In Mexico,
the dead are celebrated once a year during an event called “Día de Muertos”or Day of the Dead. It is a syncretism of indigenous beliefs with Catholicism.
While it is observed in almost all of Mexico (and now parts of the United
States), how it is celebrated varies from one place to the next. For example,
local observance can last from one to three days. The “day” is 2 November, but
those who observe three days begin on 31 October. Preparations for the event
begin well before this and usually include the creation of an altar called an “ofrenda”
(offering) which includes traditional Mexican foods, fruits and other produce
in season and if at the home, photos of the deceased being honored along with
offerings of things in life that they enjoyed. At my home, my mother’s photo is
accompanied by Milky Way candy, Pepsi, a cup of tea and even a pack of
cigarettes. In addition to ofrendas, it is traditional to clean and decorate
family graves on this day and even spend a day or night there. During the month
of October, many schools and cultural institutions sponsor events as well.
The library
at my school, ITESM-Campus Ciudad de México in Mexico City, wanted to
participate in some way with Wiki Loves Libraries which occurs in October and
November. We decided one of the best ways we could introduce working with
Wikipedia to students was to sponsor a photo contest, similar to Wiki LovesMonuments, themed for this holiday. While there are a number of photographsalready in Wikimedia Commons, they do not really begin to tell the story of
this very rich tradition. The contest has three categories with prizes: 1) the
best photo (which I call the “Wow” category) 2) the most original photograph (of
something no one else thought to take a picture of) and 3) the student that
uploads the most photographs of different things to Commons between the contest
period which is 5 October to 5 November 2012. The three categories are there to
encourage different kinds of photography, not only good pictures with good
cameras and techniques, but photos of local traditions, preparations and more
as well as increasing the breadth of photographic coverage. It not only allows
students who don’t have access to expensive cameras and training a chance to
win, it also aims to capture images and themes which are not already in
Commons.
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