Dia de los Muertos Topeka

Our Tonantzin Society is thrilled about our partnership with Marcia Cebulska and the Topeka Shawnee County Public Library.  Mark your calendars for Sunday, October 28th at 3:00pm and join us at the library for a Día de los Muertos concert reading of Marcia’s play, The Bones of Butterflies. Admission is free and refreshments will be served.  Check this page from time to time as we update with more exciting information!

“The Bones of Butterflies

Synopsis–“We know that it is the dead who keep the living alive.”  Diego, a Mexican documentary filmmaker, is speaking to Zoe, a woman who is searching for her missing father.  Zoe studies the migration of monarch butterflies.  Diego records the journey from the Midwest to the mountains of Central Mexico.  When a freakish freezing rain hits the monarch colony, butterflies fall to the ground.  The Bones of Butterflies tells the story of migration and forgiveness, death and rebirth.

Background— In the winter of 2002, over 80 million butterflies were documented by American scientists as having died following an ice storm.  When interviewed by the playwright, Mexican scientists said that butterflies blanketed by their fallen brothers and sisters later stirred to life and flew again. Marcia Cebulska’s connection to Day of the Dead stories and art started when she was a summer school student at Universidad de las Americas in Mexico City.  She has returned to Mexico two more times, most recently to research The Bones of Butterflies, thanks to a grant from the Center for Kansas Studies.  Marcia’s husband, historian Tom Prasch, collects Day of the Dead artifacts.”

BIOGRAPHY

Marcia Cebulska’s stage plays have been produced at The Georgia Repertory Theatre, HERE (NYC), the Phoenix Theatre, Frontera at Hyde Park, Fremont Centre Theatre, The Theatre Building of Chicago, Fusion Theatre (Albuquerque) and elsewhere.  Marcia has received the Dorothy Silver Award, the Jane Chambers International Award, Kansas Arts Commission and Indiana Arts Commission Master Artist Fellowships, “Best Historical Film” (Traildance Film Festival) and numerous other honors. Her NOW LET ME FLY , commissioned for the national celebration of the 50^th anniversary of the Brown v. Board decision has been performed at over 5,000 venues internationally from Topeka to Turkmenistan.  THROUGH MARTHA’S EYES, for which Marcia wrote the screenplay, was aired nationally on PBS.   Her plays have been chosen for development by the Eugene O’Neill National Playwrights Conference, Sundance Playwrights Lab, the William Inge Theatre Festival and Shenandoah Playwrights Retreat.  She has been playwright-in-residence at The University of Georgia, Mary Anderson Center for the Arts, Marion College and The William Inge Center for the Arts.  Marcia attended Barnard College and Columbia University School of the Arts.  She is a member of The Dramatists Guild and is a Fellow of the Center for Kansas Studies.  Marcia currently is working on ROOTED (working title) a collaborative theater piece with the William Inge Center and Cornerstone Theater of Los Angeles.  She lives in Topeka with her husband, Washburn history professor Tom Prasch.

www.marciacebulska.com

Whimsical, colorful, joyous, festive are a few of the words used to describe the Día de los Muertos folk art of creating calacas.  Whether the skeleton is a giant puppet guided along a street parade route or a brightly painted small wooden box with a smiling skeleton groom and bride, the growing importance of calacas during this annual holiday can be traced back to Pre-Columbian origins.

We know the Aztecs used skulls in their ritual remembrance of deceased loved ones over 2500 years ago. Skulls were inherent in the imagery of their many gods.  After the Aztec conquest and by the 17^th century, the Catholic Church conceded to the reality this particular element of the “pagan” beliefs was not going away. As the two spiritualities blended, over time the sugar art of the Spanish and skull traditions of the Aztecs, were combined to create sugar skulls. The skulls were decorated with candies and frostings and remained an integral component in Día de los Muertos celebrations.

