Dia de los Difuntos!

 

While everyone in the United States was dressing up to celebrate Halloween, we were spending our time in Ecuador celebrating Dia de los Difuntos, Day of the Dead. The Day of the Dead is celebrated on November 2, but festivities begin on the night of November 1. The Day of the Dead is a combination of the Catholic religion and Indigenous beliefs. My host family was able to teach me much about this fascinating holiday, and the rituals that take place. On the night of November 1, they took me to two cemeteries in the city. The first cemetery we went to was Cementerio Municipal. Everyone there was dressed in his or her Sunday best and the cemetery was unlike any cemetery I have ever seen before. The tombs are above ground and intricately designed. They were works of art, with sculptures, flowers, and massive amounts of beautiful marble and stones. My family informed me that this was where the wealthier families are buried.

The second cemetery we went to was also in the city. It was even more beautiful than the first. At both cemeteries, individual plots cost more than $5000.00! The cemeteries at night were so lively, and the lit candles and flowers made them so beautiful. I have never seen a cemetery so busy, full of color, and booming with laughter. Yes, laughter. The families visiting their deceased loved ones were not sad or crying. They were happy. It was definitely a celebration of the dead. I was so surprised. Vendors lined the street selling fresh flowers and candles; they were also selling candied apples and cotton candy! It was just like a carnival.

The next morning, my host family took me to a cemetery in the pueblo, outside of the city. It was definitely not like the cemeteries from the night before. The cemetery was full of trash and garbage all over the ground and plots from the festivities. I was surprised by this and thought it was very disrespectful for there to be so much trash everywhere. I understand that they were celebrating, but I feel as though the amount of trash was over the top. The families in the pueblos spend the entire day at the cemetery drinking and eating. There were not many tombs like the other cemeteries in the city; there were just crosses over the plots. Some of the crosses did not even have a name on them. Many graves had more than one person. Those tombs just have multiple crosses at the head of the grave.

I found the differences between the mestizo individuals and the indigenous to be very captivating. While they are both celebrating the same holiday and share many similar characteristics, they each vary to make it their own. The biggest similarity between the two is that it is one of the most important and respected days of the year. I am so happy that I was able to experience that day in my short stay in Ecuador. It is definitely another cultural experience that I am thankful to have. It will be about two weeks before I blog again because I am off to the Galapagos in one day!! J Adios amigos! 

The trash was everywhere in the cemetery. It made me a little sad to see something so dirty that is supposed to be sacred.

The graves in the indigenous cemetery outside of the city.

A picture of some of the trash lining the steps into the indigenous cemetery.

Gorgeous examples of the artwork that tombs were composed of! Just breathtaking.

Picture of a beautiful room at one of the cemeteries in Cuenca in which the families could place the ashes of their loved ones.

This is just one of the beautiful sculptures that were on the tombs! This was my favorite!