Episode Transcript
Hey guys! Welcome back to Sort of Sophisticated, the podcast where we try to do better, be better, and pick up some cool new fun facts along the way that might just make us a little more refined, and do I dare say, open minded? I mean, hopefully, for you it does. But honestly, we're just here to try and drop some knowledge on anyone who's listening, covering stuff that could help us seem more interesting and just sharp enough to one up our friends. Sort of. It's us again. Gluttons for punishment. Pete and Amanda locking it in for another round of nonsense. And today, my fellow zombies, we're diving into the day of the dead. Otherwise known as what, do you know what it's called? Dia de los muertos. Oh, you totally know what it is. Muertos. Yeah. If we get out of here quick enough, my kids can go experience it at Disneyland. Is that what's going on right now? Yeah. Oh, I love that. Okay. What are the living throw a party for the dead because what better way to honor our beloved dead people Amanda than with food? Music and some really really colorful skulls. Am I right? Love a dia de los muertos the cool skulls those candles and the butterflies. It's just awesome and colorful And do you paint your face? You don't? I don't. Oh. Do you? No, I never have. I just figured you're the artiste. And today we're going to teach you how the celebration is really all about embracing life with a cheeky sort of nod to the inevitable, you know, death. So bust out the uh, pandemuerto. You know what pandemuerto is? We're going to talk about that in a little bit. And get ready for some ghostly shiat as we share the joy, humor, and history behind this incredibly vibrant event. I'm super excited for this episode. So am I. Know why? Why? Because Dia de los Muertos is Gabby's birthday. What? That's so awesome. I know, right? It's why she always loved this day so much. So wait, then you already know all this. I know some of this, for sure. A lot of stuff I had to Google to prepare. I didn't want to screw anything up. Did you guys celebrate her birthday, Day of the Dead style? Oh no, no, not really. But now I do. Have you ever been to a cemetery on Day of the Dead? Can't say I have. Okay, let me tell you. Amanda, it's out of this world. Like, totally. It's like a rock concert. It is by far THE most crowded and most celebrated day of the year. Bar none. Mariachis. Food. Drinks. Decoration. Tents. Barbecues. It's like a tailgate party with no game to go to after you're already drunk. It's insane. I kind of want to go. I ain't stopping you. I'll be there. November 2nd. Let's go. Party. Gabby will love it. You bring the champurrado. I'll bring the pan de muerto. Wait, what am I bringing? Don't worry. I'm going to explain it later. Champurrado. Okay, fine. But the goal is to get drunk? Yeah. Okay. Okay. Oh, we're getting drunk. It's her birthday. I'm celebrating. Alright, let's go. But, also, how does the drinking at a cemetery make us more cultured? Uh, cause drinking is good for the soul. Trust me. Hmm. Okay. No, seriously. Okay, I'd say that learning about how to celebrate dead people helps us have a more thankful heart. It's how I cope with losing Gabby. We work harder at being kinder and more intentional. It certainly works that way for me. But specifically, Amanda, with Día de los Muertos, I think we can learn how different cultures celebrate and appreciate, the circle of life and death. Like, Total Lion King. Remembering our dead loved ones help preserve connections between our past and of course, our present. And if we can do that, then we can learn new shit and be better people. Okay, I guess I'm tracking. Right. Makes sense. Alright, so our word of the day is, drumroll, insouciant. Insouciant. And you know the drill. Work it in somehow. Insouci what? Insouciant. Someone who is very calm and doesn't seem to get bothered by the concerns of daily life. So definitely not you. Definitely not me. But more like Gabby. Totally like Gabby. She was so insouciant. Okay, one, I think we can figure this out. And two, I feel like this whole podcast should be dedicated to Gabby. So let's go. That's it. Dedicated. Done. We'll put it in there. You want to start us off and give me the origin story and how did this whole kind of Halloween party start? Uh, first things first. Yes, I will do that. But. Dia de los Muertos is not a Mexican version of Halloween, okay? Come on, this tradition goes back, like way back, like back, back. Like how far back? Like 3, 500 years back, to be exact. 