However in the early 1900’s the groundwork for an explosive creativity was laid with the work of printmaker and cartoonist, José Guadalupe Posada. This time in Mexican history was one of turbulence, huge social and economic inequalities, and a growing dissatisfaction with an increasingly corrupt government. Revolution was in the air.  Posada’s prints were sharp, political and full of satire. His targets were often the Mexican elite and he began to use the skeleton imagery in his work.

The ability to understand the historical relevance of the calacas within the collective memory of the common person made Posada’s drawings accessible and understandable to the masses. Not only was the satirical juxtaposition evident but there was a re-emergence of the centuries old indigenous belief of the intertwined nature of life and death.

Posada showed skeletons on horses, riding buses, dancing, drinking, playing instruments, wreaking havoc, destruction and more. Perhaps the most famous of Posada’s drawings is of La Calavera Catrina (‘The Elegant Skull’). Catrina’s image is paramount in all realms of Día de los Muertos folk art.

While Posada lived only until 1913, the enduring legacy of his expressionist vision remained.  Artists such as Diego Rivera, Frida Kahlo and José Clemente Orozco were influenced by his calaca imagery in their own works of art.  Yet the realm of the folk arts in Mexican culture is where Posada’s gifts found their most outward expression and expansion.

Folk art loosely defined is the hand made art of an indigenous culture. The artisans are not professional artists and use materials most readily available and inexpensive.  They are often self-taught and the style is decorative, by some considered “naïve”, and embraces the values and customs of a particular population.

Calaca folk art continues to be on the rise on both sides of the border. The skeletons can be seen in cartoons, in miniature shrines, on ofrendas, imprinted on t-shirts, in juried art work, as puppets (small, large and giant), on coffee cups. Their daily experiences in this physical world are detailed as murals in urban areas or hung in prestigious museums. They are created as images of our neighborhood postman, our abuela/abuelo, the community mariachi group, our dentist or newest Hollywood icon. Crafted from paper mache, wood, plastic or metals – perhaps the political potency has diminished but the symbolic, indigenous, and dualistic importance has not.

This art form also assists in remembrance of loved ones and the lives they lived in the here and now.  This too was an important component for the Aztecs and currently maintains the relevance of family connections that is vital in Mexican culture.  And perhaps for many Westerners taught to fear, loathe, and keep all reminders of death at bay…the celebratory style of folk art can help soften the uncertainty of what lay beyond the other side of this life…all the while with a smile and chuckle when looking upon the ever playful calaca.

by Christina Valdivia-Alcalá

Our culture is one known for flavorful and spicy foods.  We have scoured decades old Fiesta books from our Topeka Fiesta Mexicana and are sharing a number of recipes we found from a 1976 copy.  Many of the elders that chose to reveal their recipes are no longer with us.  As we share this piece of history with you, please keep in mind these wonderful cooks and how they helped us continue our cultural legacy Thank you to the Victoria Morales*, Pauline Gutierrez*, Loretta Lopez Torrez*, Doña Refugio Valdivia Torrez* and Gloria Torrez. The Fiesta book cooking editor that year was Carmen Garcia.

Recipes

Chiles en Vinagre (Pickles Peppers)

On the bottom of a canning jar, put 1 clove of garlic and 2-3 slices of onion and a few slices of carrots.  Add:

½ teas. of ground cominos

½ teas. of whole leaf oregano

1     teas. of pickling spices

½ teas. of salt

1 teas. of oil

Mix 1 cup of water and 1 cup of vinegar and pour over peppers that have been arranged in the jar and seal tight.  Let set for a month or longer.

White Flour Tortillas

2     cups flour

2     teas. baking powder

1      teas. salt

2      tablsp. lard (or Crisco)

¼   cup water

In mixing bowl, place flour, salt, baking powder and lard mixing with hands and adding water gradually.  Knead with both hands until a smooth ball is formed.  Make little balls of dough, usually 12 to 15 balls from the dough mix.  Cook the tortilla on a tin plate or comal on tope of the stove over medium heat.  When tortilla is cooked on one side, turn over and cook on other side.  This recipe will make 12-15 tortillas.

