Day 123 - Day of the Dead

Dia de los Muertos

This evening of November 1^st, I found myself wandering around two cemeteries here in Santa Cruz.  Why would I be doing that?  Because I had many questions.  What is the Day of the Dead?  How is it celebrated here in Bolivia?  Why is it so important to the Bolivian people?  And how can I examine it objectively, and describe it to you? 

The Day of the Dead has nothing to do with the American idea of Halloween, though both are closely connected.  Somewhere in the past the United States commercialized it and turned it into some weird monster thing.  It has a very different past.  Halloween is the evening before All Saints Day and originally meant the hallowing, or making holy, in preparation for the upcoming Holy Days that will occur over the next two months.  November 1^st is All Saints Day and November 2^nd is All Souls Day, or more commonly called Day of the Dead.

On the evening of November 1^st families will gather at their family graves.  Don’t think of a traditional American cemetery with its grassy parkland.  Instead think of small houses built in the cemetery where family members are buried.  Sometimes you will find a long wall with niches used for burial.  You can find the same at larger cemeteries in the States, but you will never find the grassy parkland here in Bolivia.

When the families gather at the graves, you find them arriving with brooms and cleaning things.  They will sweep, mop, polish, and make the grave look nice.  They put candles and flowers, and often leave food.  My friend, Sandra, told me today that her grandmother always made a special bread to leave at the grave.  It was not intended to be eaten by the family.  She would also set out water and a candle.  I saw many similar things tonight.  People usually will bring the preferred foods of their loved ones who have passed away.

The Andean indigenous culture of Bolivia has some very particular beliefs centered on this day.  They set a table in three levels; one representing heaven, the second, earth, and the third hell.  They believe it is important to pay homage to their dead because of the idea of reciprocity.  The rainy season starts in just a few weeks.  So, taking care of the dead today, means a good rainy season.  A good rainy season means crops are well-watered and the harvest will be good.  If the harvest is good, people eat well and are happy.

What surprised me most about this evening was the difference in the two cemeteries I visited.  La Cuchilla is a cemetery of the middle class mostly.  They can afford to take care of their dead.  The graves are nice.  They also have a carnival going on outside the cemetery.  There were rides, and games, and food, and lots of fun.  There were lots of booths selling flowers and candles, as well as special foods to leave at the graves.  Children were running around having a good time.  Families were laughing and enjoying the breezy spring evening.

The General Cemetery, located near downtown, is more sedate.  It is where the rich are buried.  The graves are elaborate.  No expense was spared in many of them.  The gardens are beautiful.  There was not a party atmosphere.  No children were running.  You would see a few elderly ladies sitting on a bench in the dark, chatting quietly, probably telling stories about their friend whose grave they were visiting.  When I told someone I was going to the cemetery tonight they responded that is scary.  This was not a frightful place to visit.  I felt no fear at all.

So what is my take on all this?  Family.  Bolivia is about family.  This fits in nicely.  Just because a family member dies and is no longer here, they are not forgotten.  Family is cherished.  It makes me think of how my family still cherishes my grandparents, or my stepfather.  They are always loved.