Honoring the Dead: A Journey Through Global Traditions and Personal Memories

What if you could connect with loved ones who have passed in a meaningful way that spans across cultures and traditions? Join me as I share my personal journey of building a heartfelt altar at home, inspired by the vibrant Mexican tradition of La Ofrenda, to honor cherished family members and pets. This episode explores the significance of Dia de Muertos and how it joyfully welcomes spirits back for a day of remembrance. We also travel to Haiti to uncover the unique Fete Guedet, a celebration that melds elements of Mardi Gras, Halloween, and Dia de Muertos, and venture to Bolivia for the Fiesta de las Ñatitas, where families commemorate skulls believed to forge protective bonds with their caretakers. Through these global traditions, we reflect on the universal desire to honor and remain connected to those we've lost.

Expressing love takes many forms, and in this chapter, I offer inspiration and ideas on how to commemorate the memories of those who have departed. From personal stories to cultural rituals, this discussion emphasizes the importance of maintaining connections through meaningful practices. Engage with the conversation by sharing your own experiences, leaving comments, and rating the podcast. Your input enriches our exploration and keeps the dialogue alive. Thank you for being part of this heartfelt journey, and I look forward to sharing more personal reflections and cultural insights with you in the episodes to come.

Chapters

• 0:00 Honoring the Dead in Global Traditions
• 15:53 Expressing Love Through Honoring

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

Oh we could, we could fly. Welcome to this new season of the have a cup of johanni podcast. So I want to title this new season that I'm embarking on with I'm growing, so this is going to be the season of growth and that's what I'm going to share with you throughout the season. So I thank you for coming over here and sitting with me and I hope you enjoy. Hello, everyone, and welcome to our last episode of October, and today we're talking about something special building altars to honor those we've lost and how this practice is reflected in traditions around the world.

Speaker 1: 0:50

With Dia de Muertos coming up, I've been thinking a lot about not just honoring the loved ones that passed, but also how different cultures do the same thing, how they honor their loved ones who have passed. Are you ready? After losing family members and most recently Lento, and before that, johnil, and before that, john, and before that, my other fur babies I wanted a way to stay connected with them and, while talking about them and writing about them and, like for john, immortalizing him and mrs french's evil ring, I needed something physical, something that would allow me to keep their memory alive in everyday life, and that's when, talking with my husband, we decided to create an altar in my home dedicated to the memory of the loved ones that have passed, and this is a practice that many cultures around the world use to honor those who have passed, and from looking in the internet, I could tell that the gist of it all stays the same, which is to honor the dead. The practice is what usually defers, but creating an altar isn't just a personal ritual. For me, it is rooted in culture and the need to stay connected, and one of the cultures that I am tied to is the Mexican culture, where they have Dia de Muertos, and this holiday celebrates the lives of those who have passed, and one of the big elements that it has is La Ofrenda.

Speaker 1: 3:00

Has is la ofrenda In this version of honoring the dead. It's similar to what I have in my home, which is a table with the photographs the pictures of those who have passed, along with their favorite foods. For my grandmother and for the pets, I put their little collar there, and for the pets I put their little collar there, and in Mexico they also have marigolds in their altars, which welcomes the spirits of their loved ones back to the living world for a day of celebration and remembrance. So it's not a day of mourning, but it is a joyful day to honor them and reconnect with their spirit in the living world. And, like I said, I created something similar and I will be revamping it this year with the photo rental and a candle and a couple of other favorite toys. Just because if I put in there their food, I have other pets in the house that will most likely jump on it and eat the ofrenda. So for me, the ofrenda needs to be not edible, not food, but every time I light a candle in front of their photos, it's a time to reflect, it's a time to connect with them and it's almost as if I'm inviting them to come over and come and sit by my side, just like they did when they were here.

Speaker 1: 4:42

But from researching it a little bit further, it's not just Dia de Muertos or Old Souls Day. There are other celebrations around the world that occur, and I'm getting this from inthelightturnscom, and they have a few celebrations from around the world here that people celebrate. I was born in the Dominican Republic, so in Haiti, was born in the Dominican Republic, so in Haiti. Fete Guedet or Just Guedet. It's a celebration that has its own distinct feel, but, like I said, the intent of it all is to honor the dead, but this one right here has a Creole origin to it and it's a fete, it's a party. So the party is kind of like they're comparing it to Mardi Gras here, with Halloween and a little bit of Dia de Muertos all combined, and it involves dancing, feasting, visiting cemeteries and making offerings to the dead, and people like to dress up and dance using traditional moves to the sound of a drum. And at this time they believe the spirits pass on the road between the living and death.

Speaker 1: 6:03

And this passage requires approval from death. And death is referred to as Papaguete and he was the first person that died and he takes all souls into the afterlife. And he is said to have a quirky sense of humor, but he's gentle and if people request a gift from him they have to have an ofrenda in return, right, and that ofrenda, that offering, must be repaid at the end of the celebration. And this reminded me a lot of how my grandmother used to say to you can ask from the saints things, but when you ask you need to offer them something and you better come through on that promise or else it will be some sort of repercussion to that and that is kind of like something, a similar mentality here with Papaguete, which is like, yes, ask him for things right To spare the life of a child or a loved one, since he is death, he's the one that takes them to the other side. But if he does grant you that, then you better come through on what you promise him, in this case by the end of the celebration, or else there may be vengeance. So I can see from reading this that the cultures kind of like combine in the island and we draw from similar traditions and kind of like created our own distinct way of celebrating certain things, and in this case is celebrating or honoring the dead.