Chiles Rellenos

6 long green or yellow peppers

6 2” strips cheddar jack cheese about ½ inch thick

6 2” strips jack cheese ½ inch thick

¼ cup flour

1 cup egg white (6 eggs)

4 tablsp. melted butter

To prepare peppers: Rinse chiles and discard seeds and veins.  Insert in each chile, 1 strip jack cheese and cheddar cheese cutting a slit on side of chile if necessary and dust with flour.  Beat egg whites until stiff and also beat the egg yolks and fold in whites; add melted butter to the egg mixture; butter should not be hot.  Grease 6 individual baking dishes well.  Pour a thick coating of the egg batter into each dish.  Place a stuffed chile into each dish then spoon remaining egg batter over top.  Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes.  To serve turn out of baking dish and top with the sauce below:

Sauce

½ cup chopped onion

1 clove of minced garlic

1 tablsp. of oil

2 tablsp. tomato past

1 cup fresh chopped, peeled tomato

1 cup chicken broth

1 teas. sugar

1 teas. vinegar

1 tablsp. flour

½ teas. salt

Cook onion and garlic in oil until onion is transparent.  Add tomato paste and tomato; let simmer a few minutes.  Add broth, sugar and vinegar until tomatoes are cooked.  Put in blender to make puree, reheat and thicken lightly with flour mixed with1 to 2 tablsp. cold water.  Cook and stir until sauce comes to a boil and serve over chiles rellenos.  This makes 3 cups of sauce.

Garbanzos con Repollo (Chickpeas with Cabbage)

½ head of cabbage

1 cup of water

2 cans garbanzos

½ medium sized, diced onion

½ to ¾ can #303 tomatoes

Salt to taste

Oil enough to cover bottom of pan

Cut cabbage in bite-size pieces and sauté in oil for 15-20 minutes.  Add onion and tomatoes.  Drain garbanzos and rinse will; add to the rest of the ingredients, add water and salt.  Cover pan and cook till cabbage is tender.

* person is deceased

Dia de los Muertos takes place on and in connection with the Catholic holidays All Saints Day November 1 and All Souls Day November 2.

All Saints day is celebrated by a large portion of Western Christianity on the first Sunday after Pentecost to honor all saints. This falls on the day after Halloween (November 1). The purpose of this holiday is to commemorate those that have reached beatific vision also known as someone who has become a member of humanity that has been completely redeemed and has reached perfect salvation; (heaven, a saint). It is a national holiday in most Catholic countries

All Souls Day immediately follows on November 2^nd to commemorate deceased faithfuls who have not entered heaven because they are not yet purified. This holiday, although many faiths have similar beliefs, is most recognized by the Catholic Church. The Roman Catholic Church believes the deceased have not been purified of the attachment of mortal sins and are unable to achieve beatific vision in heaven and may be helped to do so through prayer.

Does the Day of the Dead and Halloween have anything in common?  Are they one in the same?  According to Google Search, in the year 1000 A.D., the church asked to have November the second as All Soul’s Day in order to honor the dead, who were not saints, and in English it was named Hallow mas.  Samhain, another celebration was where the pagans would celebrate with bonfires and dress up in costumes.  It was called Hallows Eve later changed to Halloween.  (History of Halloween, 2-27-2012)

Halloween as we know it today tends to be scary and sometimes looks grotesque with all movies and costumes that are marketed for the season.  It makes one feel uncomfortable with all its antics.  That uncomfortable feeling can be much like death to us.  Death carries with it uncertainties, life passing into death a mystery for sure.  Halloween is marketed with this in mind today.

