Remembering a Beautiful Angel / Recordando a un Angelito Bello

Continuing with a new publication of the research conducted over several years, interested individuals can find, in this short story for children, a narrative of the multi-faceted celebration of All Souls’ Day in Mexico.  


The Vigil of the Little Angels’ celebration takes place early in the morning of November 1st on the island of Janitzio. In an atmosphere of silent devotion, silhouettes of elderly women wrapped in shawls serve as a model for children to participate in the vigils. Mothers and siblings gather to remember with love and tenderness the little children who never grew to know the joys and sorrows of adulthood. Their loved ones offer the delicacies their departed most enjoyed during life on earth. The ritual lasts a few hours, but the intensity of it’s meaning is timeless.


In this bilingual book, the author presents over 35 color photographs that focus on the artisan works, rituals, costumes, and favorite foods used to express the continued connection felt between living families and their deceased.


And so this bilingual book published in English and Spanish, Remembering a Beautiful Angel  / Recordando a un Angelito Bello  narrates the way children celebrate this ancestral tradition in the island of Janitzio in the State of Michoacan. The Day of the Dead tradition has crossed boundaries and is widely celebrated by the Mexican American and Latino communities in the United States. The rituals of honoring the memory of the deceased are captivating the interest of the majority of the populations, who are looking for books that narrate the way the tradition is remembered; in particular by children, who are the ones who will keep the tradition alive in their communities from generation to generation.


Mrs. Andrade has devoted her life to the research of Day of the Day.  Her passion knows no borders.  She’s recognized as an international authority on Day of the Dead, a celebration so unique in its form, that the UNESCO has named it a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity.  


“Recordando a Un Angelito Bello” narra la forma como los niños celebran la antigua tradición de Día de Muertos en la isla de Janitzio, localizada en el estado de Michoacán, México.  


En este libro la autora relata la celebración que tiene lugar la mañana del primero de noviembre en la isla de Janitzio, donde en una atmósfera de devoción silenciosa las madres con sus hijos se unen para recordar con ternura y amor a los niños que murieron sin tener la oportunidad de saborear las alegrías y penas que la vida ofrece a los adultos. Durante este ritual los familiares colocan, frente al arco de flores y sobre las pequeñas tumbas, los juguetes preferidos de los niños fallecidos, comida, bebida y dulces. En silencio los menores mantienen la vigilia de la ceremonia en un ritual que dura aproximadamente tres horas, pero cuya intensidad y significado queda grabado en la memoria de los participantes y espectadores. 


La tradición de Día de Muertos en México fue declarada por la UNESCO como Obra Maestra del Patrimonio Intangible de la Humanidad. “Sin lugar a dudas es uno de los aspectos más importantes de la cultura de México, es una celebración de la vida y de la muerte llena de historia y profundamente enraizada en la idiosincracia de su gente”, comenta Mary J. Andrade.