are served during the celebrations, which features performances by mariachis and marimba bands. Santa Muerte is a multifaceted saint, with various symbolic meanings and her devotees can call upon her for a wide range of reasons. In herbal shops and markets one can find

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8476-456: The Catholic Church that Santa Muerte leaders in Mexico have advised against its use, while in the Santa Muerte community some leaders and devotees are angered that their powerful, formidable folk saint would be conflated with a completely separate entity, the Virgin of Guadalupe, as the practices are different on many levels. Rituals dedicated to Santa Muerte include processions and prayers with

8639-728: The Galería de la Raza , SomArts Cultural Center, Mission Cultural Center, de Young Museum and altars at Garfield Square by the Marigold Project. Oakland is home to Corazon Del Pueblo in the Fruitvale district. Corazon Del Pueblo has a shop offering handcrafted Mexican gifts and a museum devoted to Day of the Dead artifacts. Also, the Fruitvale district in Oakland serves as the hub of the Día de Muertos annual festival which occurs

8802-646: The United States with a smaller contingent of followers in Canada and Europe. Santa Muerte has two similar male counterparts in Latin America, the skeletal folk saints San La Muerte of Argentina and Paraguay and Rey Pascual of Guatemala and Chiapas, Mexico. According to R. Andrew Chesnut, Ph.D. in Latin American history and professor of religious studies , Santa Muerte is at the center of

8965-509: The Yucatán Peninsula , mukbil pollo ( píib chicken) is traditionally prepared on October 31 or November 1, and eaten by the family throughout the following days. It is similar to a big tamale, composed of masa and pork lard, and stuffed with pork, chicken, tomato, garlic, peppers, onions, epazote , achiote , and spices. Once stuffed, the mukbil pollo is bathed in kool sauce , made with meat broth, habanero chili, and corn masa. It

9128-412: The developed world , the scythe has been largely replaced by the motorised lawn mower and combine harvester . However, the scythe remained in common use for many years after the introduction of machines because a side-mounted finger-bar mower – whether horse- or tractor-drawn – could not mow in front of itself, and scythes were still needed to open up a meadow by clearing

9291-404: The sickle for reaping crops by the 16th century, as the scythe was better ergonomically and consequently more efficient. In about 1800, the grain cradle was sometimes added to the standard scythe when mowing grain; the cradle was an addition of light wooden fingers above the scythe blade which kept the grain stems aligned and the heads together to make the collection and threshing easier. In

9454-399: The "indigenous" narrative became hegemonic, the spirit of the festivity has far more in common with European traditions of Danse macabre and their allegories of life and death personified in the human skeleton to remind us the ephemeral nature of life. He also highlights that in the 19th-century press there was little mention of the Day of the Dead in the sense that we know it today. All there

9617-572: The 1794 Kościuszko Uprising is still vivid and commemorated. In order to strengthen the Polish forces against the Russians Kościuszko issued an act of mobilisation, but the difficulties with providing enough armament for the mobilised troops made Kościuszko form large units composed of peasants armed with scythes. Their motto was They Feed and Defend ( Polish : Żywią i Bronią , archaic spelling: Żywią y Bronią ). The emblem of Bnei Akiva ,

9780-484: The 1930s. Nevertheless, through ethnoarchaeological researches by Kingsbury and Chesnut as well as archival work by Perdigón Castañeda, proof has been established that there are clear links between pre-Columbian death deity worship and Santa Muerte supplication. In contrast to the Day of the Dead , overt veneration of Santa Muerte remained clandestine until the early 2000s. When it went public in sporadic occurrences, reaction

9943-557: The 1940s and was an occult practice until the early 2000s. Most prayers and other rituals have been traditionally performed privately at home. Since the beginning of the 21st century, worship has become more public, starting in Mexico City after a believer named Enriqueta Romero founded her famous Mexico City shrine in 2001. The number of believers in Santa Muerte has grown over the past two decades, to an estimated 29 million followers who are concentrated in Mexico, Central America , and

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10106-497: The 2015 James Bond film Spectre , the opening sequence features a Day of the Dead parade in Mexico City. At the time, no such parade took place in Mexico City; one year later, due to the interest in the film and the government desire to promote the Mexican culture, the federal and local authorities decided to organize an actual Día de Muertos parade through Paseo de la Reforma and Centro Historico on October 29, 2016, which

10269-417: The 20th century, appropriated the elements of an ancient pagan rite. One key element of the re-developed festivity which appears during this time is La Calavera Catrina by Mexican lithographer José Guadalupe Posada . According to Gonzalez, while Posada is portrayed in current times as the "restorer" of Mexico's pre-Hispanic tradition, he was never interested in Native American culture or history. Posada

10432-465: The Catholic Church in the United States are trying to combat Santa Muerte worship, especially in Texas, New Mexico, and Chicago particularly. Compared to the Catholic Church in Mexico, the official reaction in the U.S. is muted. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has not issued an official position on this, the fastest growing new religious movement in the country and in the entire world. Opposition to

10595-537: The Church of Santa Muerte, recognized gay marriage and performed religious wedding ceremonies for homosexual couples. In the Mexican and U.S. press, devotion to Santa Muerte is often associated with violence, criminality, and the illegal drug trade. She is a popular religious figure in prisons, both among inmates and staff, and shrines dedicated to her can be found in many cells. Altars with images of Santa Muerte have been found in many drug safe houses in both Mexico and