1, 500 years before Jesus was born, man. I mean, that's a long time ago. We keep going back and back and back in our episodes. It's really pretty cool We gotta go back to come forward, you know, guess so it all started with Aztecs. You remember the Aztecs Incas Mayans the Aztecs? Yes, the OG party people. They were all about honoring their dead This was like a full on rager to celebrate death Amanda full on. So basically the story goes like this the Aztecs believed in the afterlife but not like the way we think about it today for them I'm not sure Death was just like part of the cycle of life. They thought dead relatives like moved on to different realms or different places, depending on how they died. It was just the next step in the process for their soul. So kind of like heaven and hell. It's like sort of, but they have like four or five different places to choose from and honor that cycle. They would hold like a month long festival. Celebrating the Queen of the Underworld. Her name was ka se wa tul, if I said that right. Like the Aztec Grim Reaper? Totally! Yes! She was kind of like the hostess of the afterlife. And by hostess, you mean the protector of all the dead people, right? Exactly. The whole idea of the festival was like not to piss off. Mixtec, I say what tool and sending like enough food, drink, decoration, and like even tools, yes, tools. I Googled that like along with the dead people to make sure their journey through this afterlife was like smooth sailing and fun fact, because I'm in fun fact mode already. It wasn't even in November. Originally it was in August. What August? Totally August. But why August? Because August was the end of the harvest cycle for the Aztecs and To them, there was like a massive connection between the harvest cycle and the afterlife. All right. That makes sense. But why then did it get moved? It got moved because of like everything else. But European colonization, it sucks, man. I mean, that tracks in a horrible, horrible way. It does. It seems like that's all we talk about, right? Okay, so from 1500 BCE to about 1500 AD, things were going just fine. But then the Spanish colonizers showed up on the scene, and all hell broke loose. And of course it did, because they had to convert everyone to Christianity, right? Or else. So to make it seem like they cared, they kept some of these indigenous festivals, but moved them to coincide with, of course, the Catholic calendar. The two Catholic holidays in particular, All Saints Day, November 1st, and All Souls Day, November 2nd, were the days when the Catholic church commemorated the dead. So they said, uh, let's just do that. And the rest is history. Unfortunately history. So wait, let's go back for a quick second. There were four or five different places that they thought they went to. Yeah. Oh, okay. Yeah. So wait a sec. So let me finish the history part and then I'll do that Does that make sense because I'm only like the 1500s. Okay. Okay. Okay, so I'll go fast fast forward to 1800s Mexico is fighting like the shit out of Spain and finally gains their independence in 1821 So now that Mexico is all grown up and stuff They start flexing their national identity, which of course means spreading their cultural practices all over the place good for them. Yes Including none other than Dia de los Muertos It's special in Mexico because, let's be honest, one, they have a shit ton of Catholics down there. And two, they stay true to their indigenous roots. So, Día de los Muertos checked two boxes and is the perfect blend of cultures and makes for a ridiculous weekend holiday party people. So they start adding their Mexican flair to the whole thing and start celebrating by making ofrendas, alters in their homes and at their cemeteries, and they decorate them with pictures, candles, food, and, uh, tempasuchil. Do you know what tempasuchil is? They're marigold flowers. Yeah. The bright orange ones. You are awesome. You totally know this whole holiday. I love this. Uh, which they believe guided the spirits back to the living. Sugar skulls, calaveras, and pan de muerto, the bread of the dead, also started becoming popular because they figured everyone likes sweets, including dead people and the gods and goddesses like that protect them. So they had to add all that into. They're not wrong. It's quite delicious. It really is. I've never had one. What? I haven't. Wow. I may have buried the hatchet. Like I evidently know more about Dia de los Muertos and experienced it more than you have. Maybe. Okay. I think so. Okay. So then we go to the 20th century. Dia de los Muertos gains international recognition. Uh, cause all these Mexican communities started migrating to the rest of the world, especially in the United States. And it became a way for Mexicans to, uh, keep their culture identity, I guess, and make, make it feel like home, even though they were, like, far away from home. That makes total sense, right? Let's be real. They