Posted on 11/03/2007 5:24:59 PM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin
(UW's Mexican party has dancers, food)
Members of the UW-Madison's Chicano student group and others interested in Mexican culture gathered Friday night for El Dia de los Muertos, an annual holiday that celebrates those who have died, not with sadness and tears but with lively festivities.
"On this day, it's believed that spirits come back and celebrate with their loved ones," said Vanessa Sanchez, a legal studies major from Waukesha, and co-chairwoman of the student group, called MEChA (Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlan). "Day of the Dead" is an indigenous celebration that dates to the time of the Aztecs, she said.
To welcome the dead, the living provide "anything that they enjoyed when they were present with us," Sanchez said. In Mexico, that means bringing food, flowers, candles -- even cigarettes -- to their loved ones' tombs, or constructing homemade altars in honor of the returning spirits.
MEChA's event combined traditional foods, live music, dance performances, puppetry and a colorful memorial altar to Cantinflas, a Mexican comedian and actor who was much loved.
The event drew around 80 people last year, and the group hoped to attract at least that many to this year's party. Originally scheduled to be held on the Library Mall, the group moved the event to its offices on University Avenue because of the chilly weather.
Steve Pereira, an international business major from San Antonio and member of MEChA, said the event is a chance for people to gather and learn about indigenous cultures and traditions.
About 25 people were on hand at 7 p.m. when the dancing started, but more were expected later into the night. "We like to say we run on Chicano time," Pereira quipped.
Partygoers feasted on tamales and pan de muerto (bread of the dead) from Mercado Marimar on South Park Street. Traditional hot, sweet drinks -- atole and champurrado -- were served.
El Ballet Folklorico Mexico de los Hermanos Avila performed several dances. Jesus Avila, one of the founders of the group, said MEChA gave his dance troupe its first opportunity to perform back in the early 1970s, and since then the dancers have become internationally known. Avila has also opened a dance, music and art school in Milwaukee.
Avila also constructed the altar for Friday's event. A picture of Cantinflas, who co-starred with David Niven in the Mike Todd extravaganza "Around the World in 80 Days," was placed at the top of the altar, which was decorated with a variety of festive skulls, candles, seashells, feathers and other mementos.
"The indigenous people understood that all that has life will eventually die. It's natural," Avila said. "There's nothing to fear. If you are at peace with that, you can live a more comfortable and prosperous life."
He said events like this are important to the university and surrounding community because it gives people a chance to appreciate the diverse population of this country: "It's very beautiful and unique."
"People from all over the world live here and we're tied to our traditions," Avila said. "It's important."
I was going to dress up as an Aztec priest and offer a virgin a cup of cocoa, but then I realized there aren’t any virgins at the University of Wisconsin.
Uh huh
>”The indigenous people understood that all that has life will eventually die ...
Indigenous to what country, please?
Simply the conquerers teaching the simple minded savages the “new culture”.
“Avila also constructed the altar for Friday’s event. A picture of Cantinflas, who co-starred with David Niven in the Mike Todd extravaganza “Around the World in 80 Days,” was placed at the top of the altar, which was decorated with a variety of festive skulls, candles, seashells, feathers and other mementos.”
An altar to Cantinflas? OK, so Avila’s an older guy who’s actually seen the Cantinflas films of the 40’s/50’s. Do the young Aztlanians in Wisconsin actually watch those old movies?
Here’s the trailer for “Around the World in 80 Days” from 1956, featuring Cantinflas. That’s FIFTY-ONE years ago!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fEqkeNTLrcM
So a bunch of you typical-hateful anti Hispanic... get mad at a holiday....
Really sick and you do nothing for the conservative cause. Please, please, go to the liberals with your hate.... be the democrat that you were meant to be.
....when they'd celebrate the dead right after they stretched them out on a stone altar and cut their beating hearts out of their chest with a crude knife!!! LMAO >:-p
And your whine does nothing either. Took a hard one this weekend did you Hillary?
P.S. A pagen holiday, similar to Ramadan.
The awful stories of Canadians being virtually destroyed just by going to old Mexico, preclude me from even thinking of visiting. Having said that, I am still interested in old Mexico. Two books both far, far apart will be only read by a comparitive few. It was here on FR that Charles Portis was recomended. One book is
GRINGOS (Charles Portis)
It is circa 1970 or so. The author draws a picture of Americans drawn to live in old Mexico. A motley and mostly lovable crew, all trying to find out who they are. It seems that the hispanic people were in general, very tolerant. The real villains were drug induced hippies from the good old USA.
What impelled me to ramble on, is that it is just a shame that this vile thing of unlimited illegal entry, has poisoned relations. I was a kid in England and watched an old Abbott and Costello movie. Yeah, down in old Mexico during the "Amigo Americano' week.
Happier simpler days those.
Get some beers in 'em and then offer 'em a bratwurst. It is the way of the ancients around those parts.
Bump
Thats why I left CP.
Just because some of you folks are flat out racist doesn’t mean you are even close to being a conservative. You make me sick with your hate.
You are not a conservative. Conservatism is big. You are little, small, with out any strength. The definition of liberalism.
Shame on you for being weak.
“We don’t celebrate El Dia de los Muertos here. We shouldn’t be celebrating Cinco de Mayo, or saying “feliz navidad,” or paying for “bilingual non-education.”
It is a free country, and we can say what we like, in whatever language we like. We can also celebrate any holiday we like.
If you have a problem with illegals, fine. That is far different from having a problem with any cultural celebration or language other than yours. I am Puerto Rican and I celebrate El Dia de lost Muertos, and say feliz navidad. I speak Spanish too. I have no idea why that bothers you, but I have just as much right to live my life as you do to live yours.
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