Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Iris Reategui

Iris Before her performance.


Iris practicing



Iris Performance "La Llorona"





Friday, November 6, 2009

October 30Th Day of the dead 2009

Conversation about Dia de los Muertos

Community offering

Rosa's Altar

Leni D. Anderson is a self-taught visual/performance artist that lives and works in Columbus, Ohio. He has a B.A. in History of Art from The Ohio State University, and a Master of Library & Information Science degree (archives & rare books librarianship) from Kent State University.

Offerings and Altars 2009


Leni D Arderson

Global Gallery


Honoring -Tibet Altar








Cultural community event







Offerings and altar October 30Th 2009






Music Hall




Thank you to The Black Creek Bistro for letting us used the former Music Hall to have our Dia de los Muertos event. Getting ready.

The cult of the death


The death is justified in the well-fares collectivity, to continue the creation; the health of the world is more important. This purpose does not involve the individual salvation. The dead people disappear in order to return to the world of the shades, to melt to their air, to the fire and to the earth; back to essence that encourages the universe.

Offerings and altars

Leticia & Olga
Thank you everybody for their hard work. We received support & help from our volunteers. Iris, Walter, Kique, Olga, Stephanie, Patrick, Kent- Black Creek Bistro, Fronteras de la noticia, Leni, Rosa, Julie & Brian, Santiago, La Michoacana, Lupe, Ruben, Carlotta, Mark, Angella, Chad.

Day of the dead Celebration 2009

Leticia & Rosa time to eat Tamales, Atole, Bread "Pan de Muerto"
agua de Jamaica.

Art Hostin Conversation

Olga, Walter, Janelle, Leticia.

Cultural community event


Rosa, Leticia y Ruben during the Art Hosting Conversation on the Prehispanic and traditional spiritual celebration and meaning of the Day of the dead. Conversation about what does this mean today in Columbus OH?

Dia de los muertos "Celebrando Mujeres en vida"


Day of the dead Columbus OH. Celebrating Women in life

Calaveritas reading







Estaba la media muerte
comiéndose su telera;
los muchachos, de traviesos,
le gritamos "¡Calavera!"
Andale muerte canija
ponte tu rebozo y baila;
ya sé que quieres marearme
y esperas a que me caiga.





Si a tu balcón llegara
un tecolote
ráspale las narices
con un olote.


Hoy es día de todos santos
-dice un loco en sus tonteras-
son muchas las calaveras
y muy pocos camposantos.


Al pasar por el panteón
me salió una calavera:
tú me tocas el tambor
y yo muevo la cadera.


¿Quién me compra calaveras?
son de la nueva invención;
hay de bonitas y fieras
que han muerto ya de torzón;
son elegantes y finas,
a tlaco doy el montón
de las que usan crinolinas
y otras que doy de pilón.


¡Ay, triste calaverón!
ya no volará tu fama
porque te van a enterrar
el lunes por la mañana.


-Calavera vete al monte.
-No señora porque espanto.
-Pues a dónde quieres irte.
-Yo, señora, al camposanto.





Dichos



La muerte no mata a nadie...
la matadora es la suerte.


El que por su gusto muere
la muerte le sabe dulce.
¡Cómo que se murió si me debía!

Si me han de matar mañana...
que me maten de una vez.

Nunca se muere dos veces.

Hay más tiempo que vida.

"¡El muerto murio!"

CALAVERITAS


Estaba la Media Muerte
sentada en un carrizal
comiendo tortilla dura
para poder engordar.


Estaba la Muerte seca
sentada en un arenal
comiendo tortilla dura
y frijolitos sin sal,
sin sal, sin sal...



Ya te miré, calavera,
con un diente y una muela
saltando como una pulga
que tiene barriga llena.



Muerto, si hubieras corrido,
no te hubieran alcanzado;
pero como no corriste
ahora te llevan cargado.

Las Calaveritas literarias y rimas

Las Calaveritas literarias y rimas sobre la muerte son epitafios que de manera graciosa nos hablan de personajes vivos a quienes dichas composiciones estan hechas con la intencion de criticarlos o simplemente resirse de ellos.



There was Calaveritas reading at the day od the dead Cultural Community Event. last Oct 31St.






Por aqui paso la muerte
con su aguja y su dedal
remendando sus naguitas
para el dia del carnaval.

Un poco de historia del día de muertos:

"El dia de Muertos es una celebracion mexicana de origen prehispanico que honra a los difuntos el 1 y 2 de Noviembre, y coincide con las celebraciones catolicas del Dia de los Files Difuntos y Todos los Santos. Es una festividad mexicana y centroamericana, se celebra tambien en muchas comunidades de Estados Unidos, donde exite una gran poblacion mexicana y centroamericana. La Unesco ha declarado esta festividad como Patrimonio de la Humanida. El Dia de los Muertos es un dia festejado tambien en Brasil, como el Dia dos Finados.

Los origenes de la celebracion del Dia de Muertos en Mexico son anteriores a la llegada de los espanoles. Hay registro de celebraciones en las etnias Mexica, Paya, Purepecha, Nahuatl y Totonaca. Los rituales que celebran la vida de los ancestros se realizan en estas civilizaciones por lo menos desde hace tres mil anos. En la era prehispanica era comun la practica de conservar los craneos como trofeos y mostrarlos durante los rituales que simbolizan la muerte y el renacimiento.

