Want to meet the traditions?

Posted on 28 noviembre, 2013 Actualizado enn 28 noviembre, 2013

Tradiciones yucatecas.

Vaquerías.

During the traditional festivities made by ranchers, we ignore how long ago, in remembrance of the classic Spanish verbenas (open-air dances), took place the vaquerías, on the occasion of the livestock branding and the usual annual count. There and then the jaranas were danced; one of the first variants was “El Torito”.

The Yucatecan vaquería is per se, lively and exciting. The women, dazzling with flashing sparkles of their rounded and polychromatic cross-stitch embroideries, wearing colored ribbons on the head that tighten the black chopped braids or not by straight partings, the haughtiness and finesse of the short cowboy hat and the rhythmic swing of the flat-seam high-heels stamping, and the men with the screeching, persistent and manly tapping of the alpargatas (yucatecan type of canvas sandal) of the swarthy clatterers.

After dancing for a while, someone shouts “¡bomba!” The orchestra stops, the dance is interrupted so that one of the performers expresses the acute verses of the quatrain bombas (a type of poetic humorous text), which could be like madrigals as well as descriptive, satirical, but frequently picaresque, where the innate Yucatecan sense of humor thrives.

 

 The Jarana.

The term jarana is considered as an historical event at the national level, being the former understood as a “fuss”, it refers to the main dance of the popular festivities in Yucatán.

As an authentic sample of the artistic crossbreeding, the jarana attracts and captivates; either because of the cadence and elegance of the dance steps, the joy of the music, or the solemn attitude of the dancers who stamp on the floor.

The music, noisy and sonorous as it is, is generally in charge of a typical orchestra of jarana, consisting of two clarinets, two trumpets, two trombones, a güiro (musical instrument) and the kettledrums.

Derived from the antique local sones, the music is also a peculiar mix of the European songs and rhythms with millenary expansion of the musical soul of the Mayan people.

Though in a restricted sense there should not be a need to wear a special clothing for dancing jarana, normally, women wear the typical Yucatecan huipil (a local type of dress) or, even better, el terno de gala (the gown version of the above mentioned dress). They also wear white shoes and a shawl of Santa María upon their shoulders and behind their neck.

It is customary for the men to dress as mestizos, with a pair of drill pants and a linen or silk guayabera (a Cuban type of shirt normally worn by Yucatecans), both in white. On the head they wear a woven hat, a red bandana in one of the pockets and Yucatecan alpargatas or high-heel sandals.

Throughout the year, there is the opportunity to see excellent samples of this dance in several public shows; however it is highly recommended to attend a traditional vaquería, where the performance is perhaps less spectacular but more authentic.

 

Janal Pixan

In almost every developed country it is customary to celebrate the day of the dead with several mourning manifestations, which both Catholics and people from other religions offer to their dead relatives.

These practices are established by prayers, rosaries for the holy souls, flower gifts and visits to the cemeteries. Among us, in the Americas, almost everywhere, lamps are lit over the tombs and there is a trek through the cemetery lighting up the places where the dead have been buried.

In Yucatán, among the Mayan natives, one can witness an original custom that dates back to the time of their ancestors: initially an all-Mayan custom which later became mixed, after the Spanish conquest, resulting in merciful practices according to the Catholic ritual. The Franciscans, who did not manage to root out such a custom in the conquered race, eventually learned to tolerate certain practices that did not stand against the dogma such as: worshipping their dead, offering presents, lighting candles and burning aromatic resins. Then there exists, to date, among the Mayan natives, a merciful practice that has as an origin the sacred veneration that the Indian has for his dead relatives, whom they bury inside their homes.

There are historians and chroniclers, such as Landa and Cogolludo, who claim, by studying the customs of the aboriginal race, that among the Mayans there did not exist cemeteries in their cities. The Mayan Indian, says the chronicler, buries his dead inside their own dwelling. The burial of his relatives was carried out by each inhabitant behind their houses, in enclosures or a weed-free and well swept yard, where a hole was dug and in the mere ground, without any sort of coffin, the corpse was placed and then had his mouth filled with well cooked corn dough, called keyem so that he could feed himself whilst resting… As the burial was over, a signal was placed to identify the grave. This usually consisted of a small pen of two square meters made with sticks, kolok-che’. Over the time of the colonial period these sites were marked with a crude wooden cross which was placed inside the square.

