WHAT ARE THEY?
As a ritual that summons the memory, the offerings that are placed on the Day of the Dead represent a way to share with the deceased the bread, salt, fruits, culinary delicacies, water and if they were adults, the wine .
The altars for the dead as we know them today are a reflection of the syncretism of the old and new world.
They are a cultural mix where the Europeans put some flowers, wax, candles and candles; and the Indians added the incense with their copal, the food and the flower of cempasúchil.
The dead are received with natural, frugal and intangible elements, plus the stelae of smells and fragrances that are born to the flowers, incense and copal.
Water, salt, candles or candles, copal, incense, flowers, mat, izcuintle, bread, neck and reeds are some essential elements that must take the offerings to preserve their spiritual charm.
MEANING OF ITS ELEMENTS
The water
Represents the source of life, is offered to the souls to quench their thirst after the long journey and to strengthen their return.
The salt
Serves so that the soul does not get corrupted on its round trip for the following year.
The candles
The light produced by the candles represents hope and faith, a guide so that the deceased can reach their former places and light their return to their home.
In several indigenous communities each candle represents a deceased, that is, the number of candles that the altar will have will depend on the souls that the family wants to receive.
If the candles or candlesticks are purple, it is a sign of mourning; and if they put four in cross, they represent the four cardinal points, so that the anima can be oriented until it finds its way to its house.
Copal
This element was offered by the natives to their gods and the incense was brought by the Spaniards. The fragrances of both sublimate prayer or praise. They are used to cleanse the place of evil spirits and avoid danger.
Flowers
For their colors and aromatic stelae are a symbol of festivity, adorn and aromatizan the place during the stay of the soul. The cempasúchil, in many places it is customary to lay it down and put paths of petals to guide the deceased towards the offering. In addition to this flower, you can use wallflower and cloud, because their colors mean purity and tenderness and go more with offerings to the souls of children.
Bread
It is one of the most precious elements on the altar, it represents the fraternal offering.
The hojaldras are bread in the form of a wheel and are placed in the offerings supported by pieces of cane, these symbolize the skulls of the vanquished enemies and the rods the rods where they were strung.
TRENDS
In the offerings it is also customary to place photographs of those who are no longer there, the image of the souls of purgatory, images of saints, fruits, pumpkin candy, sugar skulls, liquor, a large ash cross and the deceased's favorite dishes.
To receive the souls, the altar can be decorated with papel picado, silk and satin fabrics where clay figures, censer or clean clothes also rest.
In the majority of the peasant homes of mestizo or indigenous extraction and even among some urban families, on October 31 the offering dedicated to children or "little angels" is elaborated.
Their souls arrive on November 1 to feed on the essence and smell of the food their parents prepared for them.
Unlike altars for adults, these are characterized by the fact that most of their elements are white and on a small scale, spicy foods, sweets and toys are placed.
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