AT COURT LEVEL
CWith the title that accompanies this article, the little deathI am not referring to the death of any player or of any technical director of any of the teams that make up the NBAthe league of basketball most popular in the world. Rather, I am referring to the way Mexicans live, enjoy, celebrate, enjoy, rejoice and they taste death with succulent dishes and desserts.
A band originally from Satélite, in Naucalpan, State of Mexico, formed in 1989, whose musical style consists of fusing rock with electronic and guapangos and that uses thematic lyrics from stories and sounds originating in popular Mexican folklore, Tacuba Coffeecreated the song: “La muerte chiquita”. This single comes from his fourth double production: Reverse (instrumental experimental) / I am (accumulated songs that were not published from the album Re) and premiered on July 20, 1999.
The song, composed by Emmanuel del Real and produced by Gustavo Alfredo Santaolalla, has become a reference anthem to frame the celebration of the popular Day of the Dead in Mexico.
The Teotihuacanos, the Mexica, the Nahuatl culture, the Mayans, the Purépechas, all in their time worshiped their dead among rituals, deities, decorations, incense, offerings, accessories, food, the use of the xoloescuincle dog. When the Spanish arrived to conquer the Mexica territory, they brought their customs and ways of seeing and celebrating the deceased, syncretizing and mixing the uses and customs of the pre-Hispanic people with Spanish Catholic traditions.
THE DAY OF THE DEAD IS CELEBRATED VERY MEXICANLY
In this way, today the festival of All Saints and All Souls’ Day coincides with the ancestral celebration of the pre-Hispanic natives on November 1 and 2.
On these dates we see in the neighborhood markets, the street markets, the large commercial chains, colorful sugar skulls, chocolate skulls, clay skulls of different sizes, shredded paper mats of various colors with engravings related to death, the delicious bread of the dead with sugar, with sesame seeds, the traditional cempaxúchitl flowers, the velvet flower, copal incense, candles, candles, fruits such as tejocote, canes, sweet potato and castile pumpkin (make it in tacha, piloncillo candy).
All this to place on traditional altars, where photographs of loved ones who have died are also placed, as well as cigarettes, food and alcoholic beverages. In this way, the tradition of celebrating the Day of the Dead continues, seasoned with literary skulls with humorous overtones.
The State of Mexico, Tlaxcala, Aguascalientes, Zacatecas, Oaxaca, Chiapas, Michoacán, Morelos Yucatán, Tabasco, Puebla and other states have their own peculiar ways to celebrate the Day of the Dead. The important thing is that traditions and customs are continued in order to preserve them and pass them on from generation to generation.
On November 7, 2003, the ceremony to declare the indigenous holiday of Day of the Dead as a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity was held in Paris, France, at the UNESCO facilities.
WHAT DOES THE NBA HAVE TO DO WITH THE SMALL DEATH?
Meanwhile, the NBA will honor and recognize the Day of the Dead holiday with a regular season game. To do this, the stave will be decorated with the theme of the deceased. The objective is to expand the market and take the gust sport outside the United States and Canada.
The NBA announced that the game will take place in Mexico City; It will be game number 33 of the best basketball league in the world and will feature the Miami Heat quintets against the Washington Wizards. The event is at the CDMX Arena on Saturday, November 2 at seven at night. It should be noted that since 1992 the NBA has held games in Aztec lands, both exhibition and regular season games.
NBA managers know and understand the vast culture of our country. They know that on the day of the game the dead are celebrated, that is why they chose that date, as part of their marketing to attract thousands of followers and fill the chosen venue to the rafters.
On October 2, 2024, through the platform account NBA X The design of the thematic floor for the Miami vs. game was shown. Washington in the Mexican capital. A skull will be painted in the center of the field and on the edges of the field there will be decorations with traditional flowers of this Day of the Dead festival.
BASKETBALL, BUT ALSO CINEMA, TO COMMEMORATE THE CHIQUITA DEATH
The Heat’s stars will play on this very Mexican-style court: Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo and Jaime Jáquez Jr. The Wizards will arrive with their emblematic players: Kyle Kuzma and Jordan Poole. Miami will play its third game in Mexico, and Washington will hold its fourth game in Aztec lands.
To be in November 1 and 2 mode, very much in the style of La muerte chiquita, “At the Field Level” recommends the film from the era of Mexican golden cinema. Macariofrom 1960, a psychological drama film directed by Roberto Gavaldón; the script was written by Emilio Carballido; The photograph was taken by Gabriel Figueroa; and the music was composed by Raúl Lavista. The film stars Ignacio López Tarso, Enrique Lucero and Pina Pellicer.
the movie Macario It was an adaptation of the book of the same name as the film, by writer B. Traven. It was set in the time of the Viceroyalty of New Spain, in the celebration of the Day of the Dead. Macario It was the first Mexican film nominated for an Oscar, in the best foreign language film category; and was entered and screened at the Cannes International Film Festival in its 1960 edition.
Tradition, song, food, colorful NBA game and movie. Everything to be in Day of the Dead mode. N
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Carlos Oros is a sports commentator and columnist with a decade in the media. Graduated from the Communication degree at the Universidad Iberoamericana, he is a radio and television producer and host in Aguascalientes. The views expressed in this article are those of the author.
