According to tradition, the bereaved prepare the food that was preferred by their deceased relatives.
Pelileo, TUNGURAHUA
Sharing in the cemetery of Salasaca, parish of the Pelileo canton, province of Tungurahua, symbolically the food with those who went ahead on the road to the afterlife could not be done the previous year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But this Tuesday the families of the indigenous people met again around the tombs to participate in the ancient tradition with the offerings that each member brought.
Antonia Quinapanta, president of the Parish Board of Salasaca, said that for millennial peoples the Day of the Dead is important, because it allows them to continue with the tradition, which is the opportunity for families to come together in order to symbolically share the meals that each one takes to the graves where their loved ones rest.
“According to what our ancestors tell us, on this day also in the afterlife our deceased gather to share as a family. For that reason, not only adults come to the cemetery, but our children and young people, so that they can continue with the tradition that our ancestors have left us, ”he added.
Salasaca families gather around the graves of their loved ones
He commented that it was decided to open the cemetery after hearing the report of the cantonal and parochial Emergency Operations Committee (COE) that revealed that there were no new cases of COVID-19 infections in the town.
Luis Jerez commented that he went to live in Otavalo, but that since the Day of the Dead was a very special date for the indigenous people, he returned to Salasaca to share with his family once a year; He recalled that in 2020, due to the pandemic, they could not meet in the cemetery, because everyone passed at home. There were restrictions due to the situation in the country at that time.
In Salasaca rites are transmitted to younger people
Fausto Chango, former governor of the Salasaca people, said that each year they come with their parents and grandparents to symbolically share food with the deceased, which is a tradition that they do not want to be lost, because it is part of the ancestral culture.
He stated that meals are prepared and the foods that those who died liked in life are taken away; which is how they arrive with guinea pigs, rabbits, potatoes, beans, mote, banana, orange, as well as purple colada and guaguas de pan, which they share with a drink, which can be a chicha.
“On November 2, almost all the families meet, because those who are in Italy, France, the United States and other parts of the world arrive, as well as in other provinces of the country, especially in Galapagos, because what they want is to exchange and share food, ”Chango added. (I)
Paul is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment and general news. He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established herself as a respected voice in the industry.