10758-512: The Day of the Dead are not universal, often varying from town to town. For example, in the town of Pátzcuaro on the Lago de Pátzcuaro in Michoacán , the tradition is very different if the deceased is a child rather than an adult. On November 1 of the year after a child's death, the godparents set a table in the parents' home with sweets, fruits, pan de muerto , a cross, a rosary (used to ask

10921-529: The Dead The Day of the Dead ( Spanish : Día de (los) Muertos ) is a holiday traditionally celebrated on November 1 and 2, though other days, such as October 31 or November 6, may be included depending on the locality. The multi-day holiday involves family and friends gathering to pay respects and remember friends and family members who have died. These celebrations can take a humorous tone, as celebrants remember amusing events and anecdotes about

11084-834: The Dead celebration that includes both traditional and political elements, such as altars to honor the victims of the Iraq War , highlighting the high casualty rate among Latino soldiers. An updated, intercultural version of the Day of the Dead is also evolving at Hollywood Forever Cemetery. There, in a mixture of Native Californian art, Mexican traditions and Hollywood hip, conventional altars are set up side by side with altars to Jayne Mansfield and Johnny Ramone . Colorful native dancers and music intermix with performance artists , while sly pranksters play on traditional themes. Similar traditional and intercultural updating of Mexican celebrations are held in San Francisco . For example,

11247-558: The Dead commemorations. During these commemorations, many Mexicans flock to cemeteries to sing and pray for friends and family members who have died. Children partake in the festivities by eating chocolate or candy in the shape of skulls . Perdigón Castañeda, Thompson, Kingsbury, and Chesnut have countered the argument that Santa Muerte's origins are not Indigenous proposed by Malvido, Lomnitz, and Kristensen; stating that Santa Muerte's origins derive from authentic Indigenous beliefs. For Malvido this stems from Indigenist discourse originating in

11410-411: The Dead tradition called The Festival of the Dead or "Festa dei Morti". On the eve of November 1, La Festa di Ognissanti, or All Saints' Day , older family members act as the "defunti", or spirits of deceased family members, who sneak into the home and hide sweets and gifts for their young descendants to awake to. On the morning of November 2, children begin the day by hunting to find the gifts in shoes or

11573-658: The Dead traditions through altars and installations. These notable organizations include: Anahuacalli, The Frida Kahlo Museum, The Museum of Popular Cultures, The Dolores Olmedo Museum, The Museum of the First Printing Press, and The Cloister of Sor Juana. From turn of the millennium until the imposition of the James Bond-inspired parade, remarkable large-scale installations were created on the Zocalo, Mexico City's central square. During Día de Muertos,

11736-405: The Dead, appears to be becoming the favored date. Many larger shrines and temples hold annual celebrations on the date of their founding. The most prominent is November 1, when the believer Enriqueta Romero celebrates her at her historic Tepito shrine where the famous effigy is dressed as a bride. Others celebrate her day on August 15. According to Chesnut, the new religious movement of Santa Muerte

11899-554: The Día de Muertos tradition being a continuity of ancient Aztec festivals celebrating death, as is most evident in the chapter "All Saints, Day of the Dead" of his 1950 book-length essay The Labyrinth of Solitude . Ruben C. Cordova emphasizes the zeal with which the Spanish attempted to extinguish indigenous religious beliefs and practices, such that it is often difficult to reconstruct their main features. Over time, indigenous converts became extremely devout Catholics. As Mexico modernized,

12062-627: The Godmother ( la Madrina ), Señora de las Sombras ("Lady of Shadows"), Señora Blanca ("White Lady"), Señora Negra ("Black Lady"), Niña Santa ("Holy Girl"), Santa Sebastiana ("Saint Sebastienne", i.e. "Holy Sebastian ") or Doña Bella Sebastiana ("Beautiful Lady Sebastienne"). After the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire , the worship of Mictēcacihuātl (or Mictlancihuatl), the skeletal Aztec goddess of death , diminished but

12225-582: The Greek and Roman harpe and the Egyptian khopesh were scythes or sickles modified as weapons or symbols of authority. An improvised conversion of the agricultural scythe to a war scythe by re-attaching the blade parallel to the snaith, similar to a bill , has also been used throughout history as a weapon. See § In art below for an example. Although the scythe is still an indispensable tool for farmers in developing countries and in mountainous terrain,

12388-500: The Mexican Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia ( INAH , or National Institute of Anthropology and History ) and founder of the institute's Taller de Estudios sobre la Muerte (Workshop of Studies on Death), was the first to do so in the context of her wider research into Mexican attitudes to death and disease across the centuries. Malvido completely discards a native or even syncretic origin arguing that

12551-769: The Oceanside Civic Center and Pier View Way, as well as events at the Mission San Luis Rey de Francia . In the more central area of San Diego, City Heights celebrates through a public festival in Jeremy Henwood Memorial Park that includes at least 35 altars, lowriders, and entertainment, all for free. Down in Chula Vista , they celebrate the tradition through a movie night at Third and Davidson streets where they will be screening "Coco." This movie night also consists of

12714-782: The Temple of Santa Muerte on Melrose Avenue in East Hollywood . In many places across the US her popularity has spread beyond Hispanic communities. For instance, the Santisima Muerte Chapel of Perpetual Pilgrimage is maintained by a woman of Danish descent , while the New Orleans Chapel of the Santisima Muerte was founded in 2012 by a Non-Hispanic White devotee. As in Mexico, some elements of

