La Catrina has arrived in Barrio México.
One of the main traditions for this season is writing a "calaverita."
One of the most beautiful and celebrated dates in our country is approaching: Day of the Dead. It is a day when we celebrate and pay tribute to all our loved ones who have moved on to a better place, and we want to remember them in one way or another, whether with their favorite dishes, their drinks, the activities they loved most, their music, or something representative of their personality.
One of the main traditions for this season is writing a "calaverita." Yes, exactly as it sounds: literary skulls. These are usually written not only for those who have passed away, but also for anyone celebrating this great Mexican holiday.
Literary calaveritas are traditional rhyming verses that highlight the main characteristics of the person they are based on. Some are written in a mocking or ironic tone, while others tend to be comedic or even romantic, depending on the approach you want to take.
They are dedicated to living people or public figures and usually narrate, in an ingenious and funny way, how death comes to take them away.
This tradition was born in the 19th century, when Fray Joaquín de Bolaños wrote the first calavera, dedicated to a doctor, in a mocking tone. Calaveritas emerged as a way to express ideas or feelings that we didn't dare say in person, but could release in writing.
At one point, they were censored, as people used them to describe and express political discontent of the time.
Have you ever heard how a calavera "sounds"?
We aren't referring to something as literal as the sound of a skull moving, but rather the steps we should keep in mind when writing or creating a calaverita for someone close to us.
We'll explain how to write one so you can dedicate them this beautiful season to all your friends or family. It will be a special touch to share it with them and show how important they are to you, with a calaverita in true Mexican style.
1.- Choose a character: It can be a friend, family member, or public figure.
2.- It is composed of verses, so you will divide its quatrain structure into four lines, ensuring each line starts and ends with a rhyme.
3.- You must include a humorous or sarcastic tone, imagining funny situations where death is involved in the daily life of the character you chose.
4.- One of the main characters in your calaverita will be "La Catrina," referring to death, who tries to catch your character, but they will always manage to escape from her in a funny way.
5.- To finish, you will have to wrap it up and decide whether or not death manages to take your character away.
Following these steps that we've shared, we showed off by making a Calaverita for Barrio México, which sounds something like this:
