Tuesday 5 November 2019

Día de los Muertos en Mexico City



This weekend I had the opportunity to celebrate 'Día de los Muertos' in Mexico City. Día de los Muertos is a Mexican holiday which has its roots in pre-Colombian culture, as the Aztecs and Mayans viewed death as a normal, natural part of the human experience. Rather than signifying the end, it was considered part of a cycle of transformation. The Mayans believed in 'el Ka'a put sikil' (Rebirth), lending itself to the idea that the souls of the deceased will awaken and return every year to be with their living relatives and savour traditional food and drink they enjoyed in life. This rich tradition remains vibrant in Mexico today, as relatives and friends build altars known as 'ofrendas', on which they leave food, drink, candles, photos and bright marigolds to welcome the souls of the deceased.

I mainly celebrated Día de los Muertos in Coyoacán. In the main plaza there was a marquee decorated with ofrendas inspired from the different states in Mexico, showing their individual traditions and celebrations.

Campeche
Guerrero
 I was particularly in awe at those of San Luis Potosí, Nayarit and Quintana Roo, and I enjoyed learning about the traditions in particular states, for example the 'Limpieza de los Santos Restos, ritual funerario de la comunidad de Pomuch', which takes place in Campeche. According to this custom, when a person passes away, they are buried for 3 years, after which the remains are exhumed and the bones placed in a wooden box. From this point on, the bones are cleaned by their relatives every 2nd of November, in a tradition known as 'Choo Ba'ak'. The inhabitants of Pomuch believe that if the family do not clean the bones of the deceased properly, their spirits will be restless and roam throughout the town.


Quintana Roo
Veracruz
Nayarit 
The atmosphere in Coyoacán over the weekend was truly amazing. I went every day to enjoy live music, traditional Mexican food and visit the ofrendas. A stage was set up on which artists from different states performed traditional Mexican songs and dances. Someone told me that on Saturday 125,000 people visited the plaza of Coyoacán, making it the second most popular place after the Zócalo!


Around the season of Día de los Muertos, the panaderías in Mexico City become filled with 'Pan de Muertos', a delicious sweet bread which is designed to represent the bones of the deceased. It is consumed by family members and also left on some altars as a form of 'ofrenda'. You can get them rellenos (filled) with chocolate or just plain- both are delicious!!


On Saturday the 2nd of November, the main parade for Día de los Muertos took place in the centre of Mexico City. I managed to get a good spot on Reforma to watch from start to finish, as the Zócalo was much more crowded. It was absolutely incredible; it included traditional dances and examples of rituals from various states in Mexico, often drawing on Mexico's pre-colombian heritage. Someone explained to me however that the parades for Día de los Muertos have only existed since the last James Bond movie!! I was struck that the weekend was filled with true celebration and excitement, without the taboo of death, due to the belief that the dead would be offended by mourning. I did find it slightly odd, however, that funeral companies used the parades to advertise their businesses. 





I found this to be such a special and unforgettable experience. I hope to come back to celebrate in the future, perhaps in another Mexican state such as Oaxaca or Michoacán! 





Friday 21 November 2014

GRWM: Autumn





Yoohooo family! I haven't posted on this blog in forever, and I miss it so much so I thought I'd do a lil post today :) I have been posting on YouTube a lot recently which is why I haven't been blogging as much :( I am currently in Y11 and I can't believe I'm leaving school in about 5 months, I'm so happy about it :) Currently picking my A-levels and applying to college and I'm so excited about it all <3
I just uploaded a get ready with me for autumn video, so if ya miss me you can watch that! haha lots of love, EK xxx





Tuesday 26 August 2014

Little brother does my makeup!

A few weeks ago I filmed a video of my little brother Sam doing my makeup! I loved filming it so thought I would show you all. <3


Thursday 21 August 2014

Poundland gems | The best nail polish remover for £1


I thought I would just show you all some little gems I found in Poundland yesterday. I always pop into the shop when I can because I always find amazing things (OPI and revlon nail polish, Stila makeup etc). They are hidden beneath a lot of cheap, kind of tacky things but when you find them it is an amazing success and you feel rather proud.

This nail polish remover is AMAZING! I bought the Bourjois one second one ages ago, and I really didn't like it. It leaves a really horrible residue and didn't really take my nail polish off properly (never mind in 1 second!?!) I reverted back to the usual nail polish remover in a bottle, and this summer I went on a camp. My best friend got this out of her suitcase and I tried it, and it literally took my nail polish off instantly. And isn't greasy at all. She said it was from poundland, and I finally managed to get some! This stuff works sooooo well! And is £1...obviously ;P

The hello kitty plasters are just adorable. I am going to keep them in my school bag this year for the times when people ask despairingly if anyone happens to have a plaster, and I can say 'actually, I do!' and whip out the hello kitty loves. I live for that moment haha ;P Honestly though, these came in handy last year and I can't believe I picked these cute ones up for £1!!

And last but not least, the tic tacs. Another gem for my school  bag, I eat them whenever I am having a bad lesson and it just makes it better. I don't know how but it does. And 4 packets for £1?!? These will last me forever.

Just wanted to share my poundland happiness with you all :) 


Monday 11 August 2014

A french adventure.


hello loves

On Thursday I got back from a little break in France with my family!

It was so much fun; I thought I'd show you all some of the pictures I took. We went to the Louvre too, but I am going to dedicate a whole post to that as it there is so much to say! 

We went to a little cottage in rural france for a week, then stayed in a few hotels on the way there and back, and went to Paris for 3 days!


This is me by the River Seine in Paris.


We had a meal on a boat going on the River Seine. So beautiful!


The Eiffel tower at night.


The Eiffel tower at day, taken from the top of the Arc de Triomphe!



Macarons in Paris. SO DELISH!!!


French pharmacies are about as common as coffee shops; they are on literally every street. And they are full of skincare brands like bioderma. They don't sell everyday things, me and my mum spent ages trying to find plasters! It's pretty much all skincare (amazing)


The most expensive Café I have ever been to and probably ever will go to! 

















This Chateau was a true fairy tale. The pictures don't justify how insanely gorgeous it is. I was actually speechless.

I love France so much and I really hope I get the opportunity to go again one day! 

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Sunday 13 July 2014

Summer shoe wishlist!



skull dr martens // floral trainers // lace flats // pineapple espadrilles // orange cut flats // black sandals //
// off white geek flats // yellow slingback flats //

Would you wear any of these? My faves are the black sandals and the asos floral trainers.

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Monday 7 July 2014

How I edit my Instagram pictures ♡



I get asked all of the time on my Instagram how I edit my pictures. I made a super short video showing exactly what I do, as it is easier than explaining it :) Sometimes I do more than this, and sometimes all I use is the Valencia filter. This tutorial is just for the average picture. Hope this is helpful!

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