Santa Muerte

[church mouse guy]

Recently, Fausta's Blog posted a thread about the widespread Mexican cult of Catholicism called Santa Muerte(female saint death), which is spreading into the USA as well as all over Mexico.

The central figure, Santa Muerte, is represented as a skelton dressed as death but with an echo of the traditional clothing of a female Catholic. According to the BBC, which reported on the cult, the figure of Santa Muerte is "...thought to stem from Mictecacihuatl, an Aztec goddess who presided over a festival of death every August."

The ceremony resembles a Catholic mass and is estimated to have 10 or 12 million followers. It is in the slums of about every Mexican city and is widespread in the USA with followers in Brooklyn and Los Angeles and elsewhere. It attracts the destitute, the criminal underground and the cartel narco-trafficers as well as LBGT people.

The Vatican has formally denounced the "skeleton saint" but the cult still has a huge following at their weekly meetings as well as their main holiday of November 1 and 2.

The BBC remarks, "Attendees will bring offerings such as tequila, beer, cigarettes, traditional snacks and flowers for Santa Muerte and deceased friends and family."

Santa Muerte: The rise of Mexico’s death 'saint'

 

[JohnDeereFan]

Recently, Fausta's Blog posted a thread about the widespread Mexican cult of Catholicism called Santa Muerte(female saint death), which is spreading into the USA as well as all over Mexico.

The central figure, Santa Muerte, is represented as a skelton dressed as death but with an echo of the traditional clothing of a female Catholic. According to the BBC, which reported on the cult, the figure of Santa Muerte is "...thought to stem from Mictecacihuatl, an Aztec goddess who presided over a festival of death every August."

The ceremony resembles a Catholic mass and is estimated to have 10 or 12 million followers. It is in the slums of about every Mexican city and is widespread in the USA with followers in Brooklyn and Los Angeles and elsewhere. It attracts the destitute, the criminal underground and the cartel narco-trafficers as well as LBGT people.

The Vatican has formally denounced the "skeleton saint" but the cult still has a huge following at their weekly meetings as well as their main holiday of November 1 and 2.

The BBC remarks, "Attendees will bring offerings such as tequila, beer, cigarettes, traditional snacks and flowers for Santa Muerte and deceased friends and family."

Santa Muerte: The rise of Mexico’s death 'saint'

When you say "skeleton", does this have anything to do with the Day of the Dead skeletons you see everywhere?

 

[church mouse guy]

When you say "skeleton", does this have anything to do with the Day of the Dead skeletons you see everywhere?

Yes, the BBC mentions this and Mexicans in the USA have inserted Day of the Dead costumes into Halloween. Apparently all this comes from the Aztecs and an indigenous culture that never fully disappeared. Have you seen the pictures of Santa Muerte--she is one ugly thing, a lot like the Grim Reaper. The name is also translated as Holy Death, as you know.

Here is a foto:

 

[JonC]

Recently, Fausta's Blog posted a thread about the widespread Mexican cult of Catholicism called Santa Muerte(female saint death), which is spreading into the USA as well as all over Mexico.

The central figure, Santa Muerte, is represented as a skelton dressed as death but with an echo of the traditional clothing of a female Catholic. According to the BBC, which reported on the cult, the figure of Santa Muerte is "...thought to stem from Mictecacihuatl, an Aztec goddess who presided over a festival of death every August."

The ceremony resembles a Catholic mass and is estimated to have 10 or 12 million followers. It is in the slums of about every Mexican city and is widespread in the USA with followers in Brooklyn and Los Angeles and elsewhere. It attracts the destitute, the criminal underground and the cartel narco-trafficers as well as LBGT people.

The Vatican has formally denounced the "skeleton saint" but the cult still has a huge following at their weekly meetings as well as their main holiday of November 1 and 2.

The BBC remarks, "Attendees will bring offerings such as tequila, beer, cigarettes, traditional snacks and flowers for Santa Muerte and deceased friends and family."

Santa Muerte: The rise of Mexico’s death 'saint'

Very sad.

 

[JohnDeereFan]

Yes, the BBC mentions this and Mexicans in the USA have inserted Day of the Dead costumes into Halloween.

Yeah, I probably should have read the article before I posted. Sorry.

I don't know if it's because I'm in South Florida, where there's a very large Mexican community, but I've never seen so much Day of the Dead stuff as I have this year. They just had a huge festival for it a couple of weeks ago.

Apparently all this comes from the Aztecs and an indigenous culture that never fully disappeared. Have you seen the pictures of Santa Muerte--she is one ugly thing, a lot like the Grim Reaper. The name is also translated as Holy Death, as you know.

I went to that repository of all knowledge, Wikipedia, and this is what they said:

Santa Muerte is also seen as a protector of homosexual, bisexual, and transgender communities in Mexico,[33] since many are considered to be outcast from society.[34] Many LGBT people ask her for protection from violence, hatred, disease, and to help them in their search for love.[35][36]

Her intercession is commonly invoked in same-sex marriage ceremonies performed in Mexico.[37][38] The Iglesia Católica Tradicional México-Estados Unidos, also known as the Church of Santa Muerte, recognizes gay marriage and performs religious wedding ceremonies for homosexual couples.[39][40][41][42]

So, they have that going for them, I guess.

 

[church mouse guy]

Thanks, John Deere Fan, for that information! Don't have to apologize for not reading anything from the BBC. Do you read Fausta's Blog--she uses BBC from time to time? Do you know any Cuban dissidents? I also read Babalu Blog. Actually, I started reading the Cuban dissidents about three years ago and they linked to Fausta. She lives in Florida, also, although she is from Puerto Rico. She is a sort of clearing house for all things Latin American. Having seen this Day of the Dead stuff with your own eyes, what is your opinion of it?

 

[JohnDeereFan]

Do you read Fausta's Blog--she uses BBC from time to time?

No. I've never heard of her.

Do you know any Cuban dissidents?

I know a couple of Cubans who escaped, but I don't know if I'd call them "dissidents".

One of my neighbors has a really fascinating story.

He came here on a raft with literally nothing but a jug of water and the clothes on his back.

He found a broken rake in the trash and used it to go door to door raking up palm fronds. One thing led to another and now he owns one of the largest landscaping companies in Florida. God bless America.

Having seen this Day of the Dead stuff with your own eyes, what is your opinion of it?

Honestly, I'm torn. I think the imagery can be very beautiful, but I also think of Bible verses like Proverbs 8:36 that tell us we're not to glorify death.

 

[church mouse guy]

Very interesting. One of the reasons that Cubans have been so successful in this country is that their island had the highest per capita income in all of Latin America before Castro.
I agree with you about Santa Muerte. One person said that it is a religion for criminals like those of the mafia who used to be so supportive of Catholicism.