Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
Day of the Dead is one of Mexico's most celebrated holidays.
In this Bonus episode, even I discussed the celebration of
life through the lens of its traditional bandemertos bread of
the dead.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
So we can't talk about Day of the Dead or
the little mortos without talking about bon demerto.
Speaker 3 (00:19):
What's bond bandemut is also basically a brioche bread and
this is this spread.
Speaker 1 (00:25):
The idea of.
Speaker 3 (00:25):
This bread has roots in meso America right when you know,
pre pre conquest, when they would make types of bread
amara and sometimes you put a little blood in there
to offer it to the gods or a successful harvest,
you know, for a new year, brand new for rain.
Speaker 1 (00:43):
Yeah, we're to appease the gods for whatever reason.
Speaker 3 (00:45):
So this whole idea of like you know, blood right,
you associate it with life, and you also asso do
it with death right, and it's this sort of human
kind of sacrifice that makes people kind of uncomfortable.
Speaker 1 (00:56):
But we see that this was part.
Speaker 3 (00:58):
Of the culture and sometimes it was human blood, was
animal blood, sometimes.
Speaker 1 (01:01):
It was sometimes it was just die.
Speaker 3 (01:03):
So of course with the conquest, they were doing that
with the body and blood of Christ, right, it's the
same thing. It's just morning is a metaphorical when is
more little, but it's essentially the same thing. And it's
a way for people to understand the sort of cycle
of life, you know, and death and converting everybody to
Christianity was one of the main you know missions, you know,
post conquest, and so there were certain celebrations around the
(01:25):
time of Day of the Dead. So day the day
is November first and second, right, the day for the
kids and then the day for the for the adults.
Speaker 2 (01:32):
You put all the offerings on the altar of their
favorite things, their favorite food, yeah, their articula there, you
know there gamal is.
Speaker 3 (01:41):
And I don't know if you've noticed, because you can
only buy the like right around that during the type
up season super seasonal and I had only ever seen
growing up the round bread right, and the circle. It's
like a little gonta, right, like a brioche, but it
has the sad it has more flavors. The circle represents
this the circle of life and death, right, and on
(02:04):
the top of it has another little ball right like
the little circle on top, and that represents the skull,
and then it has the crossbones. So it's a skull
and crossbones, so it's a circle of life and then
the skull and crossbones, and each section in between the
skull and crossbones is the cardinal you know, directions, and
(02:25):
one of them represents the god of the Sun. And
then she pet is the god of death and rebirth,
and she Pettotic is a super interesting god because they
would like skin sacrificial victims, and the priest would wear
this this skin. And so another section represents la Look,
the god of rain. Another one represents the god of darkness.
(02:45):
So it's this super ritualistic bread. You're offering it in
the altars with the hot chocolate, with the tequila, with whatever.
But it has roots in indigenous ceremonies. And then some
of them that I didn't actually see until I moved
to La because there's such a huge Wahkan community here.
Some of the Day of the Dead bread is shaped
(03:07):
like a little person. Have you seen these breads? I
haven't that I had never seen them, And they're big
because the Day of the Dead, they're like a little
bit larger than a gontar. Sometimes they're a little bit bigger,
but it's like like a big like maybe one or
two feet and it's like a person that sort of
wrapped and they have a little face on them.
Speaker 1 (03:26):
They have a little one and it has sesame seeds.
Speaker 2 (03:30):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (03:30):
Yeah, so sometimes they have sesame seeds, you know, on them.
The flavor is the same, but they have these different shapes.
Speaker 2 (03:36):
Well. They also say it's the top also other than
representing the bones, represents a grave.
Speaker 1 (03:42):
Oh, the bones, oh, the top instead of the.
Speaker 2 (03:44):
Okay, yeah, it's the bones, and then the bread is
the grave.
Speaker 1 (03:47):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (03:48):
Uh. And the bones represent the deceased one or like
the bones are coming out of the grave. That's why
it's like a little ball on a tear drop.
Speaker 3 (03:57):
Oh. And I've heard that the sugar that sometimes it's
sprinkled with sugar, that those are the.
Speaker 1 (04:03):
Tears, oh, top with sugar sugar.
Speaker 3 (04:06):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (04:07):
You put it as an offering, yes, as.
Speaker 1 (04:09):
An offering to the deceased.
Speaker 3 (04:11):
And then the family comes and they feast and it's
this beautiful celebration. It's this beautiful celebration of life.
Speaker 2 (04:19):
Yeah, and not death. It's actually a day of the
day is a celebration of life. Have you eaten?
Speaker 3 (04:24):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (04:25):
I get it.
Speaker 3 (04:25):
Every year, you do get it. I do get it
every year. I don't really, I don't really anybody. I
don't offer it. I just eat it. But I know
that you know and I but I know a lot
of people that actually make altars in their home every year.
Speaker 2 (04:38):
But the big Bandul such an iconic banduls. It's so interesting.
It's only around that day because it's so good. It's
soft and spongy, del so delicious.
Speaker 1 (04:51):
It's so special, like you have to wait.
Speaker 3 (04:53):
I always get and I always get simpasuti the marigold flowers.
This is the flour that they use so that this
has a It has a really strong the merry goals.
And it's so bright that it's supposed to light the way.
Speaker 2 (05:08):
The spirit home, light the spirit the road for the
spirits home. It's like a citrus infused essence of orange bloss.
The orange blossom bring back the sweet memories of loved ones.
Speaker 1 (05:21):
That's sad, so sweet. Go back and listen to season
one of Hungry for History. Thank you so much.
Speaker 2 (05:35):
Hungry for History is a hyphen a media production in
partnership with Iheart's michaela podcast network.
Speaker 3 (05:41):
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