Celts and Druids Meet Catholics Meet Conquistadors Meet Mexico

Day of the Dead, or Dia de los Muertos, is a perfect example of how cultures change, yet survive.  Beliefs of the Mexican people go back to early Aztec and Mayan roots, with a blend of Spanish conquerors and Catholicism.

Back in the 8th century, the church decreed that November 1st would be celebrated as All Saints Day ~ a day set aside to honor martyrs and saints.  This, of course, was an attempt to gloss over another culture, since, for 2000 years, Celts and Druid priests combined harvest festivals and celebrated the new year on November 1st.

The Celtic dead, you see, were believed to have access to earth on Samhain, which fell on October 31st.  At that time, the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead was lessened. To celebrate, Celts danced around huge bonfires while wearing heads and hides.



This was done to confuse the spirits.  Offerings of burned crops and animals were given to the dead who returned at that time.

Clearly this is something the church wanted to cover up.  So at the end of the first millennium, they designated November 2nd as All Souls' Day as a time to honor the dead.  To keep up with the Druid and Celtic pagenatry, All Souls' Day was celebrated with... (ready??)  huge bonfires...



...and people dressed up, though not in animal heads and hides.  Rather, they dressed as saints, angels, and devils.

Back then, All Saints Day and All Souls' Day were known as All-hallowsmas, which made October 31st "All Hallowed's Eve" or Hallow'e'en.

Getting back to Mexico... when the Spaniards arrived they met up with two-month celebrations honoring the harvest, the dead, and the new year.  This was a long-standing tradition.  For more than 500 years, the goddess Mictecacihuatl, who is the Lady of the Dead, presided over Aztec harvest rituals.  Guess what they used?  Yep.  Fire (and incense)...



...and costumes of animal skins.  To this was added images of their dead and offerings of ceramics, personal goods, flowers and foods, drink and flowers.



So the church stepped in and attempted to transform this joyous (and long) celebration into a serious (and short) day of prayer focusing on tragic images of death and reflection on saints and martyrs.  This did not meet with universal acceptance.



Instead, All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day evolved into Dia de los Muertos ~ a celebration to honor the dead with color, flowers, candles, and joy.



The flowers are, as you see, marigolds.



Marigolds are traditionally used to decorate altars for Dia de los Muertos.



Called Cempazuchil, or Flower of the Dead, Marigolds go back to the Aztecs.  In the Aztec language, marigold is Xempa (which means dead) + Xochitl, meaning flower.   This was changed for easier pronunciation in the Castillian Spanish, becoming Cempazuchil. Marigolds represent the sun's rays.  Since the sun is the origin of all living things, marigolds are the symbol that the deceased have not lost their place in the universe.



And that is why this bracelet is in marigold colors. And why the clasp is a sun.



And that is why Day of the Dead is still celebrated.




Some day all these might be superseded by a different holiday, but I'm betting it will involve bonfires and dressing up, and a lot of good food.




And you could still wear the bracelet.

The Buddha Story Continued

Continued from here.

At the moment of the Buddha's birth, throughout the land, there was peace and happiness. People stopped fighting with their neighbors and suddenly felt great love for the very person at whom they had been shouting the day before.  Some saw rainbows and other unusual and beautiful events.  Wise men assured each other that something fortunate had happened.  The signs made it clear.



It was the full moon day of the fourth month.



Queen Maya, who herself was filled with joy at the birth of her child, took the baby and returned to the king's palace.



With great rejoicing, King Shuddhodana greeted Queen Maya and their new son.  Festivals were held, and the kingdom was decorated.  It was a time of  happiness and peace. Because of the good feelings, his parents named the Prince "Siddhartha" ~ the one who brought all good.




The wise men made predictions.  They told the king thay his son would grow up to be even geater than the king himself.  This pleased the king greatly.  He was sure that one day Prince Siddhartha would be ruler not only of the king's small kingdom, but of the world.




Many visitors came to see the child.  One was an old man named Asita, a hermit who lived in the distant forest and was known to be a holy person.  The king and queen were honored by his visit and asked the purpose of his journey.



Asita told them that he had traveled there because of the signs that he had seen.  The signs told Asita that the new prince would have great spiritual knowledge that would benefit everyone.  Asita, who had spent his entire life searching for such wisdom, wanted to see the child himself.

But when the king brought the prince to Asita, Asita began to cry.  The king and queen were frightened.  What did this mean?  Was there something wrong with their child?

The king fell to his knees and begged Asita to tell him what he saw in the infant's face.

Was the prince to die soon?

Asita calmed the parents.  He told them he was not crying because of anything bad.  He was crying for himself.