12877-643: The U.S. are kept in business by sales of Santa Muerte paraphernalia, with numerous shops earning up to half of their profits on Santa Muerte items. This is true even of stores in very well known locations such as Pasaje Catedral behind the Mexico City Cathedral , which is mostly dedicated to stores selling Catholic liturgical items. Her image is a staple in esoterica shops. There are those who now call themselves Santa Muerte priests or priestesses, such as Jackeline Rodríguez in Monterrey . She maintains

13040-742: The United States and Central America. There are videos, websites, and music composed in honor of this folk saint. The new religious movement of Santa Muerte first came to widespread popular attention in Mexico in August 1998, when police arrested notorious gangster Daniel Arizmendi López and discovered a shrine to the saint in his home. Widely reported in the press, this discovery inspired the common association between Santa Muerte, violence, and criminality in Mexican popular consciousness. Since 2001, there has been "meteoric growth" in Santa Muerte belief, largely due to her reputation for performing miracles. Worship has been made up of roughly 12 million adherents, with

13203-583: The United States. Among Santa Muerte's more infamous devotees are kidnapper Daniel Arizmendi López , known as El Mochaorejas , and Gilberto García Mena , one of the bosses of the Gulf Cartel . In March 2012, the Sonora State Investigative Police announced that they had arrested eight people for murder for allegedly having performed a human sacrifice of a woman and two ten-year-old boys to Santa Muerte. In December 2010,

13366-461: The Virgin Mary to pray for them), and candles. This is meant to celebrate the child's life, in respect and appreciation for the parents. There is also dancing with colorful costumes, often with skull-shaped masks and devil masks in the plaza or garden of the town. At midnight on November 2, the people light candles and ride winged boats called mariposas (butterflies) to Janitzio, an island in

13529-450: The aim of having a miracle granted. Some believers of Santa Muerte remain members of the Catholic Church, while others are cutting ties with the Catholic Church and founding independent Santa Muerte churches and temples. Santa Muerte altars generally contain one or multiple images of the saint, generally surrounded by any or all of the following: cigarettes, flowers, fruit, incense, water, alcoholic beverages, coins, candies and candles. Tobacco

13692-493: The anniversary of the Tepito Santa Muerte shrine erected by Enriqueta Romero is celebrated. This Santa Muerte is dressed as a bride and wears hundreds of pieces of gold jewelry given by the faithful to show gratitude for miracles granted, or to ask for one. The celebration officially begins at the stroke of midnight of November 1. Thousands of faithful turn out to pray the rosary. For purification, marijuana smoke

13855-619: The arbitrary and violent nature of an unequal society. Modern artists began to reestablish Posada's styles as a national artistic objective to push the limits of upper-class tastes; an example of Posada's influence is Diego Rivera 's mural painting Dream of a Sunday Afternoon in the Alameda Central , which features La Catrina. The image of the skeleton and the Day of the Dead ritual that used to be held underground became commercialized and domesticated. The skeletal images became that of folklore, encapsulating Posada's viewpoint that death

14018-475: The belt. A burr is set up on the outside of the blade by stroking the blade on the inside; the burr is then taken off by gently stroking it on the outside. There are many opinions, regional traditions and variations on exactly how to do this; some eastern European countries even set up the burr on the inside. Unlike European blades, which are made from malleable steel, typical American blades are made of harder, more brittle, steel and risk cracking if peened. While

14181-413: The blade projecting from the left side of the snaith when in use, with the edge towards the mower; left-handed scythes are made but cannot be used together with right-handed scythes as the left-handed mower would be mowing in the opposite direction and could not mow in a team. Although left-handed scythes exist, their primary purpose is not to suit left-handed mowers but to mow back out from an obstruction on

14344-452: The blade. The correct technique has a slicing action on the grass, leaving a swathe of uniformly cut stubble , and forming a regular windrow on the left. When mown in a team, the team starts at the edge of the meadow in a staggered line, then proceeds clockwise, finishing in the middle. Mowing with a scythe is a skilled task that takes time to learn fully. Long-bladed scythes, typically around 90 centimetres (35 in) (such as in

14507-492: The border. Nevertheless, black candles may also be used for more benign activities such as reversing spells, as well as all forms of protection and removing energetic blockages. Black candles are presented to Santa Muerte's altars that drug traffickers used to ensure protection from violence of rival gangs as well as ensure harm to their enemies in gangs and law enforcement. As the drug war in Mexico has escalated, Santa Muerte's veneration by drug bosses has increased and her image

14670-491: The celebrations tend to be mostly traditional. The All Souls Procession has been an annual event since 1990 in Tucson, Arizona . The event combines elements of traditional Day of the Dead celebrations with those of pagan harvest festivals. People wearing masks carry signs honoring the dead and an urn in which people can place slips of paper with prayers on them to be burned. Likewise, Old Town San Diego, California, annually hosts

14833-478: The celebrators eat the food after the festivities, they believe it lacks nutritional value. Pillows and blankets are left out so the deceased can rest after their long journey. In some parts of Mexico, such as the towns of Mixquic , Pátzcuaro and Janitzio , people spend all night beside the graves of their relatives. In many places, people have picnics at the grave site, as well. Some families build altars or small shrines in their homes; these sometimes feature