La festividad que se convirtio en el Dia de Muertos era conmemorado el noveno mes del calendario solar mexica, cerca del inicio de agosto, y era celebrado durante un mes completo. Las festividades eran presididas por la diosa Mictecacihuatl, conocida como la "Dama de la Muerte" actualmente es relacionada con la Catrina, personaje de Jose Gudalupe Posada y esposa de Mictlantecuhtli, Senor de la tierra de los muertos. Las festividades eran dedicadas a la celebracion de los ninos y las vidas de parientes fallecidos.

Monday, November 2, 2009

Pan de Muerto: a special bread
Suzanne Guerra/From the Times-Standard
Posted: 10/28/2009 01:27:12 AM PDT

November brings the annual celebration of El Dia de Los Muertos (the Day of the Dead), a fusion of indigenous and European traditions in Mexico that is celebrated in other countries as the Catholic religious holidays of All Saints Day and All Souls Day.

The observance was re-established in the United States by Mexican immigrants who arrived during the Mexican Revolution, when the political art of Jose Guadalupe Posada became the most popular image of the event. It has retained political significance for many communities, where it may be expressed through cultural events as well as family gatherings.

The altares (altars) are a space set aside to celebrate the life of a loved one, and need not be large or elaborate. Ofrendas (offerings) on the altar include favorite foods, along with favorite photos and mementos. Families make an effort to provide special treats and often exchange special foods with visiting friends and neighbors. Indigenous celebrations lasted one month and traditional altars still incorporate the four elements: earth, air, fire and water.

Air moves the “papel picado,” brightly colored tissue papers with cut-out designs that cover the altar. Whether handmade or purchased, they typically include colors such as purple to express pain or grief, white for hope and pink or orange for the celebration of life.

Fire is the purifying element, and from Christianity come candles which are placed all over the altar to signify

faith and hope. On the top level of the altar, four candles are found at the cardinal points to illuminate the way for the dead, whose spirits are said to visit the living at this time of year.
Water is the fountain of life. A towel, soap and small bowl of water are put on the altar so that the returning spirits can freshen up after their long trip. There is fresh water to quench their thirst and a bottle of beer or tequila, atole or chocolate, to remember the good times.

Bread is the gift from the Earth, the food of life. The traditional Day of the Dead bread, Pan de Muerto, is a plain, round sweet bread sprinkled with sugar and a crisscrossed bone shape placed on top, or made in the shape of a person. Most families include a loved one's favorite foods or other treats on the altar. Visiting spirits consume the essence, and foods are traditionally shared with family, friends and visitors.

You can find Pan de Muerto and many varieties of Pan Dulce (Mexican sweet bread) at Mexican grocery stores and specialty bakeries such as Los Bagels.

Accompany Pan de Muerto and Pan Dulce with Mexican chocolate, made with spices and ground almonds, or café con canela -- coffee with cinnamon.

Here is a simple recipe for Pan de Muerto, which is also suitable for classroom use. You may also create smaller rolls to decorate with “bones” or make some golletes -- a small, doughnut-shaped bread glazed with pink-colored sugar, which symbolizes the cycle of life and death.

Set aside some dough to create decorations, or simply glaze after baking. When done, the bread will be lightly brown and sound hollow when tapped.

Dough may also be prepared ahead of time for baking later.


Pan de Muerto (Bread of the Dead)

For the bread:

-- 1/4-ounce packet active, dry yeast

-- 1 teaspoon sugar

-- 1/4 cup warm water

-- 1/4 cup milk

-- 2 teaspoons anise seeds

-- 1/4 cup butter, cut into pieces

-- 1/4 cup granulated sugar

-- 1/2 teaspoon orange extract (optional)

-- 2 tablespoons orange zest (grated orange peel)

-- 1/2 teaspoon salt

-- 2 eggs, room temperature

-- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

For the glaze:

-- 1/4 cup sugar

-- Juice of 1/2 fresh orange

-- Colored sugar crystals for decoration

In a large mixing bowl, dissolve yeast and sugar in 1/4 cup warm water. Allow yeast to proof for 5 minutes (yeast will form a bubbly layer on top).

Meanwhile, scald milk and anise seeds in a small pan over medium-high heat. Add butter, 1/4 cup sugar, orange extract, zest and salt. Cook, stirring until butter melts, then remove from heat. Cool until lukewarm.

Beat eggs into yeast mixture. Add scalded milk mixture. Whisk until blended. Gradually stir in flour with a wooden spoon to make dough. Turn dough out onto a well-floured surface. Knead for 5 minutes, until it is smooth and pliable. Return dough to mixing bowl. Cover and set bowl in a warm place. Allow dough to rise until it doubles in size, about 1 1/2 hours.

Preheat oven to 350 F. Punch air out of dough and knead it again for a couple of minutes.

Pinch off about 1/2 cup of dough to form decorations. Form remaining dough into a round loaf on a cookie sheet. Arrange shapes on top of loaf.

Allow dough to rise again for 1 hour, then bake for approximately 35 minutes. (Reduce baking time for rolls.)

To prepare the glaze, combine sugar and orange juice in a saucepan over high heat. Bring to a boil and, stirring, reduce until mixture lightly thickens into a syrup.

Brush orange syrup over warm bread. Decorate with colored sugar crystals.

Makes 1 loaf or about 2 dozen small rolls.



Suzanne Guerra is a member of the Humboldt Communidad -- Dia de los Muertos Committee.