Halloween as celebrated today does not look like the Mexican Day of the Dead, (All Souls Day) even in today’s world.  All Souls Day is celebrated as a visit from the deceased relatives who come to visit their homes in Mexico.  This is not an eerie type of visit from the deceased relatives, but one of remembrance and honor in each one of their names.  In Chiapas they believe that the souls have a thirteen day vacation on earth; a visit back home with loved ones. (p. 241, Toor, Frances).  Many countries in the world celebrate in similar fashion.  They make way for the old souls to come back and visit.  Mexican celebration and their tradition are much the same way as in old; honoring their dead relatives and their time here on earth together as family or friends.

Mexican celebration always has a faith formed element.  Día de los Muertos, (All Souls Day) brings about images of lit candles, family crucifix, images of saints and Jesus, prayers, pungent flowers like zempasuchitl, spicy foods and bitter sweet drinks and skeletons.  Ofrendas (home altars) are erected in honor of relatives and their souls that have moved on into the next world.  “Treasured belongings from time past highlight the passions of the departed.  A familiar guitar… or just the right brand of cigarettes help the visiting spirits feel at home.”  (p. 65, Greeleigh, John)  Marigolds (zempasuchitl) line the path ways to each home’s door in order to help the souls find their way home.. “In addition to the dishes of food and fruit, there is incense and candles for each dead soul, usually adorned in some way.  Some of them are yellow or back beeswax.” (p. 239 Toor, Frances).  The poorer homes have minimal items in contrast to the well to do homes.  One can hear the priest of the area recite a litany and give out blessings during this occasion at nearby homes.  In some cities and towns the Holy Mass is celebrated at the cemetery.

Different regions and towns in Mexico have very similar celebrations, but are yet unique to each area.  On November the first during the early evening hours, relatives gather to clean and paint weathered tombstones and crosses marking each grave site.  They decorate each with white desert flowers or golden flowers growing in the area.  The flowers are painstaking spread on top, or laced about the grave, marking it with care.  Decorative flowers placed on the grave can also be brought in from family homes some miles away or are brought from vendors in assorted floral arrangements.  At the cemetery there are no grave keepers, any of the repairs of the tombs and graves sites have not had any care since the year before.  “Mothers and daughters sweep and wash while fathers and sons paint and tinker.  Tombstones are scrubbed with pails of water, sometimes lugged by children from a nearby faucet.” (p. 43, Greeleigh, John).

The next day the homes are visited by the souls and they see the ofrendas that have been erected in their honor.  Perhaps there can be molé or tamales, fruits and vegetables with drinks like wine or coca cola bottle filled with the beverage.  Depending upon the harvest, the items may vary, but for the dead relatives nothing is spared from the occasion if at all possible.  “The souls only take from the food their agreeable smells and tastes, carrying them off…” (p.241, Toor Frances).

During this time of the year there can be great fairs that draw in many people of all ages, young and old along with musicians and vendors that provide music along the way and in the homes.  Vendors selling breads appropriately named pan de los muertos (bread of the dead).  All the stands at the fair have and display this bread and sugar skulls with names of possible recipient.  Small Calaveras peer from small paper boxes that look like coffins.  “Skeletons and skulls made of dough pop up among the loaves along with sugar [colorful] flowers and swirls.” (p, 46, Greenleigh, John).  During and after this time the families enjoy their efforts, memories and good times while eating and drinking good food in honor of their relatives.

Life and Death have a connection and that connection is love, the bridge between the two, paraphrasing an author Leo Buscaglia of the 1970s and 1980s.

Bibliography:

Greenleigh, John and Rosoff Beimler, Rosalind. The Days of the Dead; Festival of Communion,

(San Francisco, California); Collins San Francisco, 1991. Printed.

Toor, Frances. A Treasury of Mexican Folkways. New York, NY, Crown Publishing, 1947. Printed

“The History of Halloween.” The History of Halloween.web. Twenty seventy February. 2012. www.halloweenhistory.org/

Patricia Corona

Dia de los Muertos is not just celebrated in Mexico, but in other Latin countries also.