also taught a bunch of white people how to party and not take death so seriously, right? Cause, white people take death seriously. And in 2008, Amanda, UNESCO recognized Dia de los Muertos as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity. I don't know what that is, but it sounds super important. So now it's like a globally recognized phenomenon celebrated with parades, community events, and some pretty amazing displays at the local cemeteries. Trust me, you got to check this out. I mean, I kind of already have. I just took the girls on a field trip to Figueroa street in LA. And apparently you're going to Disneyland. So you're two for two for one. Here we go. Oh my God. There's just so much culture and it's so cool if you haven't experienced it. And I know you have, but if listeners haven't, they should definitely just, you know, see what's near them. I think it's awesome and I think you've already, uh, the fact that you brought your kids is totally awesome. And I think you're super cultured and curious. I'm hoping to make them cultured and curious. Can we get back to that one question I did have though? Cause that's one thing that I didn't actually know. Oh, what, what, what? Um, is it actually four or five different places? Yes, okay, it was four places. Yeah, yeah, I just googled it. where you went depended on how you died, not how you lived. That's a little random. I would say so right cuz mostly religions teach like it's all about the way you live But Aztecs got right down to it, man It's like how you died And the journey of the dead person, I guess, or the soul to its final realm was guided by different gods and goddesses. And they were all involved in like rituals and black magic and stuff to help get them there safely. So the first one was called Miklan. The underworld. And this one was the most common. Like, for all the people who died regular. Regular? Like, what's regular? How do you die regular? I don't know. That's what I do. Like naturally? Yeah, that's what happens when you Google it. Like old age or illness. No, illness. Illness counts too. So old age or illness. I don't know. It was, it was Like cancer would be regular? I think I'm going to say yeah. That's regular. So what are the other three then? It's super, I know we'll get, we'll get there. Okay. It's all good. Well, now I'm just like, right. How was a regular, that's so sad. This is hysteric. This is what I, so when I'm Googling and figuring all this out, I'm doing the same thing. I'm like, wait a second, what's this wrong? Wait a second. What's this? Okay, Alright, so this one's ruled by the God Ti Ti, I don't know if I'm saying it right, and by the goddess, Mek te ka se wa tul, who were the Lord and Lady of the Underworld. Okay, so is it like hell? No, no, no, no, no. It's a good place. Sort of. It's like, it's like, it's like cream of wheat is the best I got. Now what the hell are you talking about? Okay, so, bear with me. It's like bland and soft, and like nothing to write home about. It wasn't like heaven or hell. Like no reward or punishment. It's just a resting place. So purgatory. Yeah, sure. But like purgatory is like only a holding place. This is like the final resting place. So it's like it's like purgatory if that was the end forever. Yes. Yes. Okay. Got it So the Aztecs believed that it took four years to get there with the soul having to work through nine Different levels of challenges including like crossing rivers climbing mountains and maybe a Sudoku or two thrown in I can't that's exhausting Yeah, I know right like you're dead. Yeah, I had to overcome like challenges to get there So to like help with that Families would bury their loved one with the offerings like we talked about earlier, food, water, tools. And of course a pencil for their sudoku. Absolutely. And in some cases, even a dog or other animal to guide them. A living dog? Dead dog? No, no, no, not a live dog. Like a dead dog. Or like a dog that had already been sacrificed or something. So then would they kill the dog? No, no, no, I don't mean it that way. Sorry, that came out bad. Like, they're not that barbaric. So when their dog or whatever got them to their final resting place They would just Netflix and chill because remember it wasn't heaven or hell. It was just like a place to rest All right. Well, that's kind of random but talk about being insouciant. Oh my god. I don't even think that worked. Did that work? I don't know. But it seemed like it kind of fit. Really? No? No? I don't know. Insouciant? What was the definition of insouciant? I already don't remember it. Um, I don't know. Somebody who's very calm and doesn't seem to get bothered by concerns of daily life? Yeah. They're dead. Hmm. I don't know if that