Celebrating the Day of the Dead at Hotel Posada de Roger
Like every year in Puerto Vallarta we celebrate the Day of the Dead, developing a series of altars and it involving all the central Vallarta hotels, including Hotel Posada de Roger. We invite the public and tourists to take a tour through the various hotels and participate in the various raffles and festivities going on; on this day.
The Day of the Dead is a Mexican celebration that honors the pre-Hispanic deceased of November 2, it begins November 1, coinciding with the Catholic celebrations of All Souls Day and All Saints
It’s a Mexican holiday that is celebrated in some Central American countries and in many communities in the United States where there is a large Mexican and Central American population. UNESCO has declared the Mexican holiday as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity
Hotel Posada de Roger always stays true to its Mexican roots and traditions remembering to never miss the opportunity to contribute something to our beautiful city.
The origins of the celebration Day of the Dead in Mexico predate the arrival of the Spanish. There are records of ethnic celebrations in Mexico, Maya, Purepecha and Totonac. The rituals that celebrate the life of the ancestors in these civilizations have been going on for the last three thousand years. In pre-Hispanic era it was common practice to keep skulls as trophies and have them as display during rituals to symbolize death and rebirth.
· The Sweetend Skulls have the name written of the deceased (or in some cases of living people, in a joking manner that does not offend modest in particular mentioned) on their forehead, and are eaten by relatives or friends.
· The Bread of the Dead is a special dish of the Day of the Dead. It’s a sweet roll that is baked in different shapes, simple round skulls decorated with figures of the same bone-shaped pan and sprinkle with sugar.
· The Flowers. From November 1st to 2nd families usually clean and decorate the tombs of their deceased with colorful wreaths made of roses, sunflowers, and among others, but mainly Cempaxóchitl, which is believed to attract and guide the souls of the dead. During this period all cemeteries are visited.
· The Offering and the visit of souls. It is believed that the souls of children return to visit the first day of November, and the souls of the adults return on second day. In the event that you cannot visit the grave, either because the tomb of deceased does not exist anymore, or because the family is to far to go visit them, they can also develop detailed altars in their homes where offerings are made. Which may be dishes of food, pan de muerto, water glasses, mezcal, tequila, pulque or atole, cigarettes and even toys for the souls of children. All this is placed next to portraits of the deceased surrounded by candles.
The materials commonly used to make an offering to the dead on Day of the Dead have a special meaning, and so are others like the following:
· Portrait of the person that they are remembering, the portrait of the dead soul suggesting that they visit on the night of November 2nd.
· Paint or chromium for the souls in Purgatory: This helps for the souls who seemed trapped in the purgatory; it helps them find their way out.
· Twelve flowers, although they may be less, they must be in pairs, and preferably purple, crowns and flowers made of wax. The candles, especially if they are purple, are a sign of mourning. The four candles represent the four cross-quarters, so the soul can be directed to find their way and their own house.
· Marigold flower : The color represents light as sunlight, when you toss and spread out the flower petals in form of a road it indicates to them their way home.
· Cross Grounding: is to remind you of your faith “Remember you are dust and to dust you shall return”, which is a recall to return to the land they left.
· Pumpkin blemish: This fruit has a special place in both the pre-Hispanic cuisine and the present. It is part of the country’s food tetra logy, next to the corn, beans and Chile. It is used throughout, stems, guides, flowers, fruits and seeds. On the altar it is prepared fresh, cooked with sugar, cinnamon, hawthorn, pieces of sugar cane and other ingredients. The candy is called calabazate crystallized. Preparing the pumpkin blemish is to introduce this fruit in a basket made of palm leafs. This is the traditional way, because in the old days it was twice the work.
The altar at Hotel Posada de Roger in Puerto Vallarta this year will be based on our dearly deceased soul, actor, comedian and winner of the Globo de Oro in 1957, Mario Moreno also known as “Cantinflas” a character that was part of the 50s era. Posada de Roger always tries it’s best to never lose its touch and follow our Mexican culture and makes every possible detail perfect for our celebration Day of the Dead.