【美洲·墨西哥】土著亡灵节Indigenous festivity dedicated to the dead（2008年）

“按照墨西哥土著社区的做法，el Día de los Muertos（死亡日）纪念已故亲属和亲人短暂回归地球。庆祝活动每年在10月底至11月初举行。这一时期也标志着该国主要粮食作物玉米的年度种植周期结束。

家庭通过在从墓地通往他们家的道路上放置花瓣、蜡烛和祭品来促进灵魂回归地球。死者最喜欢的菜肴被准备好，放在家庭神龛和坟墓周围，旁边还有鲜花和剪纸等典型手工艺品。准备工作的各个方面都非常小心，因为人们相信死者能够给他们的家庭带来繁荣（例如丰收的玉米）或不幸（例如疾病、事故、经济困难），这取决于仪式的执行情况。死者根据死因、年龄、性别以及某些情况下的职业分为几类。根据这些类别，为每个死者指定一个特定的礼拜日。生者和死者之间的这种接触肯定了个人在社会中的作用，并有助于加强墨西哥土著社区的政治和社会地位。

死者纪念日在墨西哥土著社区的生活中具有重要意义。前拉美裔宗教仪式和天主教盛宴的融合将两个世界聚集在一起，一个是土著信仰体系，另一个是欧洲人在16世纪引入的世界观。"

2008年度列入人类非物质文化遗产名录。

来源：联合国教科文组织亚太地区非物质文化遗产国际培训中心

As practised by the indigenous communities of Mexico, el Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) commemorates the transitory return to Earth of deceased relatives and loved ones. The festivities take place each year at the end of October to the beginning of November. This period also marks the completion of the annual cycle of cultivation of maize, the country’s predominant food crop.

Families facilitate the return of the souls to Earth by laying flower petals, candles and offerings along the path leading from the cemetery to their homes. The deceased’s favourite dishes are prepared and placed around the home shrine and the tomb alongside flowers and typical handicrafts, such as paper cut-outs. Great care is taken with all aspects of the preparations, for it is believed that the dead are capable of bringing prosperity (e.g. an abundant maize harvest) or misfortune (e.g. illness, accidents, financial difficulties) upon their families depending on how satisfactorily the rituals are executed. The dead are divided into several categories according to cause of death, age, sex and, in some cases, profession. A specific day of worship, determined by these categories, is designated for each deceased person. This encounter between the living and the dead affirms the role of the individual within society and contributes to reinforcing the political and social status of Mexico’s indigenous communities.

The Day of the Dead celebration holds great significance in the life of Mexico’s indigenous communities. The fusion of pre-Hispanic religious rites and Catholic feasts brings together two universes, one marked by indigenous belief systems, the other by worldviews introduced by the Europeans in the sixteenth century.

Included in the list of human intangible cultural heritage in 2008.

Source: UNESCO International Training Center for intangible cultural heritage in the Asia Pacific Region