counts. I'm going to say you need to be alive to be in Susiant. I think it works, because they don't care, and they're calm, because they're dead. Okay, press on. Fine. Okay, so second one is called Tlalocan. How do you like that? Tlalocan. Yeah, I said that. Paradise of the rain god. Okay, and Tlalocan was ruled by Tlaloc. Yeah. The god of rain, water, and fertility. Ok, this place was super green and super pretty with rainbows everywhere and there was always an abundance of everything a soul would need. Food, water, flowers, pretty trees, everything. So this must have been where the people who died undeservingly went, right? Uh, no, you're totally overthinking this. It's not that deep. What? Come on. Yeah, ok, so There has to be some rhyme or reason that's like beneficial to how you were. Are you ready for this? The people who ended up there died in ways connected to water. Oh. That was it. Yeah. It's like if they were drowned or yeah, like drowning. That's one. Okay, being struck by lightning, somehow that's connected to water. That's not water. Okay, whatever I said. I mean, I guess it's starting like a rainstorm. Or dying from some water related disease like typhoid or dysentery or shit like that. Wow, you're actually not kidding. Oh no, I'm not making this up. And how about this one? It was also the place for people who died from leprosy. Totally random. Because that has absolutely nothing to do with water. They just like shoved that in there somehow. I mean, maybe it's because they were like blessed in water. To like get rid of leprosy or something. I don't know. I'm just trying to tie it in. I think they just shoved water in. They had no place for leprosy to go. So they're like, put it in that one. Okay, anyway. So basically Tlalocan was like, This paradise where the soul lived in sort of this eternal springtime and enjoyed a happy afterlife. But how is that fair to the people who died regular? Like you die in water, you're good. You go to this beautiful place, you die in regular. Then you just kind of sit in some random resting place. Let that be a lesson to you. Don't die regular. Look, I don't make the rules, man. I just report them. I don't have you about this. It's weird. I know. Okay. Are we, you want me? Okay. Third realm. It was called Tenno. Shti. Klan. Or the house of the sun. And it was ruled by the sun God. To this one was for all the warriors who died in battle. And the women who died during childbirth, cause I guess that's kind of like battle. It absolutely is. Amen to that, let's go. This realm was a place of honor where the souls would accompany the sun on its journey across the sky every day. And then, after four years, What's with the four years time? I don't know. The number four to the Aztecs must have been like the number seven to Christians or something. Hmm, okay. Anyway, after four years. If they behaved right, they would transform into birds or butterflies and then live in the flowers forever. Is that where Gabby went? Cause I swear I see a butterfly all the time. I don't, but she didn't die in childbirth. She was a warrior. Uh, I mean, she's one of the strongest women we knew. Come on. Uh, she, she had a battle. Good point. She was a total bad ass. Okay, so I gotta figure out how to get to, uh, apparently Tenochtitlan to be with her. Yeah, but knowing your luck, you're gonna end up in, uh, Miquelon. Thank you for that. I really appreciate it. I'm gonna end up in Cream of Wheat. Yep. Okay, in purgatory forever. Yeah, you're just gonna die regular. And my wife's a butterfly in a garden somewhere. Yep. Thank you so much for that. Okay, uh, last one, and I'll probably butcher this one too. Last one is called chichihuahco. The place of the milk tree. That's really random. It's very random, right? A milk tree? Right. What's a milk tree? The realm was reserved for the souls of all the little babies who died. I mean, that would make sense why it's a milk tree. Yeah, check this. The Aztecs believed that any souls that hadn't lived long enough to be corrupted by life on our terrible earth would go to a special place where they could grow up in peace. And Chichihualco was the paradise that had this great, big, massive tree, smack dab in the middle of it, that produced milk, of course. To somehow breastfeed babies who died, well I guess not breastfeed more like branch feed. I don't know, right? And the Aztecs believed that if all this went according to plan that these baby souls would actually be reborn into the world again. And, uh, there you go. That's it. Those are the four realms that were really hard to pronounce. Yeah, but I kind of feel like you left a bunch of stuff out. What did I leave out? What about like accidents, or shark attacks, or heart