Most citizens of Ecuador recognize Dia de los Muertos celebratrions and spend time at the grave sites of their ancestors. This holiday is most important to the indigenous Kichwa peoples who make up a large portion of the Ecuadorian population. Kichwa families have gatherings in cemeteries to offer food in remembrance of lost family members. A variety of ceremonial foods are offered to the deceased such as guagua de pan (swaddling infant shaped bread). This bread is made of a wheat flour base and but was once made of cornmeal. Aside from Kichwa, these remembrances are practiced by mainstream society as well.

Boliva celebrates a similar holiday known as Dia de los Natitas (Day of the Skulls). This holiday is celebrated on November 9th. The Andeans once practiced the tradition of sharing a day with their ancestor’s bones 3 years after they were buried; today only the skulls are used to uphold this tradition. The skulls of their ancestors are used to “keep watch” over family members to keep them safe. The skulls ae crowned with flowers and are sometimes ornamented with other garments. These skulls are offered coca leaves, alcohol, and cigarettes as a form of thanks for protecting them throughout the year.

The ofrenda is used to remember and honor ancestors. Ofrenda is the Spanish word for “offering” and it is actual an altar that consists of many components; each are meant to welcome the spirits of the deceased.  

Ofrendas (alters) can be created with many levels that each holds different elements. Some of the elements included on an ofrenda are:

• Images of saint and crucifixes
• A candle to guide ancestors on their way back
• Water and salt to quench their thirst and purify
• Incense to elevate prayers
• Pictures of the deceased as well as personal items
• Food that has been prepared such as mole, tamales, fruits, and breads (food is not meant to be eaten by spirits but are included so the aromas can be enjoyed by them)
• Cross made with flowers or flower petals to create a path for the souls
• Sugar skulls are often included also

Sugar Skulls continue to be an enduring feature of the holiday.  Catholic missionaries were believed to have introduced sugar art to Mexico in the 1700’s. The trend quickly took hold since sugar cane was bountiful in the poor country and over time a sugar skull folk art custom has evolved.

Skulls are inscribed with the name of the loved one and frosting, sequins, candies and flowers added to create colorful, elaborate skulls.

Additionally miniature skeletons are hugely popular in the remembrance of the life lived by the departed loved one. The skeletons created recall occupations and hobbies that lend playful and heartfelt qualities meant to evoke joy and humor in recollection of the deceased.

The second and third months of 2012 were great for planning our week long event. We added a number of new sponsors and partners.  Hallmark Cards HEART volunteer program signed on to help us construct flowered archways, build structures for our Family Street Fair and more! Our planning committee was thrilled with our meeting with Heartland Visioning and the resultant partnership with them. We can hardly wait to see what Spring will bring.

We are bringing the flavor of the Southwest to our Día de los Muertos Celebration.  Sunny Birklund from Albuequerque, New Mexico will be joining us for 5 days of unique puppet building. October 1st through October 5th, look for coverage of all sorts on Sunny and her adventures in Topeka and surrounding areas! She will be working with young adults to create their own Día de los Muertos puppet show to perform at our Family Street Fair. Also we all will be hard at work in the evenings with Sunny as she shows us how to construct giant paper mache` skulls for sidewalk display at NOTO.

Sunny Birklund is a puppeteer, artist, teacher, historian and author. The magic of puppetry has enchanted her since she was a child. She has recently published two books about puppetry “Puppet Animal Kingdom” and “Puppets & Dolls of the Southwest”and she is currently working on her third book. She has been attending National Puppetry Festivals for over 25 years and is still amused and delighted by the creativity and innovation expressed in this art form. She founded the Puppet Playhouse llc, a touring puppet company, to perform puppet shows, bring giant walk about puppets to events and to provide opportunities for the community to learn about and participate in puppetry through performances, workshops and exhibits. She has an extensive collection of puppets and materials related to puppetry from around the world. She designs and teaches workshops about puppets and costumes; including giant parade puppets, marionettes, handpuppets, limberjacks and miniature toy theatres.

