El Día de Los Muertos
Tuesday, November 1st, here in Perú and in other countries El Día de Los Santos (All Saints Day) and El Día de Los Muertos (The Day of the Dead) was celebrated. (You may have seen photos of this holiday celebrated with parades of people in black, and many decorations with skulls and bones. This is how Mexico celebrates this holiday.)
Out curiosity I went to different cemeteries to see how Perú celebrates this holiday. From a combination of Roman Catholic and other cultural traditions, the majority of the population goes to the gravesites of loved ones to visit, give gifts of flowers, food, music, beer, and other things. There are priests that are available to go to the gravesites and offer prayers to the deceased. Different bands will come and play the favorite song of the deceased person as well.
There were so many people all over the place! Sometimes in some crowds it was difficult to even push my way through! This is a picture of one main sidewalk in a cemetery (actually this photo was taken at a slower hour for this cemetery... I can´t imagine it at a busier time!):
Near the largest cemetery in Arequipa streets were closed down, and vendors were all over the place, either set up as a little flower stand, a restaurant, or toys. People also go to other gravesites of people who are considered heroes in order to ask the deceased for a miracle for them or a family member.
Often it is like a family reunion and picnic at the gravesite. The family brings the most favored meal of the deceased person and stays there to eat, and leaves the meal and drink at the gravesite. In one of the poorer cemeteries the families were very warm and welcoming to foreigners, sharing some of their meals, and were very eager to show off the gravesite.
I did see a sign at one of the masses that was held, saying that you could pay for the souls of your loved ones to be freed from purgatory. I was told later that if you pay, you can receive a certificate verifying this. (And just who and how are you going to show this paper to when it matters?) hmmmm...It definitely reminded me of why I am here, and hopefully soon I will be able to communicate more about the FREE gift of salvation and with that to be absent from the body is to be present with Christ, and that we can have hope and assurance of this!
Out curiosity I went to different cemeteries to see how Perú celebrates this holiday. From a combination of Roman Catholic and other cultural traditions, the majority of the population goes to the gravesites of loved ones to visit, give gifts of flowers, food, music, beer, and other things. There are priests that are available to go to the gravesites and offer prayers to the deceased. Different bands will come and play the favorite song of the deceased person as well.
There were so many people all over the place! Sometimes in some crowds it was difficult to even push my way through! This is a picture of one main sidewalk in a cemetery (actually this photo was taken at a slower hour for this cemetery... I can´t imagine it at a busier time!):
Near the largest cemetery in Arequipa streets were closed down, and vendors were all over the place, either set up as a little flower stand, a restaurant, or toys. People also go to other gravesites of people who are considered heroes in order to ask the deceased for a miracle for them or a family member.
Often it is like a family reunion and picnic at the gravesite. The family brings the most favored meal of the deceased person and stays there to eat, and leaves the meal and drink at the gravesite. In one of the poorer cemeteries the families were very warm and welcoming to foreigners, sharing some of their meals, and were very eager to show off the gravesite.
I did see a sign at one of the masses that was held, saying that you could pay for the souls of your loved ones to be freed from purgatory. I was told later that if you pay, you can receive a certificate verifying this. (And just who and how are you going to show this paper to when it matters?) hmmmm...It definitely reminded me of why I am here, and hopefully soon I will be able to communicate more about the FREE gift of salvation and with that to be absent from the body is to be present with Christ, and that we can have hope and assurance of this!
posted by Becca @ 12:47 PM
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