attacks? Maybe not heart attacks, but like, suicide, or Wait, wait, wait, slow down. Slow down, champ. Two things. One, you're insane. This is what your brain comes up with? Yeah, I mean Two, you're like so not insouciant. They don't, they don't fit. Relax! Well played, well played. But, like, these four realms, there's so many other things that could happen. Like, where do they fit in? Uh, everybody probably just goes to that weird first place and just sits in their own filth and rests or something. I don't know. I, I, I have an idea. What? Wanna come up with some cool names and make some more realms? Like the land of the Calians or Spatchcock City or something? I hate you, but wait, did you see on TikTok how like Spatchcock is totally a thing right now because it's Thanksgiving maybe. Maybe it is, but it's Thanksgiving. We were up before. The trend is all I'm saying. I don't. That was so cool. Okay, but also By the way, I think we should come up with a fifth realm. Call it Spatchcock City. We should. And people who What is it? What were you so worried about? Shark attacks. Yeah. There's six people that die of shark attacks or I mean, it kind of works for heart attacks. Or like bear attacks. Yeah. Because you're spatchcocking it. You're like ripping out their bone. That's fine. That's where all the other people go. We have a fifth one. Spatchcock City. Okay. But if all these realms have some awesomeness about them, like trees of life, rainbows, suns floating across the sky, and luscious green forest habitats, then what's with all of the skeletons? Good question. I had to Google that. I found out that we owe skeletons to a man named Jose Guadalupe Posada. Do we know him? Have you heard of him? I have not who is it? Okay, so I guess he was this badass artist who actually started his career by making drawings of skeletons to more or less like comment, satirically of course, on Mexican society at the time. His take on shit was super simple, rich or poor. We all end up the same. Dead. I mean, it's true dead, right? It's true It, so I guess he was like a, what do you call it? A political humor guy. What? Like a satirist, yeah, probably I guess he was like a political cartoonist of his time. Okay. Because he was making a point for everyone to just like chill out and gain a bit of perspective. And that's where we got the famous La Catrina from. La what? La Catrina. Which is? The fancy, uh, skeleton lady and her big elegant hat. Oh, didn't I know she had a name? Yeah, so she became a symbol of the Day of the Dead, basically representing the idea that death don't discriminate people. It is coming for all of us. And we are screwed. So she's basically the Beyonce of skeletons. I love how your brain works. Yes, she's this satirical figure, like, meant to poke fun at Mexicans who were adopting, the European stereotype. Aristocratic styles at the time for getting their indigenous roots and he was pissed but over time She's grown to this like super beloved symbol of Dia de los Muertos representing like unity of life and death Alright, and is that where all the sugar skulls came from? Uh, yep. Well, I didn't know that. That's pretty cool. So, shout out to Jose. But, do you know why they use sugar skulls for their skulls? And, why they didn't use something else? I have absolutely no idea, but I have a feeling you're about to one up me and tell me, aren't you? I mean, I'm not going to one up you, but I'm sure I'm going to tell you. Go for it. I love when I get to learn this. This is awesome. Okay, go. So sugar skulls, or calaveras as they are known, are used as a fun way to show that life goes on even after death. Calaveras. I love it. I love that word. So people paint their faces like skeletons, and fun fact Wait, you're fun facting? You're fun facting? a little bit, because I thought it was a cool fact. Okay, wait a second, what is the fun fact about painting the faces? They paint their names too. What? They paint their names on the skeleton too? That's so cool. So it's not to be scary in a voodoo way or anything, but it's to honor the dead in a way that's full of life. So bringing all that color and the vibrancy, right, to the sugar skull. And it's like, hey, I see you death, but I'm cool with it. Yeah, but what's the sugar? It's because the tradition of making sugar skulls all started because sugar was super inexpensive and it was easily accessible in Mexico. Of course, right, of course. Of course, so families could make these skulls together at home, kind of like how we bake Christmas cookies together. So, making it like a family tradition thing? That totally makes sense. I mean, it's like your own personalized Halloween candy, but like, it's art and you can eat it. I'm in. Yeah, I don't know if