Janitzio

=Celebration at Janitzio=

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Overview
The island of Janitzio is located in the state of Michoacan in the center of the lake Patzcuaro. The lake itself is famous for it being believed to be the gateway to heaven, and it is where God came down to earth. On the lake, there are multiple islands that celebrate the Day of the Dead. Despite there being multiple islands in on the lake, Janitzio is the most famous one. It is considered the most famous one due to the beauty the island shows over the holiday and the effort they put into the celebration itself. In fact, on the eve of the 30th, the boats that travel to and from the mainland move twice as fast in order to get supplies. The island itself is home to over 1500 people and is watched over by the statue of Jose Maria Morelos, an Mexican symbol of independence who stands over 40 meters tall.

The First Day
Early in the morning,you will notice that the whole island is decorated with yellow flowers, and that there are some fishermen on the water with nets. The nets resemble butterflies when the fishermen do their performances with the nets that have flowers on them. Not only are they entertaining the villagers and tourists, they also are catching a fish that is exclusive to the island. The fish is called the white fish for it being white. The fish will be used in the enchiladas that are put on some of the graves at night. The men in the village also go ahead and do some hunting in the morning. They are hunting for some of the ducks that have migrated from Canada and are used in the enchiladas with the white fish.

When you get further into the mainland you will probably notice some of the tourists gawking at some of the wares that the craftsmen are selling. You also should want to stay for the entire duration of the holiday because the boats that brought you to the island refuse to go ahead and leave the island in order to honor the dead's rest.

At night though, some fun and games begin. The people that have Teruscan blood in their veins are allowed to scatter bread, corn, and other assorted vegetables across the roofs and field of the island and is to be "robbed" by the young children of the bloodline. When the children have collected enough "loot", they are to take it to the portico of the temple or the Guatapera and cook it in a large pot. They then have a huge feast to celebrate. They also take some of the leftovers to the graveyard to lay on the graves there. The men themselves are only allowed to stand outside the gates while the women and children are allowed to go in and decorate and leave things for the dead.

The Second Day
When you wake up on the second day, you will notice that there is a more solemn feeling to the island. That is because from 7:00 AM to 10:00 AM the brothers, sisters and mothers honor their young sibling or children who died to early in life. This celebration is known as Vigil of the Little Angels. As soon as this session is done the island gets a bit more upbeat due to the dancing and celebrating is going on.

The children who took place in the "robbing" the last night go ahead into the fruit orchards and pick fruit to take to the priest. This is called Campanari.

The Third Day
On the third day, all the villagers do is celebrate and finish up their mourning sessions. Then they say goodbye to the tourists at the end of the day and prepare for the next celebration.

The Legend
Some people say that people come to the island for it's beauty. But, there is also a legend which might lure people to the island as well. The legend is about a princess, named Mitzita, and the prince, Itzihuapa, rise up as ghosts on this night. The two loved each other very much. The legend begins with Mitzita's father getting kidnapped, and the ransom was the gold that was rumored to be under the island. Itzihuapa went to get the treasure, but was jumped by 20 shadows of boatmen who dragged him under the water and stayed with him until death. The shadows were the 20 guardsmen of the treasure under the water. This event made Itzihuapa become the 21st guard.

Today, it is rumored that on the night of the Day of the Dead the two lovers appear under the vigil by going up the stone steps. It is practically considered a crime if you go up and disturb them. That is why they have the P'urhepecha women, in her finest clothes, pass around the stone steps to prevent a disturbance.