Día de los Muertos

Día de Los Muertos was originally a ritual observed by the people of pre-Colombian Mexico, who dedicated the time not only to the dead but also to the end of the agricultural cycle, the celebration has endured as well as stuck close to its original roots.

Marked by vibrant color, dancing, and feasting, the celebration is anything but the solemn sort of memorial typically seen in the United States. The holiday invites a lively interpretation of the very concept of death itself. The ancient Aztecs believed death wasn’t the end of life, but a continuation of it—the ultimate liberation. Death was actually something to be celebrated, not mourned.

This belief led to Día de los Muertos. When the Spaniards arrived in Mexico in 1519, they were shocked to see the rituals that seemed to mock death. The rites had been practiced for about 4,000 years. Not only did the Spaniards destroy the majority of these civilizations, but they decided to impose Christian beliefs in an attempt to eradicate them their rites. Nonetheless, the festivals endured and mark one of Mexico’s biggest celebrations.

In general, the events take place over two days: November 1 being Día de los Angelitos in honor of children who have died, and November 2 celebrating adults who have passed on.
Wanting to bring this tradition to Santa Maria, Gina Rodriguez decided to put up an altar in her mother's backyard sixteen years ago to honor departed loved ones and to celebrate their lives and memories on Día de Los Muertos. Nine years ago it had grown so large that the displays had to be moved to the Town Center Mall.

As the president of the Mexican-American Scholarship Cultural and Recreation Association -MASCARA- Gina continues the tradition that so many people have grown accustomed to.

The free event, which opened Thursday, continues through Tuesday on the first floor of the Santa Maria Town Center during mall hours.

Gina says that many of the original families have continued to set up colorful altars and offerings, which have grown from year to year to recognize recently lost loved ones.

While altars have grown more creative and elaborate over the years, even the simplest display tells a distinct story, said Rodriguez, whose altar memorializes deceased family members.

Gina says, “Día de los Muertos also helps teach future generations about their heritage, adding “We want children to be aware of who have gone before them and their stories.”

Attendees are invited to bring a picture of a departed loved one to place on the community altar. It was sad for me to take a photo of Dad to place on the family site, but I also was happy to be able to display it on the family site that already had photos of Gina's parents and our aunts and uncles.

If there's a celebration like this where you live, go see it, just don't eat the food, it's there for the departed souls.

Getting Healthy

Just the other day, my sister wrote about how old ladies have to exercise for one hour a day to maintain their weight and, disgustingly, longer if they want to lose the poundage.

Check out the graph to the left if you doubt me. Hispanics of every variety and Mexican-Americans in particular must mind what we eat if we prefer to walk instead of roll.

With that in mind, I have some tips. There has been considerable angst within the medical and health expert communities during the past ten years. The main reason for this is that eight out of ten adults are overweight and some 40 million people are considered obese. One of the reasons for this is that as a rule, we eat junk. According to the experts the foods contain tightly-packed calories in smaller packages and we sit on our asses. Therefore, as a Public Service Announcement I bring you these exercises from Dr. Mao.

The number one cause of being overweight is inactivity. The human body is designed for physical activity. Our ancestors were hunter-gatherers who spent most of their lives on the move; their metabolic functions matched their physical lifestyle. Nowadays, we live in opposition to our nature. The reason most diets fail is because our bodies are not designed to subsist on meager foods. We are designed to consume a good amount of energy -- and then to burn that energy. Physical activity is the key to a healthy metabolism.

Physical activity does not necessarily mean abrupt, fast-paced and forceful exercise. Taken from a tradition that is thousands of years old, here are three qigong exercises that target your weight and get you in shape.

Exercise 1: Swimming Dragon speeds up your metabolism

This simple qigong exercise can help speed up your metabolism and reduce your appetite. Not unlike a belly dance, Swimming Dragon is a wriggling rhythmic dance of the torso, which burns energy and promotes fat burning in the abdomen.

1. In a comfortable, quiet place stand with your feet together and ankles touching, or as close together as you can get them. Bring hands over your head, with palms together and fingers pointing up. Keep your palms together during this entire exercise.

2. Inhaling, push your waist out to the right side while keeping your head and upper torso straight. Simultaneously move your right elbow to the right, so that it rests at shoulder height.

3. Exhaling, push your waist out to the left side while keeping your head and upper torso straight. Simultaneously move your left elbow fully to the left at shoulder height.

4. Repeat this movement several times. Every time you move your waist to the right, bend your knees slightly more, lowering your entire body as you squat. Be sure to keep your upper torso and head straight.

5. With each right movement, move your hands lower, keeping your palms together and fingers pointing up. When your arms reach your chest, turn your fingers toward the ground and continue the movement.

6. When your arms reach your knees, you should be squatting.

7. Continue the movements, now rising with each right movement until you reach the standing position. When your arms reach your chest, switch the direction of your fingers so that they’re pointing up again.

Throughout this exercise, your hands should produce an S-shaped movement and your body should do a rhythmic belly dance. Remember to inhale on the rightward movement and exhale to the left. Only do this exercise on an empty stomach. Begin slowly and increase speed, warming up the whole body, but not to the point of perspiration.
A word of caution here, be standing next to a chair when you squat, you'll need it to pull yourself back up, or so I've heard.

Exercise 2: Arm Swing

Energy exercises like tai chi and Eight Treasures Qigong have been found to improve cardiovascular health. Here is the Arm Swing, a warm-up movement to tai chi that will invigorate your daily workout.

1. Start with your feet should-width apart. Freely swing your arms from front to back until you reach a point of natural resistance. Now let your arms swing to the front again.

2. After a couple of minutes of arm swinging, increase the work out by bending your knees and lifting your heels as your arms swing back and forth.

3. Increase your work out further by jumping off the ground as your arms swing back as though the momentum of your arms carries your body upward. Jump progressively higher each time. Swing your arms for 15 minutes. Gradually slow down and stop. Perform this exercise twice each day.

Exercise 3: Merry-Go-Around

With a daily practice of Qi Gong exercises like the Eight Treasures you can strengthen your hormonal system, help balance your blood sugar levels, and maintain your proper weight. Below I describe a simple walking exercise called “Merry-Go-Around.”

1. In a quiet outdoor setting find a thick-trunked tree, 10 - 12” diameter with at least 5 feet of clear space around the trunk in all directions. Perform the following walking exercise for 15 minutes.

2. Walk with a relaxed but steady gait, with hands raised to your trunk. With each completed circle change the position of your arms by slightly raising or lowering your hands in front or on the sides of your trunk.

3. For the first half of the exercise walk clockwise around the tree. For the second half, walk counterclockwise. Do the Merry-Go-Around twice each day.

How often should you exercise?

4 or more times per week, for 30 minutes each time is best, less until you get used to it to prevent heart attacks. It might even be better to take a brisk walk around a block or two to begin with. If your daily routine consists of fatty foods followed by inertia, you might want to start slowly.