14996-578: The cleansing of negative influences. Red is for love, lust and passion. It can also signify emotional stability. The color gold signifies economic power, success, money, and prosperity. Green symbolizes justice, legal matters, or unity with loved ones. Amber or dark yellow indicates health. Images with this color can be seen in rehabilitation centers, especially those for drug addiction and alcoholism. Black represents total protection against black magic or sorcery, or conversely negative magic or for force directed against rivals and enemies. Blue candles and images of

15159-419: The closest one being Quecholli , a celebration that honored Mixcóatl (the god of war) and was celebrated between October 20 and November 8. This celebration included elements such as the placement of altars with food (tamales) near the burying grounds of warriors to help them in their journey to the afterlife. Influential Mexican poet and Nobel prize laureate Octavio Paz strongly supported the syncretic view of

15322-466: The community event. The Jamaica Plain celebration was discontinued in 2011. The Smithsonian Institution , in collaboration with the University of Texas at El Paso and Second Life , have created a Smithsonian Latino Virtual Museum and accompanying multimedia e-book: Día de los Muertos: Day of the Dead . The project's website contains some of the text and images which explain the origins of some of

15485-471: The country's "national patroness", the Virgin of Guadalupe . The meteoric rise of this new religious movement has engendered considerable controversy. In March 2009 the Mexican army demolished 40 roadside shrines near the U.S. border. c.  2005 , the new religious movement was brought to the United States by Mexican and Central American immigrants, and by 2012 had tens of thousands of followers throughout

15648-484: The country, primarily in cities with large Mexican and Mexican-American populations. As of 2016-2017, devotion to Santa Muerte is the fastest-growing new religious movements in the world, with an estimated 12 million followers, and the single fastest-growing new religious movement in the Americas . The COVID-19 pandemic saw further growth in the new religious movement as many believed that she would protect them against

15811-696: The creation of an event held at the Santa Ana Regional Transportation Center for the first time on November 1, 2015. In other communities, interactions between Mexican traditions and American culture are resulting in celebrations in which Mexican traditions are being extended to make artistic or sometimes political statements. For example, in Los Angeles, California , the Self Help Graphics & Art Mexican-American cultural center presents an annual Day of

15974-574: The customary core practices related to the Day of the Dead, such as the background beliefs and the offrenda (the special altar commemorating one's deceased loved one). The Made For iTunes multimedia e-book version provides additional content, such as further details; additional photo galleries; pop-up profiles of influential Latino artists and cultural figures over the decades; and video clips of interviews with artists who make Día de Muertos -themed artwork, explanations and performances of Aztec and other traditional dances, an animation short that explains

16137-659: The customs to children, virtual poetry readings in English and Spanish. In 2021, the Biden-Harris administration celebrated the Día de Muertos . Santa Ana, California , is said to hold the "largest event in Southern California" honoring Día de Muertos , called the annual Noche de Altares , which began in 2002. The celebration of the Day of the Dead in Santa Ana has grown to two large events with

16300-636: The day found widespread through Italy. Ossa dei morti, suitably elongated and frosted "bones of the dead" are sweets found in Apulia and Sicily. In Sicily, families enjoy special day of the dead cakes and cookies that are made into symbolic shapes such as skulls and finger bones. The "sweets of the dead" are a marzipan treats called frutta martorana. On the night of November 1, Sicilian parents and grandparents traditionally buy Frutta di Martorana to gift to children on November 2. In addition to visiting their own family members, some people pay respects to those without

16463-412: The dead tradition, with various regional treats being used as offerings to the dead on their journey to the afterlife. In Tuscany and Milan the "pane dei morti" or "bread of the dead" is said to be the characteristic offering. In northern Apulia , a wheat growing region, a sweet dish for the Day of the Dead is Colva or "Grains of the Dead". Fave dei morti or "fava beans of the dead" are another dish for

16626-461: The dead: the ninth and tenth months, which were for children and adults, respectively. Cordova argues that some recollection of these festivals "was compressed down to two days and cryptically celebrated within the Catholic liturgical calendar", which is why, in Mexico, "unlike other Latin American countries with Day of the Dead traditions — All Saints' Day is dedicated to children, and All Souls' Day

16789-423: The deceased's favorite candies on the grave. Some families have ofrendas in homes, usually with foods such as candied pumpkin, pan de muerto ('bread of dead'), and sugar skulls ; and beverages such as atole . The ofrendas are left out in the homes as a welcoming gesture for the deceased. Some people believe the spirits of the dead eat the "spiritual essence" of the ofrendas ' food, so though

16952-413: The deceased. During Day of the Dead festivities, food is both eaten by living people and given to the spirits of their departed ancestors as ofrendas ('offerings'). Tamales are one of the most common dishes prepared for this day for both purposes. Pan de muerto and calaveras are associated specifically with Day of the Dead. Pan de muerto is a type of sweet roll shaped like

17115-464: The departed, and visiting graves with these items as gifts for the deceased. The celebration is not solely focused on the dead, as it is also common to give gifts to friends such as candy sugar skulls, to share traditional pan de muerto with family and friends, and to write light-hearted and often irreverent verses in the form of mock epitaphs dedicated to living friends and acquaintances, a literary form known as calaveras literarias . In 2008,

