Hotel in Playa del Carmen, Vacations to the Costa Maya

One of the traditions that to the date are made, is the one of the days of the deads and they are celebrated by the Yucatan people under the name of Hanal Pixan or ritual of the Hanan Pixal. 

The 31 of October is dedicated to the dead children and 1º of November to dead adults. According to the regions differences are observed, but in all there is great respect and invocation to the deceased’s.   It will see in the houses the table, greatest, cover with a white table cloth. A Christ presides over and some saint or virgin to whom they entrust the soul to dead. Also they put pictures of the dead and what they used or they it liked while still alive: her cloths, her necklace of “mestiza”, its seam… To the man him cigarettes, him hat and him tool of work.  

The women of the family prepare a stew of the region casseroles seasoned with “escabeche” of chicken or turkey, bread of died xpelón, tamales; of luxury it is the black filling. But the most extended in the peninsula it is the mucbil chicken, that consists of great dimmed a stuffed one, of exquisite flavor.   Fresh waters with fruit of each region, horchata become and chocolate beaten with water, the drinks use in natural cups made of pumpkin guajes called luch; the maize corn flour drink is taken warms up, in jars of cooked mud.

When the food is ready they pledge the candles: white for the children and Blacks for the adults. The flowers adorn with their beauty the rich table of deceased’s, the amaranth or xpujuc, of colors oranges and yellows, white daisies, fans, the Virginias, mul or dry love, embroiders and others.  

In the mud censers they burn the romero, lavender, leaves also perfumed and copal.   The most important moment has arrived. Those of house observe proud their offering, invite to the friends and relatives to accompany them. The house is full of smoke, perfumes ritual, mystic light of candles that illuminate the colors of the flowers and stews. The rebosantes stew casseroles are a love spectacle, the charming candies, like the figures of little animals done of sweet potato, the pumpkin nugget, the candy of the Coco, yucca with gilded honey and honey pumpkin. The deceased nourishes itself with the essence of these subjects of gossip that lovingly are offered to him and low of the sky to share the celebration.

Soon the alive ones eat what the deads leave. Finally, one distributes xeck, that are a salad of jícama, orange, real and Mandarin lemon, sprinkled with Chile piquín.   If the deceased’s are adult, they use to drink cotoot of xtabentúm or carabanchel. If there is opportunity or money, music is contracted to cheer to deads. But before, there are prayers. The old grandmothers take to the rosary and all the allusive orations to the eternal rest of the souls. The songs are psalms for the angels and orations that designate “seraphim’s to them”, that go accompanied with a harmonium.

The typical women, “mestizas”, go either dressed, with their better hipil and the shining or gathered black hair in ball tail, the men of target as always, his cloths and their hat hippie in the hand. They receive in its house, they eat with its guests and later they are going to other houses of friends to do the same. For everything it gives time them, because also they go to the cemetery that fills of branches of perfumed flowers and candles ignited with love light.  

This way the kitchen of Yucatan at the present time is elaborated by means of the incredible product integration of diverse natural systems of our planet, with its wealth of ecosystems, from high tropical or Mediterranean forests, mighty rivers, cold fresh water seas, marshes, ample savannahs and forests tempering, to distant desert regions.

 In the El Duende del Mar also like to celebrate our traditions and to remember with joy our dear beings who now are in a place better. Here some photos of our altar of dead.