I want to eat it, okay, wait, but there's more. There's the ofrendas. Oh, that's right. The ofrendas. Yeah, like the altars, right? So probably the most important part of Dia de los Muertos is families set up this whole elaborate altar to basically welcome the spirits of their loved ones back to life. Well, not life, but like back to the land of the living. And so you have the sugar skulls, you have photos of the dead person or people, and then like, A lot of candles, marigold flowers, and then food and drink and even some personal items that may have belonged to the dead person, but it's all there to help guide them back to the altar to come party with the family. So basically at least one item for each of the four elements, which is super cool. So water, a glass of water, so the soul doesn't dehydrate. Earth, food for sustenance. Wind, papel picado, colorful paper banners that flutter in the breeze. I'm sure we all have seen them. And fire, so candles to light the way. So each element is meant to help guide the souls back to their loved ones. But these four elements shouldn't be confused with the four realms, right? No, they should. No, no, no. Not different. It's totally different. Yeah. Yeah. But it's like the four elements of wind, earth, fire, water, and water. Right, right. Which is different. 'cause the other one was like cream of wheat. I know. cream of wheat water. There was a water. I just wanted to clarify. There was a sun and they're different. There was a sun and a water, but then there was cream of wheat. Um, this whole thing sounds like honestly a little poltergeist to me. When you throw out the pap pito, I get a little nervous. Okay. Why? I, I don't know. I just do. It's like that's all the way it flutters in the way I go. It always freaks me out. Okay. I have a question though. Because that's when like the spirits are coming through. I think. Yeah, it's, it's kind of freaky. Um, what's with the specific marigolds? I mean, I know it's a marigold, but like, why can't you use anything else? Well, you have to use only marigolds because it is known as a flower of the dead. The bright orange and yellow colors believed to help guide the spirits back to the world of living and then their strong scent is what Attracts the soul to the altars and the grave sites. And so it's kind of like a spiritual GPS, but way prettier. Oh, I mean think of it like we use lilies in funeral homes, but the lilies Mask The smell of the dead right? No, I like the marigolds way better. I like the whole idea. The color is like Attracting them back. That's pretty cool. Okay I'm all in man. Anything that looks good and smells good. Talk to me, right? Yeah, but how about what tastes good? So there's don't forget the pan de muerto, which is the bread of the dead I got to try the bread of the dead. Seriously. I think it's time. I think, wait, what's that for? What it's for anyway? Well, it's the same as everything else. It's food for the journey back. And so it's the sweet bread, but it's bone shaved with decorations on top, of course, right? Cause everything's super decorative so it's both delicious and symbolic. And you've had this on Figaro Street? Yeah, so they do sell it there and we totally did eat it. Are you having a tinnitus or anything like that? I don't know. I don't even know if they have that. We'll have to look. Okay, you, you gotta figure it out. Okay. Um, but I have a question. If you're eating all the pande muerto, then there's none left for the dead person. Seriously. Well, I don't think the dead person is gonna be eating a lot anyways. But they're busy eating all the tamales. They make tamales? Totally. It's not just like a Christmas thing. You can't have los Muertos without the tamales. Okay. It's now officially, like, the top holiday of all time, if there's tamales. And it's Gabby's birthday, so now I'm celebrating double. Now, this is all making a lot more sense. Gabby loved tamales, and I thought it was because of Christmas. I'm learning so much right now. Well, I think this year we should totally have tamales and pan de muerto, just, you know. Uh, do you know how to make all this stuff? No, but I know a really good bakery. Okay, we're in. Okay, fine. Alright, so now you gotta Can we throw a party, please, at your house? Maybe we'll throw it at your house, because your house is bigger. So we're gonna go hard on the theme because nowadays they market the crap out of, Dia de los Muertos in America. They do, totally, right? Yeah, I mean, even Nike. They have Day of the Dead Nikes. Wait, wait a second, wait a second. Are you serious? They have Day of the Dead Nikes? They do, and then on the NFL jerseys, they have a patch. I gotta go back to Day of the Dead Nikes. Vomit proof