Šime ide za Amerike (USA&MEX): Washington DC 4/4 & Mexico City (Day of the dead)

Obećanje ludom radovanje!

Pravljenje „izveštaja“ sa putovanja je dobar način da se zapamti doživljeno, kao i da se utisci podele sa ljudima. Međutim, čini mi se da ukoliko se to ne uradi dok su utisci još uvek sveži, prošao voz... Posle ovog bloga, s moje strane slede kraći utisci i priče, prema inspiraciji i fotkicama.

Promise makes a fool happy!

Making travel „reports“ is a nice way to memorize the experience, as well as to share it with people. However, if you don't do it while the impressions are still fresh, it's gone... After this blog, Ill be sharing with you all shorter stories, according to inspiration and photos.

Ovde ću da napravim mali skok, između proslave Halloween u Vašingtonu DC 2014. i Día de los muertos u Meksiko sitiju 2015. Taman i uvod u Meksiko, koji verujem da vas sve zanima.

A small leap ahead, between Halloween in Washington DC 2014. and Día de los muertos (Day of the dead) in Mexico City 2015. Great place to introduce Mexico.

Washington DC.

U školici gde sam učio jezik, pored toga što se par profesora/ki maskiralo, bilo je nekoliko ofrendas posvećenim Gabrijelu Garsiji Markesu, Pablu Nerudi i Fridi Kalo. Ofrendas, iliti darivanja mrtvima, su veoma karakteristične za Meksiko u ovom periodu. U suštini, imate male kućne i javne oltare koji su posvećeni preminulima, u ovom slučaju poznatim likovima iz sveta kulture i umetnosti, pogotovo što je Garsija Markes* umro te godine. Pored njih, naravno, postoje ofrendas koje se nalaze na grobovima (podseća malo na naše zadušnice). Ukoliko pomislite na paganizam, niste daleko od odgovora – ova tradicija se vezuje za prehispanske običaje koji potiču od vremena Astečkog carstva.

In my language school, a few of the professors were masked, and there were a couple of ofrendas dedicated to Gabriel Garcia Marques, Pablo Neruda and Frida Kahlo. Ofrendas, or offerings to the dead, are very characteristic for Mexico in this period. Basically, you have small home and public altars dedicated to the deceased, in this case to people from the arts, specially because Garcia Marques died* earlier that year. Apart from these ofrendas, you can find them also on graveyards (reminding me of Serbian zadušnice custom). If your mind recalls paganism, you're not mistaken – this tradition is tied to pre-Hispanic customs dating from the Aztec times.

(* Kako u španskoj, tako i u latinskoameričkim kulturama, tradicionalno postoje dva prezimena – od oca i od majke, tim redosledom. Skontao sam da kada samo kažemo „Markes“, da se to odnosi na njegovo prezime od majke, a da je mnogo tačnije reći oba.)

(* Like in Spain, in Latin American cultures traditionally two names are present – from father's and mother's side, in that order. I've figured out that when we just say “Marques”, it only referred to his mother's surname, and that it's better to say both.)

Moj (nenadani) uvod u celu ovu priču je bila izložba „Smrt je dozvoljena“ u galeriji beogradskog Instituta Servantes 2013 godine, sa ofrendama i kalaverama (kosturi) koje su bile kombinovane sa grafikama Hosea Gvadalupea Posade (José Guadalupe Posada).

My (unintended) introduction to this whole story was an exhibition “La muerte tiene permiso: José Guadalupe Posada“ in the gallery of Belgrade's Instituto Cervantes in 2013, packed with ofrendas and calaveras (skeletons), accompanied with Posada's great graphic prints.

U Vašingtonu DC se dobro mogla videti mešavina između Halloween i Día, oba inkorporirana u rimokatolički All Saints' Eve. Kako je u mojoj glavi Noć veštica vezana za popularnu kulturu, a manje za neki (tradicionalni) običaj, a u skladu sa novim interesom za Meksiko, odlučio sam da posetim tri mesta u gradu koji će zadovoljiti moj apetit.

In Washington DC you could had seen an interesting mixture between Halloween and Día, both tied to catholic All Saints' Eve. As Halloween in my mind is more related to popular culture, and less for traditional customs, and bearing in mind my newly awaken interest in Mexico, I decided to visit three places in the city.

Posle par presedanja metroom, prvo sam svratio do Meksičkog kulturnog instituta (koji sam spominjao nešto ranije). Smrt Garsije Markesa je i ovde bila tema, ali znatno razvijenija i pretvorena u celo jedno malo hodočašće. Nakon penjanja uz starinske drvene stepenice okružene muralima, dolazite do prvog sprata instituta sa svečanim salama. Levo – ulazite u prostoriju posluženi sa kafom, toplom čokoladom i – pan de muertos (hleb mrtvih). Iako su mnoge horor asocijacije legitimne, ipak se radi o mekanom, slatkom hlebu posutom šećerom koji možete da vidite ispod.