Due to this indigenous practice of burying the dead at home so as to have them close, in order to be able to offer them presents consisting in food, fruit and waxes, the custom of making pibil-uahes or mucbilpollos during the days of the dead was born. These were food in the shape of tamales wrapped in banana leaves which they give as present, during those tragic days, to the souls of their dead relatives. Hence the Janal pixan which means: feast of the souls.

At home and at the fields, the Indians place jícaras with atole Nuevo and bowls with food for the dead. They firmly believe that, invisible, the souls descend to take a portion of such food, which is what they call “tomar la gracia”.

It is a traditional custom throughout the country, as the entire world, taking, during the days of the dead, flower gifts and wreaths to the cemeteries.

In Mexico, apart from these presents, a wheat flour bread is baked in the local bakeries, with a lot of sugar on top, popularly called “Pan de Muerto”. Sugar skulls with several ornaments are made to give as presents to one’s closest friends.

In Yucatan this custom is different from the rest of the country and, perhaps, from the entire world. As of November 1^st, All Saints’ Day, and dedicated to the “little ones” (the dead children), some sort of flour bread rolls are made, in the shape of animals and dolls to offer to their souls. On November 2^nd, The Day of The Dead, the Indians make huge rounded cakes, approximately of 30 cm of diameter each, made with corn dough and lard, filled with chicken and pork and spiced with tomatoes and chili, which happen to be very tasty. These dough pies, wrapped in banana leaves, like tamales, are cooked as a barbecue in a big underground hole and are known as pibil-pollos, a highly popular hybrid word.

Besides, these cakes, are buried in that underground oven, well heated with logs and stones, big pumpkins, the “dzol” kind of preference, jicamas, sweet potatoes, corn cobs, and some dough and beans pie called “pibil-xpelón”. Once this food is cooked and still smokey, they are placed on small tables, lit with wax candles, under the trees at the backyard and close to their relatives’ graves; as well as jícaras for one each with tasty “tan-chucuá”, atole which is made with corn dough, cacao, pepper and anise, as a kind of champurrado.

This food spend the whole night from November 1^st to 2^nd on these small altars, under the trees. When the souls of the dead “have taken the grace”, the living relatives eat the “mucbilpollos”, drink the atole and “pibinales” (underground cooked corn cobs) among libations of “balché” and other intoxicating drinks.

This is how the ceremony of “Janal Pixán” comes to an end among the Mayans. Such is the origin of this custom, traditional among Yucatecans, all of them, even the ones who are far away from home. And so rooted it is that even the wealthy families, driven by the force of tradition make these exquisite pies, in the Day of the Dead, without practicing the Indian ceremony, obviously. And it is not uncommon to witness in Mérida, on November 2^nd eve, the servants of the houses, taking on the streets, on huge trays, these delicious pies to give as a gift to their friends; custom which, to date, our growing capital city has not done without.

 

The typical costume

 Among the handcrafts of Yucatán that attracted the most the Spanish conquerors were the blankets woven by the Mayan females, which due to their great quality became tributes to the encomenderos. But the traditional garment, the huipil and the terno for women and the guayabera for men, were adaptations made by taking elements from different places, thus creating a cultural crossbreeding of techniques, materials, etc.

The making of the typical costume of the mestiza takes around six months, as making the magic of color combination and creating this unique piece of clothing is not easy at all, it is made completely by hand and when done it becomes an artwork.

The typical costume consists of three pieces, hence the name “terno”.

The first one is the jubón, a squared lapel of twenty or so centimeters which go attached to the huipil’s collar, this huipil gets to the knees thus considered the second part of the terno. The third one, the fustán is some sort of ruffled underskirt that fits the waist with a waistband of the same fabric, under the huipil. Each one of these pieces of clothing has a cross-stitch sewn hem. One is not to forget that the shawl of Santa María, whose color matches the mestiza’s terno.

