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.