sneakers for Oktoberfest. Day of the Dead Nikes? Yeah, they're just capitalizing. Capitalism's all about appropriation. Oh, but wait, I think the vomit proof sneakers was Adidas. Do you remember Adidas? Oh, I do. Okay, so this is Nike's way of getting them back. Okay, sorry, wait, they have NFL NFL jerseys, too? Well, no, they get the LePatch. Okay, oh, yeah, yeah, okay, got it. Right. I love that. Postage stamps. I mean, it's everywhere. I love that. So we can really throw a cool party. It's going to be great. I love it. But before the party, will you give us some fun facts? Because we got to be able to use them during the party. Well, I feel like this whole friggin episode was just one giant fun fact. I know, but it's got to be like bite sized because, you know, I can't exactly go that hard to party guest. All right, fine. I'm on it. Let's go. Are you ready to go? You want to do fun facts? Ready to go. We'll go. Alright. How many I got here? I got eight of them loaded up. Alright. Fun fact one. Day of the Dead should be called Days of the Dead. Amanda, do you know why? I don't know, but you're leading the witness. I told you. So, because there's multiple days. It's multiple days. It is. I don't think I actually realized that. No, maybe. Yeah. So each day honors a different spirit. It's two days. November 1st is known as Dia de los Inocentes, or Dia de los Angelitos, and it's when the souls of the deceased children are honored. And November 2nd, Gabby's birthday, is Dia de los Muertos, when the spirits of adults are celebrated. I actually did not know there was two separate days. Yeah, so Catholic, we do, uh, All Saints Day and then All Souls Day. But this is baby's day and adult's day, right? And all the babies get to go to like, what was it? Tree of milk. And all the adults go to Either you're a butterfly like Cream of wheat. Yeah, you're either a butterfly or you're like me and you're cream of wheat. Oh, it's terrible. Okay, um, number two. Unbeknownst to most, Dia de los Muertos is not considered Mexican Halloween. Learn that earlier. It's quite the opposite. It's supposed to be a joyful time to remember and honor our deceased loved ones Filled with a lot of laughter and fun. Yeah celebration Celebrate good time. Come on. Do you know that song? I do good. Thank thank the Lord. That was just you know, cool again Okay. Yeah. All right Okay, number three. This one's a little creepy. Did you know that on Dia de los Muertos, some families spend the night in the cemetery? I only did because I've seen people in the cemetery, but I think they had a Wait, is that illegal? That's gotta be illegal! Well, the gate's closed. Right. So I think they probably jump it, but I also feel like Wait, why are you, why are you at a cemetery, like, after the gate's closed at eight, nine o'clock at night, watching people jump the fence? What's the I'm not, I'm driving by. Okay, and you see people in there? Yeah. And you know it's closed? Yeah. Yeah, okay. But, I also feel like if this is like a cultural thing Yeah, maybe like the cemetery should. Yeah. Yeah. You know what I'm going to go do? I'm going to go look it up this year and find out because I think they don't allow it. Um, but the whole idea in Mexico is like family spend the night there and they're like clean the graves, decorate the graves, share food, music, stories, like all night long. So I don't know if I could actually spend a night, but I do love the idea and the tradition behind it. And I hear it's like not that spooky, like at all. It's more like. I. Quite the contrary. I hear it's like magical because apparently like if a bunch of people are doing it together It's like super chill and like you're having a you're having a party. Do they take some shrooms? Probably quaaludes. Who knows? All right, um number four. Remember the dog guides? Yep. Okay. Well the dead dog guides I don't even know right? Well, apparently they have a name zero. Oh my god, you're so in Disneyland mode. I am. You're like ready to go. Alright, we'll get you out of here. No, okay, it's way easier than zero. Okay, it's Zolo Ashuli. Yeah, right? Say that ten times fast. Zolo for short. It's a hairless dog, go figure, that was thought to help guide the souls of the dead through the underworld. So like a chihuahua because that would totally make sense Right today You can still find little figurine Zolo's or on ofrendas in people's homes who celebrate Okay, number five the colorful papel picado or shredded paper that you see everywhere isn't just decoration. It represents the veil between worlds. Just like you said, the delicate paper represents the wind and the fragility of life. And the idea is that it flutters. As the spirits pass through. How do you know all this? I