A name that pops up in October is Santa Muerte. Who is the death saint?
A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:
Halloween is almost here, so is Dia de los Muertos - the Day of the Dead. It's a holiday in many places, normally just after Halloween, and its symbols include a skull that appears on everything from embroidered skirts and jewelry to pillows and dishware.
STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
This is also a season when people invoke la Santa Muerte - or the Death Saint.
ANDREW CHESNUT: She is the saint who never discriminates, because death accepts everybody. We all end up in her bony embrace.
MARTÍNEZ: Andrew Chesnut is a professor of religious studies at Virginia Commonwealth University. He's written a book about the skeleton saint, who is typically depicted as a bony woman wearing a robe and carrying a scythe.
CHESNUT: When the Indigenous people in Mexico first see the Spanish figure of the Grim Reapress (ph), they make that association with their own death goddess, the Aztec one, who's called Mictlancihuatl, who's the queen of the Aztec underworld called Mictlan.
INSKEEP: Santa Muerte began gaining a big following about 20 years ago on social media and, Chesnut says, controversy followed.
CHESNUT: For the past six or seven years, the Catholic Church in Mexico issues warnings not to involve Santa Muerte in their Day of the Dead commemorations because she's satanic.
MARTÍNEZ: But some believers say she grants miracles. Leslie Hurtado is reporter for Chicago's Cicero Independiente and the South Side Weekly.
LESLIE HURTADO: Similar to the Virgin Mary, many give offerings. They pray to her daily. So there's active participation.
INSKEEP: Hurtado recently covered a Santa Muerte celebration at a local grocery and taqueria.
HURTADO: The owner, Angelina Mendez, she is a firm devotee. And the reason for this event is that she made a promise to la Santa Muerte that if she fed the community in Little Village, if the store grew, she would honor her in a grand event.
MARTÍNEZ: The turnout was huge.
HURTADO: Many traveled far just to see her. They will do anything for her. It was really fascinating because there's a lot of them that honor la Santa Muerte.
INSKEEP: A figure sometimes referred to as the Virgin of the Forgotten.
(SOUNDBITE OF RODRIGO Y GABRIELA'S "THE EYE THAT CATCHES THE DREAM") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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Jina linalotokea mwezi wa Oktoba ni Santa Muerte. Mtakatifu wa Kifo ni nani? A. MARTÍNEZ, MUNGU: Halloween inakaribia, na ndivyo ilivyo Dia de los Muertos - Siku ya Wafu. Ni sikukuu katika maeneo mengi, kawaida baada ya Halloween, na alama zake ni pamoja na fuvu la kichwa ambalo linaonekana kwenye kila kitu kutoka kwa suruali na vito vya kutikisa hadi mto na vyombo. STEVE INSKEEP, MUNGU: Hii pia ni msimu ambapo watu huomba la Santa Muerte - au Mtakatifu wa Kifo. "Mwanamke huyo alisema: ""Mwanamke huyu ni mtakatifu ambaye hautofautishi, kwa sababu kifo kinakubali kila mtu." Sote tunamalizika katika kiungo chake chenye mifupa. Andrew Chesnut ni profesa wa masomo ya dini katika Chuo Kikuu cha Virginia Commonwealth. "Mwanamke huyo wa kwanza wa kiume, ambaye ni mtakatifu wa mifupa, anaonekana kama mwanamke mwenye mifupa aliyevaa mavazi na kubeba ""kisu.""" "Mwanamke huyo wa kwanza wa Kihispania, ambaye ni mmoja wa watu wa asili wa Mexico, alipewa jina la ""Mictancihuatl,"" jina la mungu wa kifo wa Aztecs, ambaye alikuwa mfalme wa ulimwengu wa chini wa Aztecs." "Mwanamke huyo wa zamani wa Santa Muerte, ambaye ni mwanafunzi wa chuo kikuu cha San Francisco, alisema: ""Nilikuwa na wasiwasi sana na wasiwasi wangu, lakini niliamua kuamua kuamua." "Katika miaka ya hivi karibuni, Kanisa Katoliki la Mexico limekuwa likitoa onyo kwa watu wa dini ya ki-Katholiki kwamba ""mtu yeyote asiye na imani ya kweli"" hawezi kuhudhuria sherehe za Siku ya Wafu." MARTÍNEZ: Lakini waumini fulani husema kwamba yeye hutoa miujiza. Leslie Hurtado ni mwandishi wa Chicago's Cicero Independiente na South Side Weekly. "Mwanamke mmoja wa familia ya Maria alisema: ""Kama ilivyo kwa Bikira Maria, watu wengi hutoa matoleo." Wao husali kwake kila siku. Kwa hiyo kuna ushiriki wa kazi. Hurtado hivi karibuni alishughulikia sherehe ya Santa Muerte katika duka la vyakula na taqueria la mahali hapo. Mmiliki wa nyumba hiyo, Angelina Mendes, ni mfuasi wa kanisa hilo. "Mwanamke huyo alimwambia Santa Muerte kwamba kama angemlisha mtu yeyote katika kijiji hicho, angemheshimu katika tukio kubwa.""" MARTÍNEZ: Watu wengi walikuja. HURTADO: Wengi walisafiri mbali ili tu kumwona. Watatenda chochote kwa ajili yake. Kwa kweli, ni jambo la kushangaza kwamba kuna watu wengi ambao wanaamini kwamba Santa Muerte ni mtu wa kweli. INSKEEP: Mfano ambao nyakati nyingine huitwa Bikira wa Waliosahaulika. "Kama ilivyoandikwa katika kitabu cha ""The Eye That Catches the Dream"" cha Rodrigo y Gabriela, ""The Eye That Catches the Dream"" ni wimbo wa muziki wa muziki wa muziki wa muziki wa muziki wa muziki wa muziki wa muziki wa muziki wa muziki wa muziki wa muziki wa muziki wa muziki wa muziki wa muziki wa muziki wa muziki." NPR transcripts ni kuundwa juu ya haraka deadline na Mkataba NPR. Nakala hii inaweza kuwa si katika fomu yake ya mwisho na inaweza kusasishwa au kurekebishwa katika siku zijazo. Usahihi na upatikanaji inaweza kutofautiana. Rekodi ya mamlaka ya programu ya NPR ni rekodi ya sauti.