After several metro connections, first I went to Mexican Cultural Institute (mentioned earlier). The death of Garcia Marques was also present, expanded and more detailed, almost as a small sanctuary. After climbing the old wooden stairs surrounded by murals, you're at the first floor of the institute, surrounded by gala halls. On your left side – you're entering a room where they were serving coffee, hot chocolate and – pan de muertos (bread of the dead). Although many horror associations are legitimate, still it's a regular, soft, sweet bread covered in sugar which you can see below.

Taj hleb, zastavice (papel picado – cut paper) i oltari su nerazdvojivi od samog običaja.

U prostoriji iza, obloženoj keramičkim pločicama i prirodno osvetljenom gde se često nalaze manje izložbe, nalazio se prvi, manji oltar – ofrenda. Posvećen Garsija Markesovim književnim uzorima i piscima prijateljima, poput Horhea Luisa Borhesa i Vilijema Foknera. Grejući svoje prste toplom čokoladom i sladeći se hlebom, produžio sam do naredne, veće sale gde se nalazila glavna stvar: oltar posvećen i samom Garsiji Markesu.

That bread, small flags (papel picado) and altars are intrinsically part of the custom.

Walking further, in a room covered in ceramic tiles and natural light, there was the first, smaller altar – ofrenda. Dedicated to Garcia Marques' literary role models and friend writers, as Jorge Luis Borges and William Faulkner. Warming up my fingers with hot chocolate and eating the nice bread, I walked to the larger, right hall, which had THE thing – a whole altar dedicated to Garcia Marques' himself.

Da li deluje malo spooky i, na svoj način, bezazleno lepo? O, da. I pored toga što je šarena i fantastična simulacija groba i kostura koji kao da su izašli iz nekog starijeg crtaća (tipa Beti Bup), neka atmosfera se čoveku lako uvuče pod kožu, a mene je usmerila na razmišljanja (i) o mojim preminulima. Smrt nam je na neki način približena, ali bez strave, već kroz puno boja i male predstave sveta živih (na oltarima se nalaze i porcelanske činije sa umanjenim bocama i hranom). Kao da nema čvrste granice između svetova, kao ni straha (da li je to strašno po sebi?).

Was it a bit spooky and, in it's own fashion, harmlessly beautiful? Oh, yeah. Apart from being a colorful and fantastic simulation of a graveyard with skeletons which seemingly escaped from an older cartoon (like Betty Boop), there was an atmosphere that easily could get under your skin, which propelled me to think about my own deceased family members. Death was somehow approached to us, without the terror, rather in many colors and small representations of the world of the living (on the altar you often have small ceramic bowls with miniature bottles and food). It seemed like there were no firm borders between the worlds, nor fear (was that the scary part?).

Svuda oko oltara su se nalazili mali drveni sanduci posvećeni svim likovima njegovih romana čija smrt je bila opisana. Tu se nalazi čak i Remedios, čija je smrt diskutabilna, a koja je na pola puta od groba i plafona. Pojedini kosturi po spratu drže kratke opise Garsija Markesovih romana. Šećer pada na parket. Žamor na engleskom i španskom. Lobanjice od šećera. Kosturi deluju veselo. Sada već u melanholično-kontemplativnom raspoloženju, krećem na moju narednu stanicu.

All around the altar there were small coffins dedicated to writer's characters who died in his novels. You could see even Remedios, whose death is disputed, levitating between her grave and the ceiling. Several other skeletons on the floor carry short descriptions of Garcia Marques' novels. Sugar is falling on the parquet. Murmur in English and Spanish. Sugar skulls. Happy skeletons. Now already in melancholic and contemplative mood, I'm on my way to the next stop.

Odmah pored tzv. Mall-a, centralnog parka, odlazim do Smitsonijanovog muzeja američkih indijanaca (malo više o njemu ovde). Na kružnom podijumu vidim još jednu ofrenda-u, sa par muzičara koji su svirali marimbu (Maya Awal). Okolo se nalaze štandovi sa suvenirima, radionice za pravljenje maski. Dominira Latinska Amerika. Na improvizovano groblje šarena povorka odnosi cveće. Nema isključive crnine. Zatim se postavka menja i oslobađa podijum za ples jelena Yakui starosedelaca.

