Day of the Dead : : When Two Worlds Meet in Oaxaca / / Shawn D. Haley, Curt Fukuda.

• VerfasserIn: Haley, Shawn D.,; Fukuda, Curt,
• Place / Publishing House: New York; , Oxford : : Berghahn Books, , [2004]; ©2004
• Year of Publication: 2004
• Language: English
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (160 p.)

The Day of the Dead is the most important annual celebration in Oaxaca, Mexico. Skillfully combining textual information and photographic imagery, this book begins with a discussion of the people of Oaxaca, their way of life, and their way of looking at the world. It then takes the reader through the celebration from the preparations that can begin months in advance through to the private gatherings in homes and finally to the cemetery where the villagers celebrate together — both the living and the dead. The voices in the book are of those people who have participated in the Day of the Dead for as long as they can remember. There are no ghosts here. Only the souls of loved ones who have gone to the Village of the Dead and who are allowed to return once a year to be with their family. Very readable and beautifully illustrated, this book provides an extensive discussion of the people of Oaxaca, their way of life and their beliefs, which make the Day of the Dead logical and easily comprehensible.

Table of Contents

Frontmatter -- Table of Contents -- Acknowledgements -- 1. The Day of the Dead -- 2. Oaxaca and Its People -- 3. Funerals and Death -- 4. The Day of the Dead Markets -- 5. Preparation -- 6. November First: A Private Affair -- 7. November Second: Panteones and Public Festivities -- 8. The Roots of the Day of the Dead -- 9. The Future of the Day of the Dead -- References Cited -- Index