La Catrina Altar Set-Celebrate the Season by Honoring Life & Death

Cleopatra Altar Set-Beauty, Power, Wealth, Confidence, Glamour-NOT AVAILABLE FOR INTERNATIONAL BUYERS You will receive; 1 dressed and blessed novena candle. 1 ounce bottle of Catrina oil, created with marigolds, obsidian stones, fruits and spices. 2 ounces of self-igniting powder incense. NO CHARCOAL NEEDED One of the strongest and most recognizable symbols of The Day of the Dead celebrations is the tall female skeleton wearing a fancy hat with feathers. You have surely seen her in various contexts because the striking unique makeup has become very trendy in the last years. Her name is La Catrina and the essence of her story goes deep into Mexican traditions and roots but has been restyled only in the last century. It is believed that the Aztecs worshipped a goddess of death that they alleged protected their departed loved ones, helping them into the next stages. The Mexican tradition of honoring and celebrating the dead is entrenched deeply in the culture of its people. The skeleton with the hat that we see today came to life in the early 1900’s by artist José Guadalupe Posada . Posada was a controversial and political cartoonist that was liked by the people and who drew and etched skeletons (calaveras) in a satirical way to remind people that they would all end up dead in the end. It is said that he drew the dandy-looking female skeleton with a fancy feathered hat because some Mexicans had aspirations to look wealthy and aristocratic like the Europeans at that time. A satirical drawing to remind people to be themselves and to stop trying to be something that they weren’t. No matter how rich or poor you were, no matter the color of your skin, and no matter what society you belonged to, you would all end up skeletons. This was Posada’s message with his many caricatures of cavaleras sketched doing various daily activities. One of his most popular sayings was “Death is democratic”. Simple, but so TRUE. Famous artist and husband of Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera, immortalized La Catrina in one of his murals that depicted 400 years of Mexican history. The mural “Dreams of a Sunday Afternoon in Alameda Park” was painted in the 1940’s and displays several important Mexican characters with La Catrina showcased on the 15-meter mural. He painted a self-portrait of himself as a child holding hands with her in the front row. Rivera painted her wearing sophisticated clothing and an extravagant hat with feathers, consequently creating the look that she is well-known for today. The mural can be seen in the Diego Rivera Mural Museum in Mexico City. Very well worth the visit if you are ever in Mexico City. From there, La Catrina became a strong symbol for the numerous Day of the Dead activities. Women paint their faces in colorful make-up and dress with elegant outfits evoking the famous symbolic skeleton. Celebrations are held in the cemeteries (panteóns) where the mood is jovial and people cheerfully commemorate their lost loved ones, offering them flowers and some of their favorite foods and beverages from when they were still alive. La Catrina is a popular tourist fascination and can be found in statue form in many local stores throughout Mexico made of wood, clay, or papier maché. These are eloquently painted and real feathers added to the hats. Many people purchase these statues and bring them back as souvenirs of their times spent in Mexico. There is no mistaking her identity, La Catrina is 100% Mexican! She is a strong visual image depicting how the Mexican people see death and the afterlife. Different cultures have diverse traditions in regards to death and how they deal with it individually and as a family. Mexico is very unique in their views of this fact of life and prefers to take it good-humoredly and passionately. That is not to say that they don’t grieve and miss a loved one who passes away. What it means is that they choose to celebrate the life and memories the person created while they were with them instead of indulging in the fact that they are gone forever. La Catrina is about living your true self and it’s also about not pretending to be someone you are not. No matter what you look like and where you come from you will end up a skeleton in the end with everyone else!