A Day to Remember

What kind of Church has its highest attendance not on Christmas, not on Easter, but on the second Sunday in November? 

Strange as it may seem, Christ Church's biggest attendance of the year is on the Sunday nearest to Remembrance Day, which in the US in known as "Veterans Day."  I don't remember much about Veterans Day, and I don't know if it still is a school or bank or federal holiday.  Mostly, it's an excuse for retailers to have a Veterans Days sale, and other than a few people who are active in VFW Posts, it is mostly a forgotten observance.

Not here.  Because the influence of the British expatriate community is so strong here, those holidays and observances that are important in the UK are still important here.  And Remembrance Day is big in the UK, and, I imagine, throughout all of Europe.  Of course the two world wars were fought there on their soil, so the memories are still strong, and the veterans and their families and descendants still remember and hold dear the sacrifices that were made for homeland. And so Christ Church in Mexico City has a British-style Remembrance Day Observance on the Sunday closest to November 11, which this year was on the day itself. 

Invitations are sent to all of the Ambassadors of the Allied Nations from both World War I and World War II, which means that Commonwealth Nations are included as well.  It turned out that fouteen ambassadors or their designees accepted the invitations and were present in Church that day.  The service was a regular Sunday morning Holy Eucharist which included special music -- the choir presented several movements of the Faure requiem and the St. Patrick's Battalion of Pipes and Drums led the procession into the Church with bagpipes and great fanfare. 

St. Patrick's Battalion of Pipes and drums, with flag bearers in the background. 

Christ Church Choir and clergy

The guest preacher was the Rev. Canon John White, retired from Windsor Chapel (as in Windsor Castle, which is one of the official residences of the queen).  Canon White has come for this event every year for approximately the last eighteen years.



The Rector and clergy of Christ Church with the Rev. John White (second from right)

The Remembrance Day observance takes place immediately after church on the church patio where the names of the fallen are inscribed on a series of plaques affixed to the walls of the parish house.  The names of those who died in the two world wars are read, including the names of those in the Mexican Air Force Squadron who fought alongside US airmen.  This is an aspect of US history that I knew nothing about until I moved down here, but the Aztec Eagles as they came to be known, fought bravely and provided a valuable service to the allied military forces.   So they are remembered along with the US and British soldiers. 

The Ambassador of the UK also gave a brief address.  I found her words rather brave, as one of the thoughts she reflected her point of view as a diplomat that war represents a failure of diplomacy. 

H.E. Judith MacGregor, Ambassador of the United Kingdom to Mexico

 

After the address, the wreath laying ceremony followed, and the ambassadors (or their representatives) placed their tributes beneath the plaques.

A member of Christ Church and veteran of World War II lays a memorial wreath of poppies.

 

 Other organizations also their tributes, including some of the schools, the British Benevolent Society, and other international organizations.  The service followed the traditional order of many years, and included the minute of silence, one of the bagpipers playing the Piper's Lament, and a trumpeter concluding with Reveille. 

Of course there was a lavish reception (also part of the tradition!) which included not only coffee and tea, but also whiskey, beer, and wine. 

Remembrance Day was, indeed, a day to remember.  

The official picture of Remembrance Day includes the clergy, the Ambassadors, the Veterans, the Pipe Band, and the Color Guard,

Día de los Muertos

In the Episcopal Church in the U.S., one of the major feast days is All Saints' Day, 1 November, but most often celebrated on the Sunday after.  It is the feast of all of God's Faithful people, known and unknown, who are witnesses to the resurrection of Jesus Christ, and claimed as Christ's own through the sacrament of baptism.  2 November is another feast of the Church, All Souls Day or All Faithful Departed.  The distinction between the two days is clearer in the Roman Catholic tradition, with the former being the day devoted to all canonized saints (saints with a capital 's') and the latter being the day devoted to prayer on behalf of the souls in purgatory.  Anglicans do not believe in the doctrine of purgatory, but still hold on to All Souls Day  as an opportunity to remember very particularly the saints without the capital 's', those faithful Christians who are departed this life and may be known only to us -- their families, friends, and companions here on earth. 