For photos and current engagements go to www.facebook/SunnyBirklund

Sunny Birklund is a puppeteer, artist, teacher, historian and author. The magic of
puppetry has enchanted her since she was a child. She has recently published two books
about puppetry “Puppet Animal Kingdom” and “Puppets & Dolls of the Southwest”and
she is currently working on her third book. She has been attending National Puppetry
Festivals for over 25 years and is still amused and delighted by the creativity and
innovation expressed in this art form. She founded the Puppet Playhouse llc, a touring
puppet company, to perform puppet shows, bring giant walk about puppets to events and
to provide opportunities for the community to learn about and participate in puppetry
through performances, workshops and exhibits. She has an extensive collection of
puppets and materials related to puppetry from around the world. She designs and teaches
workshops about puppets and costumes; including giant parade puppets, marionettes,
handpuppets, limberjacks and miniature toy theatres.
For photos and current engagements go to www.facebook/SunnyBirklund

The seeds to planning Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) Topeka started years ago! In 2006 volunteers with Topeka’s Fiesta Mexicana introduced Day of the Dead crafts to the Children’s Corner and met with mixed success. Also throughout the years a myriad of Topeka organizations – with focus on expanding arts and cultural knowledge- had activities for Día de los Muertos.

In late August of 2011 volunteers from Topeka’s Latino community and beyond partnered with the Kansas Children’s Discovery Center for a wildly successful Day of the Dead celebration over a six day period! We knew then the stars were aligning and the ideas, emailing, envisioning, creating, meetings and partnering began.

Now five months later we are knee deep in planning and with consummate enthusiasm. We are taking this from an event not only at NOTO (thank you John and Anita) to a truly community wide event. Our planning group is called the Tonantzin Society, and we are convinced Topeka is a place where arts and culture continues to grow and thrive.  Below is a chronology of our event in evolution.

August/September 2011 – Met with NOTO and confirmed our Día de los Muertos location. Contacts made for Aztec dance group in Denver, Colorado to commit to a three day trip to Topeka – specifically for blessing dance ceremony of our DDLM event opening.

October/November 2011 – Topeka Community Foundation confirms they will handle all donation monies of our Tonantzin Society as DDLM Topeka is planned. Our FaceBook page is launched and our first sponsors come on board (WIBW, Kevin Brennan Family Funeral Home and PTMW, Inc.).

December 2011 – Grant application completed for Prairie Band Pottawatomie Nation requesting monies for bringing in Aztec Danzante Group Huitzilopochtli. Started crafting and working on our official website. Face painters, local dance groups come on board and say yes to performing at our Día de los Muertos Family Carnival.  Kansas Children Discovery Center commits to another fantastic partnership.

January 2012 – A tremendous start to 2012! Jenny Torrence and partners welcomed us with open arms to hosting our VIP event at their new NOTO digs Serendipity. Possibilities blossomed with the Mexican Consulate of Kansas City partnership, KU Latin American Studies Department and Washburn University’s Multicultural Affairs expressing great interest too in getting involved.

As we go about the planning of our own Dìa de los Muertos Topeka, we want to give our community insight in to how states in the U.S. and other countries celebrate this annual holiday.  Searching through numerous sites and archived newspapers articles, we are deeply impressed with the journey taken to mark the Dìa de los Muertos celebrations in San Juan Capistrano and Palm Desert, California.  The year was 2003 and both Latino and non-Latinos came together for art, culture, music and history all in celebration of departed loved ones.  The art and ofrendas are exquisite.  We have added the You Tube link of the marvelous documentary on the planning of the festivities and interviews with a wide variety of participants. And finally, if you are interested in learning more about the band Quetzal, we have added their official website link. Enjoy!

http://quetzaleastla.com/