November already! Now we can settle in to a quiet winter of reading our gardening books, re-reading our gardening journals, and planning out next year’s gardens!
Make a cup of tea, settle back in your armchair, and let’s take a gardener’s tour to sunny Mexico. All Souls Day and All Saints Day are days to honor and remember the deceased, but in Mexico, these are days of celebration of the lives of the dead with “Dia de los Muerto”, a holiday celebrated on November 1 and 2.
Days and weeks are spent preparing for this holiday, as families set up altars to remember their departed loved ones. These special areas of remembrance are decorated with candles, photos, mementos of loved ones, and of course, flowers. Flowers represent the fragility of life, and the scent of the flowers is thought to make the returning souls of the departed feel welcome and happy.
As I was doing my homework about this holiday, I found many pictures of these loving tributes to family members. Here is how one site described them: “In most Indian villages, beautiful altars (ofrendas) are made in each home. They are decorated with candles, buckets of flowers (wild marigolds called cempasuchil & bright red cock’s combs) mounds of fruit, peanuts, plates of turkey mole, stacks of tortillas and big Day-of-the-Dead breads called pan de muerto. The altar needs to have lots of food, bottles of soda, hot cocoa and water for the weary spirits. Toys and candies are left for the angelitos, and on Nov. 2, cigarettes and shots of mezcal are offered to the adult spirits… Many spend over two month’s income to honor their dead relatives. They believe that happy spirits will provide protection, good luck and wisdom to their families. Ofrenda building keeps the family close. On the afternoon of Nov. 2, the festivities are taken to the cemetery. People clean tombs, play cards, listen to the village band and reminisce about their loved ones. Tradition keeps the village close.”
If we were there, we gardeners would appreciate the beautiful and creative use of flowers, not only in arrangements, but in garlands, and even petals strewn on the ground to make pathways. The most popular flowers used for these celebrations are the bright and hardy marigolds, celosia, sweetly-scented stocks, gypsophila (which represents clouds), chrysanthemums, and gladiolas to represent faithfulness and remembrance.
When I read about celebration like this, I am always fascinated to learn how flowers play a role. They are used not only for their beauty but for their scent and the symbolism of the various flowers. I know you and I have chatted before about planting flowers or shrubs in remembrance of people we love. For me, certain flowers bring back such instant and profound memories of happy times spent with my beloved parents in our garden. When I picked the last sweet peas from our garden this year, I stood there and inhaled that amazing fragrance. It took me back immediately to bright sunny afternoons in Mom’s garden, and having coffee and Mom’s delicious baking at our little picnic table. I have to say that a few tears fell at that moment, no surprise to anyone who knows me!
Remember, new members are always welcome with the Yorkton and District Horticultural Society. Log on to www.yorktonhort.ca and see what’s happening with the group. And this week, let’s get ourselves a small bouquet of flowers in honor of our hard work in our gardens, and in memory of those we love. To absent friends! Have a good week!