The above is rather a long explanation to introduce a colorful series of customs unique to Mexico, Día de los Muertos,  The Day of the Dead.  Although Mexico is a country with a (nominally) large Roman Catholica majority, much of the pre-Columbian indigenous past remains alive in the corporate memory.  Many hundreds of years ago the Aztec people had a festival devoted to the goddess Mictacecihuatl, queen of the underworld who ruled over the afterlife.  That festival was never really abandoned, even after the 'conversion' of the native peoples to Christ during the age of the conquistadores.  The festival was simply absorbed into Christian festival, so that now the Day of the Dead contains both Christian and pagan elements.  It is a huge celebration throughout the country, and many schools, banks, and offices have a day off for 2 November.

My particular obligation on Dia de los Muertos as Rector of Christ Church, the English-speaking Anglican parish in Mexico City, was to preside over a service at the Panteón Británico, the British Cemetery.

 

A tarp had been set up in the back of the cemetery for a bit of shade from the sun, and a table 

was there which we used as an altar.  Music was provided by a bagpiper from St. Patrick's Battalion of Pipes and Drums.   It lent an appropriate air of solemnity to the occasion.  Although there were a handful of English-speakers present, the majority were Spanish speakers, so I preached and celebrated in Spanish. 

About fifty people joined us for the outdoor service of Holy Communion that was at once informal, dignified, and joyful. 



 

After the service, those present asked me to bless the gravesites of their departed loved ones, so I went from one end of the cemetery offering prayers. 

 

Perhaps the most interesting and colorful aspect of the celebration of the Día de los Muertos is the decoration of the gravesites by the family members.  Not only flowers and plants, but also whirligigs, streamers, and pictures are placed on the gravesites.  Fruits, bread, and other food offerings are also put out, sometimes with bottles of tequila or cigarettes.  Some of the gravesites are quite lavishly covered, and the whole effect is quite is colorful and picturesque.  Some families come to the cemeteries and spend a whole day there, picnicking and celebrating the life of their loved one.  To me, it seemed a cultural commentary consistent with a Christian view of death and resurrection (I Corinthians 15 "O death where is thy sting?  O Death where is thy victory?") 

 

Note the children playing beside the tombstones.  I think there's something quite appropriate about teaching children that a cemetery is not a place to be feared or dreaded, but a place to remember and celebrate the life of a loved one. 

 

 

All in all, a beautiful and memorable day, another new adventure, and a further introduction to the complex and fascinating customs and culture of my new home. 

 

Alebrijes

All of Mexico is preparing for one of the county's great national festivals, Día de Muertos, the Day of the Dead.  Día de Muertos bears some resemblance to the US celebration of Halloween, as they share the same root: both are related to the Christian Holy Day celebrated on November 1, which is All Saints' Day.  Día de Muertos, however, is celebrated on the second of November, when many families not only decorate the graves of their departed loved ones, but will actually make an outing of the visitation of the gravesite and share a picnic at the cemetery, often preparing and serving the favorite foods of the departed. 

This time of year also coincides with a folk art exhibition sponsored by the Museo de Artes Populares here in Mexico City. Artists from all over the Federal District create enormous folk sculptures of fantastical creatures, decorated in vivid colors and garish designs.  The alebrijes are entered in a parade through the historic heart of the city, after which they are displayed along the Paseo de la Reforma, which is one of the main thoroughfares through the city.  The outlandish creatures show off their creators' imagination and artistic vision in a unique and fascinating colloquial art form.  Some of the alebrijes are as much as ten feet tall -- they are constructed of wire frames overlaid with papier-mache and then painted.  You can see that on many there is great attention to the details of the colorful designs. 

 

Folks who work in that section of the city, tourists visiting, and others stroll up and down the avenue to see the alebrijes during the two weeks or so that they remain there. 

Here are a few of the individual pieces -- I took several dozen pictures, so I'm sharing just a few of my favorites:



 

Nigeria Day at Christ Church

October 1st is Nigerian Independence Day.  What's that got to do with ministry in Mexico?  Here at Christ Church, an international Christian community, we have about a dozen or so active members who come from Nigeria.  Here are the core group of them, dressed in traditional garb for the festivities:

Since we have already celebrated US Independence Day, Canada Day, and the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth I of the United Kingdom, it only made sense to celebrate the special day of the homeland of another group of our members. 

