AMBASSADOR of Mexico to the Philippines Gerardo Lozano led the revival of his country’s long-held tradition of honoring the dead during the Dia de Muertos (Day of the Dead) celebration, a few days prior to the Filipinos’ own Undas, which coincided with All Saints Day.
The envoy and his wife Mariza decorated a room inside their residence with a three-layered altar bursting with orange and purple motif that carpeted the entire area, along with other symbolic items that were thought to please their dearly departed.
The celebration was not confined in their abode, as the public witnessed a similar display through the participation and collaboration of the Ayala Museum and Miriam College some days back.
The Mexican Embassy in Manila’s Myrma Ortiz said, “The students spent a week at the Lozano residence and in the Ayala Museum. [They helped] prepare the exhibits to make possible the Dia de Muertos event so we could remember our departed loved ones.”
The twin showcases were devoid of the ghoulish feelings one associates with the dead. Instead, they seem to indicate the opposite, where the living celebrates the occasion instead of grieving, with the thought that those who have left us are having a grand time of their own because we have not forsaken them.
‘Celebration of life’
THE Lozanos shared the merriment by inviting some members of the diplomatic community, friends and the local media. They all lined up before a closed door that was opened with a flourish after the introductory speech of the host.
The darkened room was lit, and the altar with its panoply of food greeted the surprised guests.
Ortiz shared, “The Day of the Dead is also a celebration of life. The major decoration is the altar that must have three layers,” she said, as if the rungs were a representation of stairways to the afterlife.
The Mexican Embassy official said the first layer of the carpet of orange was made up of marigold flowers and purple crepe papers; the second layer was a display of the skulls along with various kinds of food, skeletal dolls and photographs; while the third, the main altar with the image of the Virgin Mary.
“The [display in the] Ayala Museum also adopted very Filipino elements, such as [the presence of] local kakanin [foodstuff] like suman, pan de sal and coffee. In our tradition, these are the food we partake during a wake,” Ortiz said.
Colors, symbolisms
ANOTHER representative of the embassy, Luis Gerardo Regalado Ruiz, explained that the symbolism of the orange-yellow hue of the marigolds is of Spanish origin while purple, an Aztec provenance.
“Orange,” he revealed, “is not a sad color, but a vibrant [one] symbolizing life. The scent of marigold lifts the dead toward the altar and lets them come back down to earth. Then they live again through the scent of the [said flower].”
“This is an actual tradition with roots, and it means something,” Ruiz pointed out. “…That is, to show great respect to the Aztec and the Mayan cultures that came before us.”
An audit of the altar showed it has painted tequila bottles, vibrant skull replicas, drawings and homages, skeleton dolls, and a basketful of pineapples, bananas, mangoes, apples, lanzones, oranges and papayas.
The Dia de Muertos display is part of Lozano’s effort to keep the Mexican culture alive wherever he is posted. After all, he said, it’s just one of the elements we share with our common Spanish heritage.