Speaker 1: 7:55

You also have in Bolivia Fiesta de las Ñatitas. Fiesta de las Ñatitas is centered on skulls and these are the Ñatitas and they're believed to form a beneficial and sometimes chaotic relationship with the people who care for them, and during this is like a week-long holiday and during this holiday families head to the cemetery with their own skulls and they often trade skulls between family members. They may give offerings to other skulls and the event is a nod to the indigenous people of the area who believe that skulls of the dead gave benefits to their fields or their lives. That's very interesting, huh? Then in Japan, we have the Obon Festival. It's either in July or August and it's a time to honor their ancestors as one of the three biggest holidays in Japan. Many people take the whole week for this celebration and on the first day, families take paper lanterns to their ancestors' graves and some people light a fire at their homes to help their ancestors find their way, and this is a time for eating and making offerings. The end of the festival involves moving the paper lanterns to guide the spirits back to their rest. Most recently, some people have chosen to float the lanterns down the river. This symbolizes the soul's descent back to the sky. That is very interesting, though. In Cambodia they have Chung Ben Festival, and is a time where people gather at temples to offer food to their ancestors' spirits.

Speaker 1: 9:50

Of various holidays. Because of the diversity of the people here, we have a Memorial Day that honors the fallen military members. We also have Dia de Muertos here, which, when the translation happened, they started calling it Dia de los Muertos in the United States, but that's because the translation Day of the Dead right. The translation to Spanish was more exact that way, so the name changed when it came this way, but it's actually Dia de Muertos and we also have All Saints Day, all Souls Days and, of course, halloween, which is rooted in Samhain. And Samhain and this is according to the Wikipedia page here that I pulled up is believed to have Celtic, pagan origins and some Neolithic passage.

Speaker 1: 10:52

Tombs in Great Britain and Ireland are aligned with the sunrise at the time of Samhain. It is mentioned in the earliest Irish literature from the 9th century and is associated with many important events in Irish mythology. The early literature says that great gatherings and feasts mark Samhain, when the ancient burial mounds were opened, which were seen in portals to the other world. Some of the literature also associates Samhain with bonfires and sacrifices. The festival was not recorded in detail until the early modern era. It was when cattle was brought down from the summer, pastures and livestocks were slaughtered and special bonfires were lit which were deemed to have protective and cleansing powers. Ah, it says here, making contact with the spirits more likely, and most scholars sees them as remnants of pagan gods. At Samhain they are appeased with offerings of food and drink to ensure the people and livestock survived the winter. The souls of dead kin were also thought to revisit their home, seeking hospitality, and a place was set at the table for them during a meal. Mummy and guising were part of the festival from at least the early modern era, whereby people went door to door in costume, reciting verses in exchange for food. The costumes may have been a way of imitating and disguising oneself from the spirit. Divination was also a big part of the festival and often involved nuts and apples. Look at that.

Speaker 1: 12:49

In the 9th century, the Western Church endorsed 1 November as the date of All Saints Day, possibly due to the influence of Oswin, and 2 November later became All Souls Day, and it is believed that sowing and All Saints and All Souls Days influence each other, as well as the modern Halloween. You see that how it converge there, that's very interesting. I like to learn things like that. But, like I said, even though these traditions may differ in form and how they are practiced, the heart of it all it's the same, because the heart of it all is finding a way to remember, honor and stay connected to our loved ones. So I will be creating this altar this year and putting lentil on it, and I am sure that it will be a mix of emotions, but I know, in the end it will help me to feel at peace and it will help me to lessen the loss of my fur baby, because I would be feeling the connection. And doing this it's my way of keeping their memory alive and celebrating what they brought to my life, and the act of lighting a candle on this altar. It will be a meaningful object and sitting there by their photos and talking to them and reminiscing about them is a way of having that connection strengthened through practice.

Speaker 1: 14:43

But these global traditions shows us that grief and remembrance are universal. They go from continent to continent, country to country, while the weight of loss never fully goes away. Having a sacred space to honor our loved ones give us a way to carry that grief more peacefully and through that we continue to celebrate their lives and not just mourn their absence, their absence. So as Dia de Muertos approaches, or whatever tradition that speaks to you, I encourage you to think about how you can create your own ritual, your own space to honor those you've lost Doesn't have to be like this fancy, grand thing, just something that feels right to you, and whether it's an altar, a photo, lighting a candle, putting some toys out, their favorite toys, these simple acts of remembrance can help us stay connected.

Speaker 1: 15:53

I thank you for tuning in today and I hope that this episode inspired you to find your own way to honor your loved ones, and I will talk to you next time, okay, bye. Thank you so much for listening. I want to hear from you. Leave me a comment, do a rating if you can on the podcast, share it with somebody you love, but, most importantly, come back. See you next time. Bye.