La Ventosa Diidxazá Lexico-Botanical Dictionary: Example 25

Word senses:

• biguie'   In honor of a loved one who has passed away six months or more before the month of October, it is customary to set up an offering. There are two different types. One is a pyramid-shaped altar with either seven or nine stairs. The other, known as <biyee> or <biguie'>, has various elements. A square frame with a cross on top is hung from a structure made of four andirons that serve as columns. The frame is referred to as <beedxe'> meaning 'jaguar' and the cross is called <ique beedxe'> meaning 'jaguar head'. Both of these are decorated with marigolds (<biguá gui'xhi'>), the flower known in Spanish as <cordoncillo> (<guie' daana>), and the flower known in Spanish as <cresta de gallo>. The two andirons in the rear support the <beedxe'> while the two in front form an arch. The andirons are adorned with leaves and banana bunches, and the entire structure is elaborately decorated with abundant fruits, especially coconuts, apples, sugarcane, plantains, bananas, peanuts, lemons, oranges, and mandarins. Decorations also include homemade bread loaves with the name of the deceased written in frosting, as well as stars known as <bichiisa> made from the leaves of the plant with the same name (<Beaucarnea sanctomariana>), and colored tissue paper referred to in Spanish as <papel picado> (purple for elders, blue for men, and white for children). A straw mat with a candle on each corner is placed in front of the structure. A photograph of the deceased person is placed near the center of the structure as a focal point, and photographs of others who have passed on can also be included. The <biyee> or <biguie'> is set up during the All Saints' festival, known as <zhandu'>. During the first year of an offering for a deceased person it is referred to as <zhandu' yaa>. Traditionally it was common for the <biyee> or <biguie'> for deceased children to be set up on October 30th while those for deceased adults were set up on October 31st. However, for political reasons, this distinction has been lost. Currently the southern part of Juchitán de Zaragoza honors all deceased on October 30th while the northern part does so on October 31st.

Speaker

RGL03