亡灵节

什么是亡灵节?

亡灵节 is one of the more striking of Mexican traditions. It is full of color and feeling — an occasion in which joyous celebration and the memory of those who have left us are fused together. 因为不像世界上其他任何地方, 在这个独特的墨西哥节日里, 死亡不像拉丁美洲其他国家那样受到尊敬, but is also celebrated with joy and as a reminder that it is inevitable for everyone.

亡灵节是什么时候?

在整个拉美裔世界, the 1st and 2nd of November are very important dates on the Catholic religious calendar, 和第一个一样 Día de Todos los Santos (All Saints’Day)和2号是 Día de los Fieles Difuntos (All the Faithful Departed纪念日或All Souls' Day). In Mexico, 就像中美洲其他地区一样, 这两个日子一起被称为亡灵节, 一个融合了古代, 根深蒂固的基督教和前西班牙传统.

亡灵祭坛之日

根据古墨西哥人和阿兹特克人的说法, the souls of our loved ones can come back to visit us on the 亡灵节 (which used to be celebrated on other dates and got moved to November with the advent of Catholicism). 为了吸引他们，让他们感到受欢迎, 人们在祭坛上摆放亲人的照片, 个人纪念品, 他们最喜欢的食物和饮料, crosses, candles, 他们散布橙色和黄色的花瓣 cempasúchil (阿兹特克或墨西哥万寿菊——康乃馨的一种), outlining the route for the spirits so that they don't get lost and can arrive at their destination.

在街上庆祝

也是为了保持传统, 墨西哥的大多数城镇都热闹起来, 色彩缤纷的摊位通向庆典 亡灵节 (traditional sweetbread specifically for this occasion), tamales, little Mexican calaveritas (decorated confections resembling skulls) made with sugar and chocolate, 手工制作的装饰品等等. 20世纪后期，色彩斑斓，手工制作 alebrijes 添加，代表神话生物，以及 Catrines and Catrinas, which are skeleton figures of elegantly-dressed men and women: a reminder that in the face of death, 人人平等.

What is 亡灵节?

亡灵节 is a traditional Mexican bread that is sold beginning in October; it is often found on altars and used as an offering for the deceased. 它是圆的, and on the top there are crossbones underneath a circle — representative of a skull — made of puff pastry. 通常，它会撒上糖.

亡灵节和万圣节一样吗?

No. In spite of how influential Halloween has become throughout the entire world, in Mexico they've been celebrating both holidays alongside each other for years. It's important to remember that the purpose of 亡灵节 is not to frighten the living, but rather to bring us closer to the afterlife — that place to which we all will be heading sooner or later. 不过, 他们看起来确实很相似, since a lot of people dress up in costumes and put on makeup for both holidays.

亡灵节有一天会停止庆祝吗?

这是极不可能的. Although many feared that Halloween would diminish the importance of 亡灵节 in Mexico, the opposite has happened in the last several years thanks to big Hollywood productions, 像迪斯尼的 Coco尤其是2015年的詹姆斯·邦德电影 Spectre这部电影是在墨西哥城的中心拍摄的. 在后一部电影中, there is a spectacular parade in the opening scene that the Mexican authorities have tried to emulate every year since the movie came out, 这已经成为一个主要的旅游景点, 吸引数百万游客. 以类似的方式, other Mexican cities organize processions and parades featuring floats; this is also happening more and more in some U.S. cities that boast large populations of people of Mexican descent, 比如洛杉矶, 芝加哥或圣安东尼奥, 哪里有令人印象深刻的驳船游行 Catrinas 在城市的滨河步道举行.

我也可以庆祝亡灵节吗?

Of course. 这一切都归结于你个人觉得鼓舞人心的东西. 不管是在家里摆祭坛，还是戴上 Catrina 服装加上化妆，听起来很有趣. Furthermore, celebrating 亡灵节 is a great opportunity — not just an opportunity to be with your family and friends, 也是为了纪念那些已经离开的人.

庆祝安全

However you decide to celebrate 亡灵节 at home, it's important that you do so safely, 无论你是在准备食物, hosting a 在家庆祝 或者组装一个祭坛. Don't forget to check out other articles from 简单的见解®, so that you can 庆祝安全 — not just this holiday, but throughout the holiday season, including 感恩节. To find out more about what home insurance can do for you in the face of uncertainties, or to learn more about all the insurance coverage options that we offer, 一定要和一个 州立农场代理.