"You see," he told the king and queen, "I have spent my entire life seeking the truth and searching for a way to end all suffering."  When he saw the child, he knew that some day this child would teach everything Asita wanted to learn, but by then, Asita would be dead, and would never be able to learn from him.

He told the king and queen that their son would grow up to be a great man.  If he stayed with the king, the prince would become the greatest king of all time, and would rule over a vast realm, bringing peace and happiness.



But if the prince chose not to become a king, his future would be even greater, for then he would become a great teacher and show people how to live with peace and love in their hearts.  He would leave the palace behind and discover a way to end the world's suffering, and this, he would teach to all who would listen.

With that, Asita turned and slowly left the palace.



The king was greatly relieved.  Even more so, he was thrilled, for he was now sure that, one day, his son would be ruler of the world.  He could always become a holy man when he was quite old, the kimg reasoned.  And so he stood happily, his son in his arms, awaiting the future.

To be continued...

But the necklace with the story is here.

Why Cheetah's Cheeks Are Stained

(adapted from a Zulu tale)

Long ago a lazy hunter was sitting under a tree. "It's too hot to hunt," he thought.  "If only someone would do it for me."  He saw tasty springboks grazing, but he was too lazy to get up and do anything about it.  Then he noticed a movement.  It was a female cheetah, hunting for food, and she had spotted a springbok who had wandered away from the herd.  Careful to stay downwind of the springbok, she crept closer.  Finally, with a burst of speed, she did what she did best, running faster than the wind.  She leapt upon the springbok, bringing it down, and insuring a meal for her children that night.



The lazy hunter watched as the cheetah dragged the meal to her four cubs, who waited hungrily. 

Then the hunter had an idea.   If he could steal one of the cubs, he could teach it to hunt for him.  Each night he would dine on freshly-caught meat and he would never have to work again.   He waited until dusk, when the mother hid her cubs in a bush and went to the watering hole.  The hunter crept up on the cubs, who were too young to fear him.

He chose the first one,



but then decided the second might be faster. 



Perhaps, he thought, the third was smarter. 



And perhaps the fourth was would be the best stalker. 



Finally he stole them all, for four cheetahs would surely be better than one.

When their mother returned and found her cubs gone, she was heartbroken, and began to weep.



She cried so much that her tears stained her cheeks.  And she cried so loudly that she was heard by an old villager, who came to investigate the cause of the heartbreaking noise.


The villager was quite wise, not only in human affairs, but in the ways of animals, as well.  When he heard what the lazy hunter had done, he was angry.  The hunter was not only a thief, but he had dishonored his tribe. 

The old man returned to the village and told the elders what he had learned.  They were angry, too.  Quickly they found the hunter.  They drove him from the village and returned the cubs to their mother. 

But her weeping had stained her face forever.  And even today, each cheetah wears the marks of the tear stains as a reminder to hunters and all who respect animals that one must always conduct oneself in an honorable way.

On the bracelet, you can see the mother cheetah



in three different poses,







and her four cubs.



Their story, in beads, is here.

Lavender's Blue, Dilly Dilly

Lavender's blue, dilly dilly,
Lavender's green
When you are King, dilly dilly,
I shall be Queen

Who told you so, dilly dilly,
Who told you so?
'Twas my own heart, dilly dilly,
That told me so

Call up your friends, dilly, dilly
Set them to work
Some to the plow, dilly dilly,
Some to the fork

Some to the hay, dilly dilly,
Some to thresh corn
Whilst you and I, dilly dilly,
Keep ourselves warm

Lavender's blue, dilly dilly,
Lavender's green
When you are King, dilly dilly,
I shall be Queen

Who told you so, dilly dilly,
Who told you so?
'Twas my own heart, dilly dilly,
That told me so

Here's the dilly dilly bracelet.

The Story of the White Coral Bells

Long ago and far away, when I was a Girl Scout, we used to sing a round: "White Coral Bells."  It was very pretty, and almost always sounded good... even when someone forgot to count verses and ended up accidentally solo-ing.  There are many versions you can listen to on YouTube, but I'm not attaching them because then the blog would be singing non-stop, and some of you shut the sound off and later wonder why your computer wasn't making any noise.

The song goes like this.

White coral bells



Upon a slender stalk,



Lillies of the Valley



Deck my garden walk.



Oh, don't you wish...



That you could hear them ring?



That will happen only...




When the fairies sing.


Then I heard a sound outside.  A tiny tinkling.  Could it be the fairies?

And it was.  They were singing, and all the bells were ringing until...



... someone wandered in and sat on them.

What?  You expect a happy ending every time?

Bracelet and earrings here.  Happy ending... under the cat.