17278-524: The departed. It is widely observed in Mexico , where it largely developed, and is also observed in other places, especially by people of Mexican heritage. The observance falls during the Christian period of Allhallowtide . Some argue that there are Indigenous Mexican or ancient Aztec influences that account for the custom, though others see it as a local expression of the Allhallowtide season that

17441-405: The dominant, institutional Catholic Church and, in particular, with the inability of established Catholic saints to deliver them from poverty and violence. Devotion is based mostly among people with scarce resources, excluded from the formal market economy , as well as the judicial and educational systems, primarily in the inner cities and the very rural areas. Devotion to Santa Muerte is viewed as

17604-425: The edge steel is typically clad on either side with the tough iron, while some Nordic laminated blades have a layer of iron on the top only, with the edge steel comprising the bottom layer. Scythes may date back as far as c.  5000 BC ; they seem to have been used since Cucuteni–Trypillia settlements, becoming widespread with agricultural developments. Initially used mostly for mowing hay, it had replaced

17767-405: The example below) and suitable for mowing grass or wheat, are harder to use at first; consequently, beginners usually start on shorter blades, generally 70 centimetres (28 in) or less. Common beginner errors include setting up the snaith with the handles in the wrong locations to suit the body, setting the blade at the wrong turn-in and turn-up angles to suit the conditions, choosing a blade that

17930-658: The farmers often celebrate by having a small feast where they dance, drink and eat, while being careful to keep in shape for the next day's hard work. In other parts of the Balkans, such as in Serbian towns, scything competitions are held where the winner takes away a small silver scythe. In small Serbian towns, scything is treasured as part of the local folklore, and the winners of friendly competitions are rewarded richly with food and drink, which they share with their competitors. Among Basques scythe-mowing competitions are still

18093-413: The festivity have more in common with European traditions of Danse macabre and their allegories of life and death personified in the human skeleton to remind of the ephemeral nature of life. Over the past decades, however, Mexican academia has increasingly questioned the validity of this assumption, even going as far as calling it a politically motivated fabrication. Historian Elsa Malvido, researcher for

18256-412: The field. In the field, the blade is honed using a fine, ovoid whetstone (or rubber ), fine-grained for grass, coarser for cereal crops. Honing is performed the moment the mower senses that the edge has gone off; this may be every half hour or more depending on the conditions. The laminated honing stone shown here has two grades of stone and is carried into the field soaking in a water-filled holster on

18419-513: The first swathe to give the mechanical mower room to start. The Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities of Sir William Smith argues that the scythe, known in Latin as the falx foenaria as opposed to the sickle, the falx messoria , was used by the ancient Romans. According to ancient Greek mythology , Gaia  – the Greek goddess and mother of the Titans  – gave

18582-436: The full range of colored candles while others focus on one aspect of Santa Muerte's spirit. Santa Muerte is called upon for matters of the heart, health, money, wisdom, and justice. There is the brown candle of wisdom, the white candle of gratitude and consecration , the black candle for protection and vengeance, the red candle of love, lust and passion, the gold candle for monetary affairs, the green candle for crime and justice,

18745-440: The graves to thank the deceased for the gifts, before enjoying a hearty feast. The tradition holds that the spirits of the deceased will remain with the family to enjoy a day of feasting and merriment. Acclaimed Sicilian author Andrea Camilleri recounts his Giorno dei Morti experience as boy, as well as the negative cultural impact that WWII era American influence had on the long-held tradition. "Every Sicilian house where there

18908-410: The great majority of devotees concentrated in Mexico, the US, and Central America. In the late 2000s, the founder of Mexico's first Santa Muerte church, David Romo, estimated that there were around 5 million devotees in Mexico, constituting approximately 5% of the country's population. By the late 2000s, Santa Muerte had become Mexico's second-most popular saint, after Saint Jude , and had come to rival

19071-408: The ground. The mower cuts along the mowing edge of the meadow, keeping the uncut grass to the right. The blade hooks the grass on the right and is swung to the left in a long arc ending to the left of the mower to form a windrow of cut grass on the previously mown ground. The mower takes a small step forward and repeats the motion, proceeding with a steady rhythm, stopping at frequent intervals to hone

19234-429: The handles in an ergonomic configuration but close to the shaft. The snaith has either one or two short handles at right angles to it, usually one near the upper end and always another roughly in the middle. The handles are usually adjustable to suit the user. A curved, steel blade between 60 and 90 centimetres (24 and 35 in) long is mounted at the lower end at 90°, or less, to the snaith. Scythes almost always have

19397-428: The harder blade holds an edge longer and requires less frequent honing in the field, the edge can only be reshaped by grinding after heavy use or damage. This usually only needs to be done only 1–3 times a season because of the greater wear resistance of the harder steel. Some examples have a laminated construction with a hard, wear-resistant core providing the edge, and softer sides providing strength. In American blades,

19560-560: The holiday are atole and champurrado , warm, thick, non-alcoholic masa drinks. Agua de Jamaica (water of hibiscus ) is a popular herbal tea made of the flowers and leaves of the Jamaican hibiscus plant ( Hibiscus sabdariffa ), known as flor de Jamaica in Mexico. It is served cold and quite sweet with a lot of ice. The ruby-red beverage is also known as hibiscus tea in English-speaking countries. In

19723-513: The house where someone in the household has died in the previous year. Many people of the surrounding areas arrive early to eat for free and enjoy the elaborate altars set up to receive the visitors. Another peculiar tradition involving children is La Danza de los Viejitos (the Dance of the Old Men) where boys and young men dressed like grandfathers crouch and jump in an energetic dance. In

