The Day of the Dead Offerings
“I
am so accustomed to being alive
I
didn’t realize I had turned into a vulture”.
Jorge
Reyes
(Mexican Composer)
The sound of the rain, the smell of wet earth, the heat of fire, the
color of the sky glowing in the afternoon and the taste of hot coffee: all
sensory experiences that we keep with us and that accompany us as we go through
our life on earth.
But it isn't always like that. Some day, sooner or
later, we cross the threshold that divides life and death, and then our perception
of the world, as we know it changes. And red after red is perhaps a more
surprising color any other shade that has ever been seen or imagined; the
sharpest sounds that have ever been heard and we discover the hidden beauty of
the odors that are hidden from our earthly noses...Or perhaps, we won't even
need our senses -- sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch -- for the new
sensory experiences that our soul never used while life flowed by day to day.
What experiences manifest themselves in that moment?
What new textures do we learn? What new senses do we discover?
Until now, no one has been able to answer these questions that are as
unsettling as they are old.
But there is a moment where simple belief is confused with
faith, a magical moment in which whatever's out there and our world reconcile,
and crying and pain suffered in the wake of irremediable loss of a loved one is
transformed. And body and spirit are reunited, the world of the alive and
the kingdom of the dead, color, magic, tradition, mysticism untie to form one
of the most celebrated parties in Mexico: the Day of the Dead.
The Day of the Dead offering is a living hope to spend just
one more day with our loved ones from far away, from a remote place that allows
them to return to earth, to the land of tastes, smells, colors, sounds and
textures...where they must relearn about senses and experiences that are no
longer useful to them. They come back to share our elements, those which
surely they also had at one time, and it is our only way to ensure communion in
the festivity.
Oscar Guzmán
Dulceria de Celaya
If you want to get a taste of upper-class Mexico in the age of the
Porfiriato, go to this elegant store. If you're lucky enough to be in Mexico
City around Day of the Dead, you'll see a wonderful window display here. Try a
variety of the treats. They are a little more expensive than you might find
elsewhere, but the atmosphere and the experience of watching the candy being
boxed up are worth the price!
