U NÁAJIL A PIXÁN / THE HOUSE OF YOUR SOUL
A t'aane' u náajil a pixán / Your language is the house of your soul.
Tumen ti' kuxa'an a laats'ilo'ob / Your parents and grandparents live there.
You're welcome to the festival / In that ancient house,
u k'aasal a kajtalil / home of your memories,
you're the one who's here / your word remains.
The béetike' / That's why,
ma' wóok'tik u kíimil a wínklil / do not cry the death of your body,
mix a wóok'tik u kíimil a pixán / nor mourn the death of your soul;
a winklil / your body,
máantats ku p'aatal ichil u yich a páalal / remains in the faces of your children;
to pixane / your soul,
máantats ku léembak ich u yich xuxil éek'ob / eternalizes in the brilliance of the stars.
-Jorge Miguel Cocom Pech, Mayan Poet
For the Mayans, death was not the end of life, but the beginning of a new stage; and with colors, smells, flavors and textures, this ancient culture celebrates Hanal Pixán (food for the souls), a celebration of its dead who return every year to visit their loved ones.
This culture developed in Guatemala and Mexico (Yucatan, Campeche, Quintana Roo, Chiapas) and El Salvador. Among the most important Mayan cities were: Palenque, Chichen Itza, Tikal, Copan and Calakmul.
The Mayans saw life and death as cyclical, so dying was not the end of everything, but a new way of being born, since life was a time without end. They believed that the dead, the living and the gods were connected by paths of snakes along which souls traveled to the corresponding heaven and to resurrection in the womb of women.
For them, human life was constituted by the soul or spirit called pixan, this determined the vigor and energy of people, being the element that would travel to the underworld when physical death occurred.
With the arrival of the Spanish, customs changed, ceremonies and rituals were banned, so the cyclical return to life was lost, leaving aside the idea of reincarnation. In the new cosmology, all souls returned once a year to stay a few days with their family and friends.
This change gave way to the celebration of the faithful departed, where loved ones are awaited with altars representative of pre-Hispanic traditions and beliefs.
Currently, Hanal Pixan is experienced as a moment of closeness to the Mayan roots as a way of continuity, permanence and renewal as the Mayan culture in the cyclical process, giving way to a new beginning, since without the death of our ancestors, life would not exist now.
Hanal Pixan, the Mayan tradition that celebrates the Day of the Dead
Hanal Pixán or “food of souls” is the celebration of the faithful deceased in Mayan culture.
Mayan communities and villages prepare to welcome their loved ones who have passed away; from October 31 to November 2, the souls return to visit their relatives.
The first day of the celebration is dedicated to children and they call it U Hanal PalalThe second day, November 1, is dedicated to adults and is called U Hanal Nucuch UinicoobThe third day is dedicated to all the saints, so a special ceremony is prepared, it is called U Hanal Pixanoob, called in some places Pixán Mass.
For this celebration, it is customary to visit the graves of the deceased and decorate them with flowers, clean them, and spend a pleasant time in the cemetery. It is also part of the tradition to place an altar with typical food, flowers, candles, bread, water, a photograph of loved ones, and Mayan crafts.
Unlike other regions, in Mayan altars it is customary to place only one level of offering, seeing the earth on a single level; the table must have a white tablecloth with embroidered figures, and it is also customary to burn incense to help guide the souls to their homes.
All Saints' Day: Celebration in Guatemala
In Guatemala, the celebration of All Saints' Day is very representative; it is customary to visit cemeteries to decorate them, listen to music and celebrate the day in the company of loved ones.
It is very common to bring cold meat to eat when visiting cemeteries. This is a typical food for the celebration. Its origins are from the Mayan culture. They commemorated their deceased by gathering at the graves of their deceased and eating cold dishes.
This is how fiambre came about, being a mixture of sausages and meats, accompanied by vegetables from Guatemala.
In some parts of Guatemala it is customary to eat güisquiles and corn on the cob as a family. It is established that in the early hours of November 1st, people go out in search of vegetables, then they are cooked on a bonfire where family members gather to spend time while eating. On other occasions, they are taken to the cemetery to eat them when they visit the graves of their loved ones.
Another tradition in Guatemala is the race of souls, where several riders race on horseback. It is a spiritual ritual that is done in honor of the deceased. This race takes place on an improvised track. The riders wear a suit decorated with ribbons and feathers on their hats.
But the most representative celebration in Guatemala is that of the giant kites, which are a kind of colorful kites that are flown for this holiday.
The first kites were made in the 19th century by the Chinese, but they were made in a small size. When Justo Rufino Barrios (1873-1885) was president, he created cemeteries in several communities and that is when they began to use these items as part of the celebration, taking advantage of the air currents.
When flying kites over graves, it is believed that the air and kites form an element to communicate with deceased loved ones.
On the initiative of former President Jorge Ubico Castañeda, the inhabitants of Santiago Sacatepéquez made the giant kites that are now known as the most representative element of this festivity.
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