Right next to the Mall, central park, I'm visiting the Smithsonian's Museum of American Indian (more about it here). On the circular stage in the middle of the museum, I see another ofrenda, with a couple of musicians playing marimba (Maya Awal). Around one could see souvenir stands, workshops, children making masks. Latin America dominates. On the improvised graveyard scene, a colorful procession is carrying flowers. Nobody's in pure black. Than, the setting changes and there was a demonstration of a traditional deer dance of Yakui native community.

Poslednja stanica za ovu priliku je bio bioskop u kome se od 2009, na mesečnom planu, prikazuje the Rocky Horror Picture Show, zajedno sa tradicijom učešća publike, što je bio nezaboravan događaj. Očekivano za ovaj datum, bioskop je bio napakovan ljudima, gde je skoro polovina bila maskirana, najviše u RHPS fazonu. Razlika između publike i „glumaca“ je bila nepostojeća. Megafon, trčanje unaokolo, srećnici sa određenim kartama – napred na binu. Komična takmičenja u simuliranom seksu, biranje pobednika koji će igrati manje uloge. Film počinje. Nije forma u tome da znate tekst pesma i replika, već da ih kreativno izokrenete naglavačke. Dobacivanja u horu. Pojavljuje se na sceni (i ekranu) Dr. Frank-N-Further, i kreće da peva sa njegovom dvojnicom iz prvih redova (koja je btw bolje izgledala od glumca). Za ostale utiske... idite i vidite predstavu.

The last stop was a cinema with a tradition since 2009 of screening the Rocky Horror Picture Show almost every month, with audience's participation, which was a memorable event. Quite expected regarding the date, the cinema was packed, where about half of the visitors were under masks, most of them in RHPS outfits. The difference between the audience and the “actors” was non existent. Megaphone, running around the seats, the lucky ones with certain ticket numbers – onto the stage! Comical competitions in simulating sex scenes, selecting the winners which will play the minor roles. The movie starts. It's not just that you know the song lyrics and the lines, but to re-create them in a bizarre fashion. Choir shouting. Dr. Frank-N-Further appears on the scene (and the screen), and starts to sing with his doube (her) sitting in the front rows (which, btw, looked better than him). For the complete impression... go and see it.

http://www.dcrockyhorror.com

Doviđenja WDC!

Bye bye WDC!

The Space Cossacks: Solaris Stomp

…

¡Órale güero!

Jesen 2015. Planiram neko vreme Día de los muertos u Meksiko sitiju, odlučujem da napravim sopstvenu masku. Kupujem tikvu za koju ne smem da vam kažem koliko je koštala na pijaci. I to kod prodavačice na pijaci Jamaica koja nije skupa, jedine osušene tikve koje sam uspeo da pronađem. Nemam nikakav karakter u glavi (prva greška), nastaje u procesu. U glavi su mi maske od tikvi sa Belih poklada i razmišljanja o festivala u Vevčanima koji je ispratila drugarica Tamara Marković. Dajem nenadanu krvnu žrtvu – posečen kažiprst.

 

Autumn 2015. For quite some time been planning Día de los muertos in Mexico City, decided to make my own mask. Bought a gourd which was so expensive, I cannot tell you why neither why I had spend that money. It was on Jamaica market which is not expensive, but those were the only gourds I could had found. I have no defined character in my mind (first mistake), work in progress. I'm thinking of gourd masks from Bele Poklade custom in Serbia and thinking about the carnival in Vevčani (Macedonia) which my photographer friend Tamara Marković visited and documented. I'm having an unintended (blood) sacrifise – I had cut my index finger.

U gradu opet kombinacija Halloween i Día. Na pijaci kupujem papirnate zastavice koje verno prate tradiciju i savremeno društvo (kostur sa laptopom).

Tri dana traje praznik: subota, nedelja i ponedeljak (28-30). Neki planovi otpadaju, a neki se pojavljuju spontano. Nema provoda uveče, ali sa jednom komšinicom i njenim gostima posećujemo Coyoacán (gde se nalazi Fridina porodična kuća i muzej posvećen Dijegu, između ostalog).

In the city, a deja vu, I see a combination of Halloween and Día. On the market I'm buying paper flags, traditional and modern ones (skeleton with a laptop).

The holiday's on for three days – Saturday, Sunday and Monday (28^th-30^th). Some plans change in the last moment, others show up spontaneously. No evening going out, but with a neighbor and her guests we're visiting Coyoacán (with Frida's family house and a museum dedicated to Diego Rivera, among others).

Primećujem ofrendas koje su društveno angažovane. Jedna govori o deci koja su stradala u požaru svog obdaništa u državi Sonora. Druga prikazuje žene stradale od posledica nasilja i koje se vode kao nestale. Treća jasno predstavlja predsednika Enrikea Penja Nieta koji proždire belog goluba/icu, upućujući sa „+43“ na pokolj 43 studenata (normalistas) iz Ađocinape, tragedije koja se desila u septembru 2014. i još uvek tekuću akciju „¡Nos faltan 43!“ (nedostaje nam 43).

