Halloween Hegemony and Day of the Dead

Robert:

Sometimes the relentless creep of American culture here creates a strange mix of reassuring yet disappointing moments. For newbies, there are still plenty of stranger-in-a-strange-land moments to be had, to be sure, but those moments are fewer and less frequent all the time.

For those more curious intellectual travelers who come here in search of the intriguing, sometimes mesmerizing experiences that only a foreign culture can provide, there is still plenty of that around. Mexico's cultural traditions are extremely strong and resilient, but more and more, aspects of US culture are apparent everywhere.

The net result is that the cultural adjustment period for Canadians and Americans who move here is much shorter and less challenging than it was even a few years ago.

Traditionally, Mexico did not celebrate Halloween. Rather Mexico celebrated (and still does) November 1 and 2, El Dia de los Muertos (the Day of the Dead), with all night, all family, candlelight vigils in cemeteries, at the graves of their loved ones. There is remembrance of the departed, socializing among family members, and a sort of all night picnic.

This from Wikipedia: "Traditions connected with the holiday include building private altars called ofrendas honoring the deceased using sugar skulls, marigolds, and the favorite foods and beverages of the departed and visiting graves with these as gifts. They also leave possessions of the deceased.

Social scientists are fond of saying that this tradition is emotionally beneficial inasmuch as Mexican kids grow up accepting death as a reality, a fact of life; not as merely an abstraction. And, the all night gatherings strengthen already powerful family bonds.

There were and are traditional Day of the Dead treats; pan de los muertos (bread of the dead - ghoulish sounding at first to foreigners, but it is a delicious sweet bread, dusted in granular sugar); and the molded sugar skulls mentioned above, etc.

But the creeping hegemony of US culture is producing a sort of holiday hybrid here now. Both Halloween, with its jack-o-lanterns, expensive commercial costumes, disguises,  and mischief making) and Day of the Dead are celebrated.

Mega, Walmart, Chedraui, the mom and pop tienditas, all are now full of the usual Halloween junk. Elaborate and costly Princess and Snow White, etc. costumes for the little girls; Spíderman and Wolverine, etc., for the little boys. Plus all the hideous rubber masks, plastic vampire teeth, fake blood, spider web in a spray can; it's all here. And the struggling working class moms and dads increasingly feel the pressure to buy their kids these expensive, elaborate outfits and paraphernalia .

US culture is inventive and creative, that's clear. From wonderful musical theatre, to rock and roll, and on and on, the US delights and influences the world. But the US also leads the world in the successful marketing of dubious, even needless junk, especially insidiously, to kids (I'm sure you've noticed, especially if you're a parent or grandparent); and in knowing how to make kids feel entitled to everything they see on tv, and on the store shelves. Everything that can be commercialized, is. Relentlessly.

Catrinas

So struggling Mexican parents now feel yet another heavy financial burden around Halloween.

Mischief is still pretty tame. About the worst form it takes is egging of houses or cars. In fact I have only seen evidence of it once, about four years ago. It's not common. Yet.

Maybe those egg throwers are just the disappointed kids whose parents just could not afford the latest Justin Bieber mask or Disney Princess dress. 

But happily, to a certain extent, this sort of overall cross-cultural influence works both ways. What's the fastest growing restaurant chain in the USA? And the hottest restaurant stock? Chipotle Mexican Grill. Pass the fajitas and chow down amigos.