19886-502: The ideology known as indigenismo became more and more closely linked to post-revolutionary official projects whereas Hispanismo was identified with conservative political stances. This exclusive nationalism began to displace all other cultural perspectives, to the point that in the 1930s the Aztec god Quetzalcoatl was officially promoted by the government as a substitute for the Spanish Three Kings tradition, with

20049-451: The images considered to be the most controversial in Mexico is the fusion of Santa Muerte and the Virgin of Guadalupe, into what is sometimes known as GuadaMuerte. This image has been very polemical for many Mexicans as it features Santa Muerte dressed like the Virgin of Guadalupe, in blue veil with stars on it, red dress, with a fiery yellow halo behind her head and often in a praying pose. It has, according to news sources, been so upsetting to

20212-453: The last weekend of October. Here, a mix of several Mexican traditions come together with traditional Aztec dancers, regional Mexican music, and other Mexican artisans to celebrate the day. In San Diego, California , the city that borders Mexico, the celebrations range across the entire county. All the way up at the most northern part of the county, Oceanside celebrates their annual event which includes community and family altars built around

20375-405: The left, such as when mowing back from the end of a ditch; ditch mowers may have both left and right-handed ditch scythes with them to do this. The use of a scythe was historically called mowing , now often scything to distinguish it from machine mowing. The mower holds the top handle in the left hand and the central one in the right, with the arms straight, the blade parallel and very close to

20538-448: The malleable steel to create an edge profile that can then be honed. Peening is done only occasionally; how often depends on the hardness of the steel and the nature of the work. The Austrian blade shown is being used to cut tough-stemmed brambles and it is being peened about every thirty hours of work. Nicks and cuts to the blade edge can usually be worked out of the blade by peening and a new edge profile formed for honing. A peening jig

20701-626: The marigold is sometimes called Flor de Muerto ('Flower of Dead'). These flowers are thought to attract souls of the dead to the offerings. It is also believed the bright petals with a strong scent can guide the souls from cemeteries to their family homes. The common name in English, marigold, is derived from Mary's gold , a name first applied to a similar plant native to Europe, Calendula officinalis . Toys are brought for dead children ( los angelitos , or 'the little angels'), and bottles of tequila , mezcal or pulque or jars of atole for adults. Families will also offer trinkets or

20864-508: The mid-20th century and throughout the 21st century, the new religious movement of Santa Muerte and her devotees have been regularly discriminated , ostracized , and socially excluded both by the Catholic Church and various evangelical - Pentecostal Protestant churches in Mexico and the rest of Central America. The Catholic Church has condemned devotion to Santa Muerte in Mexico and Latin America as blasphemous and satanic , calling it

21027-455: The middle of the lake where there is a cemetery, to honor and celebrate the lives of the dead there. In contrast, the town of Ocotepec , north of Cuernavaca in the State of Morelos , opens its doors to visitors in exchange for veladoras (small wax candles) to show respect for the recently deceased. In return the visitors receive tamales and atole . This is done only by the owners of

21190-605: The moment of death, when it is said to cut a silver thread. The scythe can symbolize the cutting of negative energies or influences. As a harvesting tool, a scythe may also symbolize hope and prosperity. The scythe has a long handle, indicating that it can reach anywhere. The globe represents Death's vast power and dominion over the earth, and may be seen as a kind of a tomb to which we all return. Other objects associated with Santa Muerte include scales, an hourglass, an owl, and an oil lamp. The scales allude to equity, justice, and impartiality, as well as divine will. An hourglass indicates

21353-475: The purple candle for healing. The black votive candle is lit for prayer in order to invoke La Flaca's protection and vengeance. It is associated with "black magic" and witchcraft. It is not regularly seen at devotional sites , and is usually kept and lit in the privacy of one's home. To avert from calling upon official Catholic saints for illegal purposes, some drug traffickers will light Santa Muerte's black candle to ensure protection of shipments of drugs across

21516-416: The recipient on the forehead. Sugar skulls can be given as gifts to both the living and the dead. Other holiday foods include pan de muerto , a sweet egg bread made in various shapes from plain rounds to skulls, often decorated with white frosting to look like twisted bones. In some parts of the country, especially the larger cities, children in costumes roam the streets, knocking on people's doors for

21679-434: The red candle can be prayed to for help in ending a bad relationship in order to start another one. These love miracles require specific rituals to increase their love doctors' power. The rituals require several ingredients including red roses and rose water for passion, binding stick to unite the lovers, cinnamon for prosperity, and several others depending on the specific ritual. The new religious movement of Santa Muerte

21842-579: The saint indicate wisdom, which is favored by students and those in education. Brown is used to invoke spirits from beyond while purple, like yellow, usually symbolizes health. More recently black, purple, yellow and white candles have been used by devotees to supplicate Santa Muerte for healing of and protection from coronavirus as documented by Kingsbury and Chesnut, the leading researchers on Santa Muerte. Other more recent colors include silver, transparent and red with black gown Santa Muerte which are used for particular petitions Devotees may present her with

22005-432: The self-proclaimed Santa Muerte bishop David Romo was arrested on charges of managing funds of a kidnapping gang linked to a cartel . He continues to lead his church from his prison cell. Drug lords, like that of La Familia Michoacana cartel, take advantage of "gangster foot soldiers'" vulnerability and enforced religious obedience to establish a sacred meaning to their cause that would keep their soldiers disciplined. Since