The Yucatecan embroidery dates back to the Pre-hispanic era, because even in the Chichén Itzá cenote (water sinkhole) traces of pieces of clothing with the Mayan embroidery “chuy kab” were found. Some other types of embroidery that are still made nowadays are the cross-stitch or xokbil chuy in Mayan, introduced by the Spaniards; and the xmanikté or unraveling. Among the most popular stitches are el bordado relleno, el sombreado, el bordado renacimiento, el rejillado and the calado. The embroidery tradition is transmitted, generally speaking, within the family.

The guayaberas are male pieces of clothing, these are a development of the homespun muslin single-bodied shirt used traditionally by the guajiros or Cuban peasants and by the Mayan peasants. In the course of time the guayabera became a more elaborate and elegant piece of clothing, with pleats, pockets, buttons and in some occasions border embroideries.

The mestizos’ costume is elegant, and consists of straight cut white pants and a Filipina of pleated white poplin, long-sleeved and high collar which is used over a white cotton t-shirt, it complements his disguise with a big red bandana which hangs from the right pocket. They wear a white hippy hat.

 

Among other festivities and Yucatecan traditions are:

 

Carnival

The Shrovetide festivities that are annually celebrated in our entity have their major expression in the city of Mérida. These festivities to God Momo, are regularly carried out before Lent. For five days the bustle and racket, the happiness and the participation of the community which enjoy themselves with the promenades and parades of the allegorical vehicles, the costumes and the concentration of pedestrians grouped in comparsas , dancing to the rhythm of the street music.

 

X’matkuil fair

For 15 days (lately it lasts up to a month) diverse livestock expositions are held; handcraft, industrial, touristic and commercial samples are exposed in stands where the best produce of the state is shown. It starts in the first week of November, time in which equestrian competitions are held as well as corridas, charreadas, sports activities and cultural events. Another of the fair’s attractions is the cockpit where artistic spectacles are shown with national and international renowned figures.

 

Cultural spring of the Mayab

It consists of a series of events held from March 19^th to April 19^th. The program holds 40 municipalities and includes more than 120 events.

 

Cultural autumn

The Cultural Institute of Yucatán (ICY) of the state’s government, plans a season of events called “Otoño Cultural” which begins in October every year. The spectacles are carried out in different scenarios such as “La Casa de la Cultura”, the beautiful “José Peón Contreras” theater, the “Daniel Ayala Pérez” theater and some other important sites, with theatrical plays, dance and plastic art. There is also a cultural exchange with the “Festival Cervantino” which annually takes place in Guanajuato.

 

Summer season

The heat that reigns during the time between spring and summer (from June to August) generates the exodus of a great number of vacationers toward the beaches of the Yucatecan coast. The beaches of Chuburná, Chelem, Progreso, Chicxulub, and Telchac and some other bordering towns off the coast, welcome a great number of visitors that are looking after refreshing themselves in the warm jade green waters. Tourists take advantage of this time of summer to have fun with their families in places such as the esplanade of the city and port of Progreso, where numerous food establishments of food and drinks.

 

Easter

During the time of the Major Week or Holy Week, as it is called, some visitors make the most of this time and go to the beach, the country and some other attend temples and churches for the religious withdrawal.

The precincts such as this type look with a plethora of believers, specially on Thursday and Holy Friday, and in some parts of Mérida and the inland of the state (Acanceh, Baca and some other zealous municipalities) the rite of the crucifixion and the holy burial are performed.

 

Mérida on Sunday

For 10 years it was established in Mérida, a dominical street market called “Mérida en Domingo”. As its name tells us, every weekend, several cultural and musical spectacles are scheduled; handicraft exhibits settling on the streets around the main square, on the 60^th street and the  “Hidalgo”, “De la Madre” parks and the poetic spot of “Santa Lucía”. There once can get artistic carved wooden pieces, silver, conch, cloth and leather confections, books, coins and antiques, without the absence of the snacks of the local cuisine.

Santa Lucía’s  serenade

Every Thursday at 9:00 pm the “Yucatecan Serenades” are perfomed in the poetic spot of the colonial park of Santa Lucía. There, famous trios of folk singers and the Traditional Orchestra of Yucalpetén perform beautiful tunes of immortal Yucatecan authors. On the stage several soloists can be listened, reciters, and, as the end of the jarana dance festivities, “La Vaquería Regoinal”; the show is completely free.