Commemorating A Tradition Like Memorial Day

Article from Provo Daily Herald--

Much like Memorial Day in the United States, Mexicans and Mexican-Americans have a three-day celebration called Dia de los Muertos remembering family and friends who have died.

The celebration begins on Oct. 31 and goes to Nov. 2 each year. Family members build and decorate altars with pictures, flowers and favorite foods of the deceased. Family and friends often spend the days praying and singing.

"It's very much like a family reunion," said Arly Diaz, owner of Delipan Bakery in Provo.



One of the common foods of the holiday is Pan de Muerto, or Bread of the Dead, which is a sweetened soft bread shaped like a bun and decorated with a cross symbolizing bones. Even though the bread is eaten at other times of the year, they enjoy it dipped in chocolate for the holiday.

The holiday is often mistaken as similar to the United States celebration of Halloween because it occurs near the same time, but they are quite different. Dia de los Muertos is very much a celebration and a time for parties. The first day of the celebration is usually to honor the death of babies or children and is called "Day of the Little Angels." The second day is to honor adults, and is the "Day of the Dead."

Researchers have traced the observance of the holidays back thousands of years.

Pan de Muerto

Recipe from "Look What We Brought You From Mexico!"

Ingredients

1/4 cup milk

1/4 cup (half a stick) margarine or butter, cut into 8 pieces

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 package active dry yeast

1/4 cup very warm water

2 eggs

3 cups all-purpose flour, unsifted

1/2 teaspoon anise seed

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 teaspoons sugar

Bring milk to boil and remove from heat. Stir in margarine or butter, 1/4 cup sugar and salt.

In large bowl, mix yeast with warm water until dissolved and let stand five minutes. Add the milk mixture.

Separate the yolk and white of one egg. Add the yolk and the other egg to the yeast mixture, but save the white for later. Now add flour to the yeast and egg. Blend well until dough ball is formed.

Flour a pastry board or work surface very well and place the dough in center. Knead until smooth. Return to large bowl and cover with dish towel. Let rise in warm place for 90 minutes. Meanwhile, grease a baking sheet and preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Knead dough again on floured surface. Now divide the dough into fourths and set one fourth aside. Roll the remaining 3 pieces into "ropes."

On greased baking sheet, pinch 3 rope ends together and braid. Finish by pinching ends together on opposite side. Divide the remaining dough in half and form two "bones." Cross and lay them atop braided loaf.

Cover bread with dish towel and let rise for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, in a bowl, mix anise seed, cinnamon and 2 teaspoons sugar together. In another bowl, beat egg white lightly.

Brush top of bread with egg white and sprinkle with sugar mixture, except on cross bones. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes.

Makes 8 to 10 servings.

Another Wonderful Day Remembering Traditions of the Fathers

The Charro, An Elegante Mexican Cowboy

These two photographs bring back vague recollections of my early childhood when we lived in San Antonio. Our family moved to Chicago when I was four and a half. I remember the parades we would go to in downtown San Antonio in October. The Charros would dress in their costumes much like the Mariachis. The music reminds me of my childhood and has familiar tunes that bring tears to my eyes because I know that my ancestors dressed in these familiar suits. They played trumpets, guitars, and played violins as part of their entertainment to the crowds.

This is actually Jose Angel--> Lopez, Jr. Son of Jose Angel Lopez, Sr. and Nestora Garcia Who just may be the mystery man in the group Mariachi Band.

Below you can see a picture of a group of Mariachis. One of my great-grand fathers performed in a Mariachi band. Quite a treasure to capture the band in this group. That base Sax is held by him. No wonder I like Kenny G!

I always believed this photo was of Felicano Recio, Sr. But, then again it could be Jose Angel Lopez, Sr, instead who was the second spouse to my great-grandmother, Nestora Garcia. This is a mystery that one of my second cousins mentioned once that she did not recognize the musician as "our" great-grandfather, Feliciano Recio. This is what my mother had always recounted. But I found a (head shot)picture of Nestora's second husband and the back of the photo said, J"oe's" dad, or father. It had a striking resemblance to the latter than the former great-grandfather. Astounding, is all I can comment about this.

Nestora Garcia--my mother's grandmother, wife of Feliciano Recio


This is the great-grandfather I always thought was Feliciano Recio, Nestora's first husband and father to Anita Recio, he was my mother's maternal grandfather.


Photos of Dia De Los Muertos



Mexican Mariachi Bands today.


Eduiges Ulloa Rodriguez, widow about 1920 with her family.
This is a family picture of my paternal grandfather, Ricardo Rodriguez. It is the only picture I have in my computer. I have others of him but somehow have not put them on disc yet, same as those of my own father's pictures that I have in a box to copy. Today, was his 111th birthday, he was born March 28, 1888. He died at age 95, on November 9, 1983. His wife, my grandmother, Maria, died four years later that same month with a week of his passing, November 14, 1987.