22168-422: The shapes of folkloric characters who represent humanized versions of the souls of the dead. Eating the sugar dolls reflects the idea of the individual absorbing the dead and, in doing so, bringing the dead back to life within themselves on November 2. After gifts are shared and breakfast is enjoyed, the whole family will often visit the cemetery or burial site bearing flowers. They will light candles and play amongst

22331-424: The single fastest-growing new religious movement in the Americas . Santa Muerte can be translated into English as either "Saint Death" or "Holy Death", although R. Andrew Chesnut, Ph.D. in Latin American history and professor of Religious studies , believes that the former is a more accurate translation because it "better reveals" her identity as a folk saint. A variant of this is Santísima Muerte , which

22494-462: The street. The shrine does not hold Catholic masses or occult rites, but people come here to pray and to leave offerings to the image. The effigy is dressed in garbs of different colors depending on the season, with the Romero family changing the dress every first Monday of the month. This statue of the saint features large quantities of jewelry on her neck and arms, which are pinned to her clothing. It

22657-421: The style of the famous calaveras of José Guadalupe Posada , a Mexican illustrator. In modern Mexico, calaveras literarias are a staple of the holiday in many institutions and organizations, for example, in public schools, students are encouraged or required to write them as part of the language class. Posada's most famous print, La Calavera Catrina ("The Elegant Skull"), was likely intended as

22820-420: The time of life on earth and also the belief that death is not the end, as the hourglass can be inverted to start over. The hourglass denotes Santa Muerte's relationship with time as well as with the worlds above and below. It also symbolizes patience. An owl symbolizes her ability to navigate the darkness and her wisdom; the owl is also said to act as a messenger. A lamp symbolizes intelligence and spirit, to light

22983-505: The tombs of the departed. Plans for the day are made throughout the year, including gathering the goods to be offered to the dead. During the three-day period families usually clean and decorate graves; most visit the cemeteries where their loved ones are buried and decorate their graves with ofrendas (altars), which often include orange Mexican marigolds ( Tagetes erecta ) called cempasúchil (originally named cempōhualxōchitl , Nāhuatl for 'twenty flowers'). In modern Mexico

23146-489: The tool has become associated with the Grim Reaper. In Romania, for example, in the highland landscape of the Transylvanian Apuseni Mountains , scything is a very important annual activity, taking about 2–3 weeks to complete for a regular house. As scything is a tiring physical activity and is relatively difficult to learn, farmers help each other by forming teams. After each day's harvest,

23309-577: The tradition can be fully traced to Medieval Europe. She highlights the existence of similar traditions on the same day, not just in Spain, but in the rest of Catholic Southern Europe and Latin America such as altars for the dead, sweets in the shape of skulls and bread in the shape of bones. Agustin Sanchez Gonzalez has a similar view in his article published in the INAH's bi-monthly journal Arqueología Mexicana . Gonzalez states that, even though

23472-451: The tradition is to build private altars ("ofrendas") containing the favorite foods and beverages, as well as photos and memorabilia, of the departed. The intent is to encourage visits by the souls, so the souls will hear the prayers and the words of the living directed to them. These altars are often placed at home or in public spaces such as schools and libraries, but it is also common for people to go to cemeteries to place these altars next to

23635-433: The tradition was inscribed in the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO . Mexican academics are divided on whether the festivity has genuine indigenous pre-Hispanic roots or whether it is a 20th-century rebranded version of a Spanish tradition developed during the presidency of Lázaro Cárdenas to encourage Mexican nationalism through an "Aztec" identity. The festivity has become

23798-576: The traditional Catholic Church for spiritual solace, as it is part of the Mexican establishment; many followers of Santa Muerte live on the margins of the law or outside it entirely. Many street vendors , taxi drivers , vendors of counterfeit merchandise , street people, sex workers, pickpockets, drug traffickers, and gang members who follow the Mexican folk saint are not practicing Catholics or Protestants. In essence they have created their own new religious movement that reflects their realities, hardships, identity, and practices, especially since it speaks to

23961-496: The traditional practices that the Spanish had brought to the Americas survived most robustly in rural and less affluent communities, which had high concentrations of indigenous and mestizo populations. Thus archaic Spanish religious practices in marginal areas came to be mistakenly regarded as the "pure" core of primarily "indigenous" Day of the Dead festivities. The Aztecs devoted two twenty-day months in their ritual calendar to

24124-455: The use of love magic in Europe and that of pre-Columbian times that was also merging during colonization may have established the saint as a supernatural love doctor. The majority of anthropological references to Santa Muerte between the 1940s and 1980s cite her roles as a lover sorceress. The candle can be lit for Santa Muerte to attract a certain lover and ensure their love. In contrast though,

24287-640: The veneration of Santa Muerte took a violent turn in late January, 2013, when one or more vandals smashed a statue of the folk saint, which had appeared in the San Benito, Texas , municipal cemetery earlier that month. The new religious movement of Santa Muerte is present in all social classes of Mexican society, although the majority of devotees are either underemployed workers or from the urban working class . Most are young people, in their teens, twenties, or thirties, and are also mostly female. A large following developed among Mexicans who are disillusioned with

