death becomes her

November is fast approaching and that means Day of the Dead is almost here! Let’s delve a little deeper into one of the traditions Mexicans have when it comes to this festival.

Calaveras literarias (‘literary skulls’) are poems written during this festive holiday and typically tell the comical story of a friend or family member’s faults or vices - it’s a teasing way to poke fun at loved ones at this time of year. Two years ago, we sat around the table and each wrote a poem about someone sitting opposite us. It was so much fun to get creative and read them back afterwards!

Calaveras were first written in the mid-19th century and made fun of public figures like politicians, criticising their shortcomings and narrating their death in a comical way. They were often censored due to their inflammatory depictions of people in power.

Several decades later, Jose Guadalupe Posada, a famous printmaker and artist, developed the concept further when he wrote satirical poems about public figures accompanied by an intricate illustration of a skeleton. The illustration often took on some of the characteristics of the poem’s subject. One of the first, and now most iconic, was the skeleton ‘Catrina’, a figure of an elegantly dressed woman. Posada used this figure to mock Mexicans who were keen to adopt European customs and appear – in their eyes at least – more sophisticated. Today the Catrina is a global symbol of Day of the Dead, with hundreds dressing as her and lining the streets of Mexico City during the days of the festival.

These poems make fun of death, allowing us to see it in a light-hearted way, which is really the theme running throughout this celebration: death is not something to be feared, but rather something to be laughed at. This festival is unique in that sense: It honours the departed by celebrating life, rather than mourning death.

Competition time

Now have a go at writing your own calaverita! Here’s a few pointers: - Choose a friend or family member, or a public figure - Use irony and dark humour to talk about their character and make fun of their quirks - Write four verses and use the same number of syllables for each verse, e.g. 4 lines with 6 syllables each. Rhyme the final word of alternate lines, or you can rhyme in couplets, e.g. rhyme lines 1 and 2, then lines 3 and 4, and so on. Play around and see what you come up with! You can also decorate your poem with drawings of the person it’s about.

You can find some examples here and here to help you out. The most impressive poem will win prizes from our shop – authentic Mexican ingredients you can use at home! Have a browse here.

Send in your poems to casa.coco.uk@gmail.com or message us on Instagram or Facebook by Friday 5th November. We’ll let you know which calaverita is successful!

And now, for the big event!

To experience Day of the Dead in all its glory, come and join us at Hagglers Corner on 31st October. You can take part in traditional crafts, eat authentic Mexican food (including pan de muerto bread, typical of this celebration) and enjoy traditional Mexican folk dancing! We’re bringing a little slice of this Mexican celebration to you, so you can experience the same cultural traditions that we love. You won’t find this anywhere else! Book now at www.hagglerscorner.co.uk.

If you’re interested in learning more about of the Day of the Dead traditions, you can also check out our very first blog from last year! Until next time!

Sauces:

https://theculturetrip.com/north-america/mexico/articles/day-of-the-dead-in-mexico-10-traditions-customs/

https://culturacolectiva.com/books/calaveritas-day-of-the-dead-poems

https://www.calaveras-literarias.com/calaveritas/calaveras-literarias-en-ingles/