And what a celebration it was!  Far more than the usual number of Nigerians came to worship on Sunday -- there were thirty or forty of them -- including the ambassador...who at the last moment was invited to be the lector.  Here he is with the rector following the service:

 

Not only did the Ambassador read the scriptures on Sunday, he also asked to address the congregation 'briefly' at the end of the service.  Then we had prayers of Thanksgiving for Nigeria and the Nigerians in Mexico, and then we sang the Nigerian national anthem.  (It is short and to the point -- unlike the Mexican national anthem which, while musically interesting, is about as simple to sing as an operatic aria!)  The choir, as usual, rose to the occasion, offering some African music, including the Sanctus from the Missa Luba.  

This being an Anglican Church, naturally we had refreshments following the service.  Actually, it wasn't just refreshments, we had a lavish African feast, with plenty to eat and drink. 

 

They had also brought in a recorded music, so there was dancing, too.  I believe the style, a fusion of traditional African melody and rhythm with American Jazz and funk, is known as Afrobeat. Anyway, it was African, and it had a beat... 

 



Down South

Of course, I am  down south -- "South of the Border" as they used to say.  But Saturday I went even further down south, to the southern portion of the city, which is a world unto itself.  A tour was sponsored by the Newcomers Club (a bit of a misnomer, as some of the "newcomers" have been here for years -- I suppose it sounds better than the 'friendship club,' which is what it really seems to be.) 

 

We began with a stop in Coyoacan, which has mcuh more of a 'neighborhood' or even a small town feel than much of the rest of the city.  Over the years, it has been very much of an artists' colony -- a bit more relaxed, open, and 'bohemian.'  This is the central plaza and the colonial church of St. John Baptist.

The interior of the church is richly decorated, although it did not seem as 'over the top' as some of the other colonial era churches I have seen. 

 

 

 

 

The painted ceiling with gilt trim was particularly beautiful. 

 

It's a colorful neighborhod in many ways:

One of the street vendors had a trained bird that picked out your 'fortune' from a stack of cards.  It was actually a bit creepy...

 

We then visited Casa Azul,  "The Blue House," the home where Mexican artist Frida Kahlo was born and grew up.  Eventually she also died there, after a life that seems to have been tumultuous.  She was married to Diego Rivera, another Mexican artist (and divorced from him and remarried to him -- twice, I think).  She was in constant and severe pain due to injuries from a car accident; she was a communist; she was one of the great champions of indigenous Mexican art and culture.  Many of her works are on display in the house, along with several rooms of her furniture and her studio.  The house appeared to be a series of interconnected buildings surrounding a lovely courtyard garden. 

 From Frida's collection of indigenous and folk art that was on display:

 

We stopped briefly at the National University -- which boasts something like 120,000 students.  The most famous landmark at the University (locally called UNAM -- Universidad Nacional Autonomo de Mexico) is the library.  The facade appears to be covered by a brightly painted mural -- it's not, it is a mosaic, designed by the Mexican artist Juan O'Gorman.

The mosaic depicts not only the history of Mexico, but also traces the Western cultural heritage of faith and reason. 

 

The highlight of the day was the trip to Xochimilco.  It's hard to imagine from the appearance of modern day Mexico City, but for many hundreds of years, the Aztec capital was actually situated in a lake.  Not on or near a lake, but it was an island surrounded by an elaborate grid of canals.  The Spaniards got the bright idea to drain the lakebed to build their capital of New Spain, which is why nowadays the historic center of the city is sinking, and many of the buildings downtown are leaning to one side or another.  Xochimilco is what remains of that watery city -- it is a place for recreation and relaxation. 

 

Colorfully decorated boats known is trajineras ply the waters. They are named after women, and the drivers use long poles to reach down into the lake bottom to push the boats along. 

 

 

 

As you can see above, down the center of the long, narrow boat there is a table, with seats on two sides.  This is perfect for putting drinks or food, and as we floated along the canal other boats came alongside us selling soft drinks, beer, and food.  This picture gives something of an idea of the traffic on the canal:

 

 

Other boats had musicians, including both marimba and mariachi bands.  For a small fee, they were happy to play and sing for our entertainment.

 

 

 

All in all...a great day!