24450-417: The violence and struggles for life that many of these people face. Conversely, both police forces and the military in Mexico can be counted among the faithful who ask for blessings on their weapons and ammunition. While worship is largely based in poor neighborhoods, Santa Muerte is also venerated in affluent areas such as Mexico City's Condesa and Coyoacán districts. However, negative media coverage of

24613-442: The virus. Santa Muerte is a personification of death . Unlike other Latin American folk saints, Santa Muerte is not, herself, seen as a dead human being. She is associated with healing, protection, financial wellbeing, and assurance of a path to the afterlife. Although there are other death saints in Latin America, such as San La Muerte , Santa Muerte is the only female saint of death in the Americas. Iconographically, Santa Muerte

24776-600: The visit that the dead had paid us the day before: it was not a ritual, but an affectionate custom. Then, in 1943, with the American soldiers the Christmas tree arrived and slowly, year after year, the dead lost their way to the houses where they were waiting for them, happy and awake until the end, the children or the children of the children… Pity. We had lost the possibility of touching, materially, that thread that binds our personal history to that of those who had preceded us…" Food plays an important part of Italy's day of

24939-490: The way through the darkness of ignorance and doubt. Owls in particular are associated with Mesoamerican death deities such as Mictlantecuhtli and seen as evidence of continuity of death worship into Santa Muerte. Some followers of Santa Muerte believe that she is jealous and that her image should not be placed next to those of other saints or deities, or there will be consequences. Many artists, particularly Mexican-American artists, have worked with Santa Muerte's image. One of

25102-459: The worship and condemnation by the Catholic Church in Mexico and certain Protestant denominations have influenced public perception of the cult of Santa Muerte. With the exception of some artists and politicians, some of whom perform rituals secretly, those in higher socioeconomic strata look upon the veneration with distaste as a form of superstition . Santa Muerte is also revered and seen as

25265-432: Was a little boy was populated with dead familiar to him. Not ghosts with white linzòlo and with the scrunch of chains, mind you, not those that are frightening, but such and as they were seen in the photographs exhibited in the living room, worn, the occasional half smile printed on the face, the good ironed dress in a workmanlike manner, they made no difference with the living. We Nicareddri, before going to bed, put

25428-468: Was attended by 250,000 people. This could be seen as an example of the pizza effect . The idea of a massive celebration was also popularized in the Disney Pixar movie Coco . In many communities in the United States with Mexican residents, Day of the Dead celebrations are very similar to those held in Mexico. In some of these communities, in states such as Texas , New Mexico , and Arizona ,

25591-426: Was brought to the region by the Spanish; the Day of the Dead has become a way to remember those forebears of Mexican culture. The Day of the Dead is largely seen as having a festive characteristic. Traditions connected with the holiday include honoring the deceased using calaveras and marigold flowers known as cempazúchitl , building home altars called ofrendas with the favorite foods and beverages of

25754-605: Was established in the United States c.  2005 , brought to the country by Mexican and Central American immigrants . American scholar of religious studies Andrew Chesnut suggests that there were tens of thousands of devotees in the U.S. by 2012. Devotion to Santa Muerte is primarily visible in cities with large Mexican and Mexican-American populations, such as New York City , Chicago , Houston , San Antonio , Tucson , and Los Angeles . There are fifteen religious groups dedicated to her in Los Angeles alone, which include

25917-540: Was never eradicated. Judith Katia Perdigón Castañeda has found references dating to 18th-century Mexico. According to one account, recorded in the annals of the Spanish Inquisition , Chichimecs in central Mexico tied up a skeletal figure, whom they addressed as "Santa Muerte," and threatened it with lashings if it did not perform miracles or grant their wishes. Another syncretism between pre-Columbian and Christian beliefs involving death can be seen in Day of

26080-458: Was often harsh, and included the desecration of shrines and altars. At the beginning of the 20th century, José Guadalupe Posada created a similar, but secular, figure by the name of Catrina , a female skeleton dressed in fancy clothing of the period. Posada began to evoke the idea that the universality of death generated a fundamental equality amongst all human beings. His paintings of skeletons in daily life and of La Catrina were meant to represent

26243-562: Was predominantly interested in drawing scary images which are far closer to those of the European renaissance or the horrors painted by Francisco de Goya in the Spanish War of Independence against Napoleon than to the Mexica tzompantli . The recent trans-Atlantic connection can also be observed in the pervasive use of couplet in allegories of death and the play Don Juan Tenorio by 19th-century Spanish writer José Zorrilla which

26406-660: Was usually spelt sithe or sythe . However, in the 15th century some writers began to use the sc- spelling as they thought (wrongly) the word was related to the Latin scindere (meaning "to cut"). Nevertheless, the sithe spelling lingered and notably appears in Noah Webster 's dictionaries. A scythe consists of a shaft about 170 centimetres (67 in) long called a snaith , snath , snathe or sned , traditionally made of wood but now sometimes metal . Simple snaiths are straight with offset handles, others have an "S" curve or are steam bent in three dimensions to place

26569-551: Was were long processions to cemeteries, sometimes ending with drunkenness. Elsa Malvido also points to the recent origin of the tradition of "velar" or staying up all night with the dead. It resulted from the Reform Laws under the presidency of Benito Juarez which forced family pantheons out of Churches and into civil cemeteries, requiring rich families to have servants guard family possessions displayed at altars. The historian Ricardo Pérez Montfort has further demonstrated how

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