Monday, October 29, 2012

U Janal Pixan and the Day of the Dead Celebrations in Mexico

Skull candies for Day of the Dead Festivities
DAY OF THE DEAD - MEXICAN TRADITIONAL FESTIVITIES

U JANAL PIXAN is an intimate Maya family ceremony to remember their deceased and their ancestors, it is the Day of the Dead Celebration a very sacred and traditional celebration for all Maya and Mexican people. 

Day of the Dead is a very important ancient tradition. Maya villages prepare with tropical fruits and flowers and with up most care and reverence the “altar” in which the food and beverage for their dead loved ones is to be placed during the first three days of November each year.  In some villages nowadays, this ceremony is celebrated as a tradition that blends ancestral Maya practices with the Catholic belief system, imposed on the Maya during the Colonization of their land.  Nowadays, most Mayan families' religion is a fusion of Mayan spirituality with the Catholic dogma, such fusion has created the current practices and celebrations found in most mixed family backgrounds in Yucatan.  Today, you will find Catholic saint and virgin images placed on the altar as part of the offerings to the soul of those that have left the physical body.  The offerings are exotic flowers, personal things, copal and meals the person enjoy while alive: fruits,kakaw, tamales, along with photographs, cruces and other colorful artifacts are carefully placed among candle lights andexotic flowers.  Praying and fasting is traditional, as is to decorate with flowers and fruits the tomb site, also spend the night in the cemetery next to the tomb of those loved lighting candles, singing the songs they loved, and offering their favorite meals and memorabilia.  Muc bi’pollo, a grant tamale meal, is served traditionally during this days.

 This 2nd of November 2012 Hacienda Chichen and the Mayan J-Men celebrated their annual Day of the Dead before their Full Moon Maya Blessing, both Mayan Ceremonies in Chichen Itza, Yucatan, Mexico

2 comments:

Travel said...

I don't know any thing about dead of day celebrations but i am enthusiastic to know about this because it is very ancient tradition.

Yucatan Adventure Friends Blog said...

Indeed it is a very ancient tradition, Maya and Aztec communities always have honor their beloved ancestors on this date. It is a family celebration to remind us of our dead and that life/death is but a cycle we all face. This is a family gratitude dinner time with special meal preparation, ceremonies, prayer, love and meditation. We hope you visit Mexico one day and experience the warm and beauty of this special family day. Thanks for your comment.