Dia de la Calabaza

?Calabaza? ? it is a word used in Mexico to describe any kind of pumpkin or gourd and even zucchini. Here in Montreal when you say ?citrouille? you narrow it down to pumpkins and gourds. In English a pumpkin is a pumpkin and there are only a few types that fit into the pumpkin category.

A pumpkin for me is a symbol of harvest, autumn and of course Halloween.I wanted to show Denya, my daughter, a little about Halloween traditions. I decided it would be fun to carve pumpkins into Jack-O-Lanterns like I did as a little girl. My Mexican friends were interested in this little tradition. Some of them remembered carving pumpkins as children, but the tradition hasn?t flourished because in Mexico the ?Dia de los Muertos? or the Day of the Dead is celebrated the 1^st and 2^nd of November. I asked my friends what they do with pumpkins in Mexico if they don?t carve them. All of them licked their lips in unison and replied, ?Dulce de Calabaza?. Based on their reaction, I wanted to learn more so we decided to have ?Pumpkin Day? or ?Dia de Calabazas?, a cultural exchange where we could teach and learn about pumpkin traditions.

The ingredients were easy to come by. All we needed were pumpkins, knives, cinnamon, and piloncillo (sugar from sugar cane). For the first part of the event we were mostly women and we prepared the sweet pumpkin from Mexico. The recipe was super easy and with a little guidance I did most of it myself. All my quantities are estimated. Take a look:

2 pumpkins (approx. 1.5 kg., usually these are the small green pumpkins)

Piloncillo (500-750 g., sugar from sugar cane)

Cinnamon to taste

Water

Slice the pumpkins into big chunks leaving the skin on. Keep the seeds in a separate bowl. Dilute the piloncillo in a large pot of water over medium heat. Once the piloncillo is diluted add the pumpkin and cinnamon. Let boil until pumpkin is tender but not overcooked, approximately 15-30 minutes. Enjoy! Serves lots!

It?s a sweet soup with pumpkin chunks inside and it?s delicious! It is loved by little children.

While we were making our pumpkin brew we were talking about the Day of the Dead in Mexico. It is a celebration to remember loved ones who have passed on. The tradition includes altars stacked with the dead person?s favorite foods, drinks or small items that were important during his or her life. Candles adorn the altar and sometimes photos help family members remember their loved ones.

I recall that some years ago, while traveling through the Chiapas State in Mexico I celebrated the Day of the Dead in San Juan Chamula. San Juan Chamula is a small village outside of San Cristobal. The people have maintained a very traditional way of life but the influences of the outside world were all too obvious. The tiny town is famous for their ceremonies and the fact that they do not allow anyone to take photos of them or of their town. The ceremonies are famous because they are a curious mix of old and new. The shaman are herbalists and spiritualists and their methods for diagnosing ailments and healing are unknown to me. Ceremonies often have two important ingredients: a chicken (usually killed) and Coca-cola. The Coca-cola is used in different ways during the ceremony, sometimes it is drank, sometimes it is used for cleansing, but it is necessary to have the sacred drink present when performing any type of ritual. Apparently, when Coke first appeared in San Juan Chamula it was marketed as being sacred because otherwise foreign food and drink were not accepted by locals.

The Catholic Church has no seats or benches. It is a huge open space where rituals can be performed at will. Although I didn?t have the opportunity to see a ritual performed in the church we did see the celebrations in the graveyard. Families gathered around the tombstones of their dead and picnicked together. It is customary that the family eat the favorite foods of their dead. The cemetery was the place of a beautiful gathering and it was decorated with cut paper of all colors strung between the light posts and trees. In addition, all the women wore their traditional huipil, an embroidered dress made with many bright colors. It was a beautiful event made even more special because it could only be captured and remembered in my mind?s eye.

My Montreal Mexican friends mostly come from big cities and their tradition involves an altar and offerings. The Day of the Dead tradition is a beautiful way to remember loved ones no longer with us.

While describing the tradition of Halloween to my friends it felt funny knowing that the holiday has evolved so much from its original meaning that today it?s really about candies and getting your pants scared off? oh, and of course pumpkins.

I was impressed with the originality that my friends all showed in their carvings. All of the pumpkins ended up being faces. Some of them were very hard to carve because they were a little unripe so their artists had to work diligently to create their vegetable masterpieces. It was fun to see everyone relaxing and having fun using their imaginations. One pumpkin even ended up with three dimensional ears!

Have a Happy Halloween.