 

I'm noticing socially engaged ofrendas. One talks about the children that died in a fire of their kindergarten in the state of Sonora. The other shows the pictures of missing women and victims of family violence. The third one clearly represents the actual president, Enrique Peña Nieto, which is devouring a white dove, with an inscription “+43” referring to the missing 43 students (normalistas) from the city of Ayotzinapa, a tragedy that took place in September 2014 and a protest “¡Nos faltan 43!” (We're missing 43).

 

Posle toga posećujemo Soćimilco (Xochimilco), deo grada na jugu koji je jednim delom zadržao mrežu kanala i jezera, zaštićenu UNESCO-om, za koje se govori da vuče korene od starog Tenochtitlán-a, tj. Meksiko Sitija pre dolaska Kortesa i konkvistadora. Pada noć i gledamo vatromet.

Afterwards, we're visiting Xochimilco, part of the city on the south which have kept its lakes and a network of channels, protected by UNESCO, for which the people say dates back to the old Tenochtitlán – Mexico City before the arrival of Cortés and the conquistadors. Night is falling and we're watching the fireworks.

Poslednji dan, uspevam da se vidim sa dvoje novih prijatelja – Barbare i Borisa iz Ljubljane koji se, nakon godinu dana provedenih ovde, vraćaju u Sloveniju dan kasnije. Obilazimo ponovo Kojoakan, gde je odabrana Miss Calavera Catrina (kostur Katarina, popularan lik Dana mrtvih). Obilazimo el Museo Nacional de las Culturas Populares koji ima postavku u čast nedavno preminulog strip autora Gabrijela Vargasa. Koristimo priliku da se fotkamo – oni što se pakuju i putuju, a ja da, za promenu, imam fotke samoga sebe. Odlazimo do restorana Mesón Antigua sta. Catarina koji gleda na mali trg sa crkvom, gde mezetimo i nastavljamo dalje, ka jednom od gradskih groblja, koje se zove Panteón Frances.

The last day, I'm managing to see two new friends – Barbara and Boris from Ljubljana who, after spending one year in Mexico, are getting back to Slovenia the next day. Again we're visiting Coyoacán, which had it's Miss Calavera Catrina competition (skeleton Cathrin, a popular character of the Day of the dead). There was an interesting exposition in el Museo Nacional de las Culturas Populares dedicated to recently deceased popular comic author Gabriel Vargas. We're using the opportunity to make photos of eachother – they are leaving soon, and I to have any photos with myself on them. Visiting the restaurant Mesón Antigua sta. Catarina, overlooking a small square with a church, grabbing smth to bite and continuing to one of the city graveyards, called Panteón Frances.

 

 

 

Starinsko groblje koje, delovalo mi je, čak i u ovom danu koji je posvećen mrtvima, čami nekako prazno, sa skulpturama i raznoraznim grobovima. Eto, utolili smo želju da odemo i na groblje.

An old fashioned graveyard which, even in these days, it seemed to me, had been empty-ish, with many sculptures and diverse graves. There, we have been to a graveyard to see the customs.

Kasnije, u sopstvenoj režiji, obilazim glavni trg Zocalo, gde su mi rekli da se tradicionalno nalazi još jedna javna ofrenda. Ništa od toga. Puno ljudi, koncerti. Bogato kostimirani zarađuju koju paru za fotografisanje sa njima, ima svega – od zombi pankera, preko tradicionalnih katrina, do stvorenja iz pop kulture. Nisu na fotkama jer nisam imao sitno :/

Later, on my own, I'm visiting the main square Zocalo, where I was told I could have found a traditionally big ofrenda. Hm, nope. Many people, concerts. Ones richly masked are taking photos for money, you could see everything – from zombie punks, traditional catrinas, to pop culture characters. I had no change to take a photo of them :/

Po povratku kući, stavljam masku u ćošak police i gledam je. Mazanjem boja za lice na tikvu, postigao sam jedan sada već nenadano razmrljani efekat koji sam preneo i na pantalone. A crvena je u međuvremenu postala nekako ljubičasta. Iduće godine neka manje zahtevnija maska.

Upon returning home, I'm placing the mask in the corner of a shelf and look at it. By putting some face paint on it, I've accomplished a (now) smeared all over effect which extended accidentally on my pants. And the red color became purple (?!). Next year definitely a different and a less demanding mask.

Ako još uvek imate neki čudan osećaj povodom Dana mrtvih, pogledajte ovaj kratki animirani video. 
If you still have a restless feeling regarding the Day of the dead, check this short animation.