mean, I didn't know it was a fun fact. Like it's just one of those things. You just, you just, you just fun fact, the fun factor. Hey, see how easy it is to drop it somewhere. You topsy turvied it. You did so good, but you can just drop it. So next time at a party, just drop it. We're in. We got it. I love it. Okay. Number six, salt, salt, salt, like salt of the earth, salt. It's one of the most important yet understated elements of the ofrenda. They put it in a small dish up on the altar and it represents purification. The idea is that it helps returning spirits from becoming corrupted during their visit to the world of the living. Who would have known? That seems so random. Hey man, gotta dig deep to get to the good research. I mean, I gotta give you credit. You do good at this part. Um, number seven. Okay, did you know they use obsidian mirrors for communication? Obsidian? Obsidian, yes. Okay, obsidian. It's like, uh, is that black? Like, what is that? Like, marble? Google it. I don't know everything. Let me know what it is. Okay, so listen. So, obsidian was considered a portal to the spiritual world. How can you see through obsidian? I don't know. Obsidian mirrors were thought to allow communication with the deceased or to reflect the presence of spirits. What are we looking at? Did you look it up? I did. It's volcanic glass. Yeah. Okay. There you go. And while not as common in modern Dia de los Muertos altars, this practice shows how the ancient Aztecs believed in connecting with the spiritual realm and anyone who still uses them comes from a long line of Aztec tradition because it goes way, way back. Okay, last one. Are you ready for it? I am. Okay, ready? It better be good. It is, it is. And good. Okay, for Day of the Dead, different colors represent different spirits. What? Yes, so purple flowers are for mourning and penance, white flowers are for purity and celebration of the children, and of course the classic orange marigold represents love and connection. All of the colors are used carefully to guide loved ones spirits back to the world of the living. Look at that. Purple. I love purple. I think that's Gabby's color. I love it. Those are all really good facts. As always. That's all I got. So, before we flex on all of our friends that said party, Last tidbit that our listeners should really focus on is that at the core of it, Dia de los Muertos is a reminder that death is part of life. And stop. Right? It's a time to reflect on all of the people who have died before us, um, but with love and humor and not sadness and despair, right? The whole point is that our dead are not really gone as long as we remember them. Yes. It is all about humor. Alright. This is why that is so important to me now. And I think, instead of just like learning cool facts that we should share, is there certain ways that we could maybe experience Muertos in our daily life? Totally. Figaro Street, Disneyland, watch Coco, the Disney movie. Let's go. It was awesome. That showed that death wasn't about mourning. It was about celebrating life and family. Um, go catch a parade. Thanks to Spectre, the 2015 James Bond movie, uh, they have parades in Mexico City now, Los Angeles, and even London. So if you live close, Get on it. Hit the parades. Uh, and third, you said it already like a hundred times. Like, make an ofrenda. Like, just do it this year. And participate in the holiday. It's a beautiful way to commemorate the passing of a loved one. Are you gonna do it? I already do it. And yeah. I'm gonna do it again. Really? I'm gonna come see it. Alright. Is that your house? Well, that's where we're having the rager. So you come. We'll do the But first of all, let's go. Come over to my house because you'll make my friend away better anyway. And there you have it dear listeners that wraps up our journey through dia de los muertos where death is less grim reaper ish and more Best friend party buddy But remember it's the only time of the year when it's perfectly acceptable to hang out in cemeteries eat sugar skulls with their name on them and Share tamales with your great great grandma. Well sort of so whether you're lighting a candle or setting up an ofrenda Keep it the spirit of life Literally, we'd like to think we share just enough information to make you either a flaming nuisance or a little more sophisticated to your fellow Humans sort of keep celebrating life honoring the dead. And don't forget to leave out some pan de muerto for your ancestors. If you enjoyed this episode and found it particularly interesting, don't forget to subscribe, leave a review, and share with your peeps. Until next time, keep celebrating, keep remembering, and maybe don't take life or death too seriously. Hasta la proxima.
