The country under review is Mexico the way it was portrayed by its famous citizen – Mexican poet and writer Octavio Paz. The author presents his perspective on Mexican lifestyle and culture in his influential essay The Labyrinth of Solitude . This analysis would focus on the essay’s Chapter 3 dedicated to fiestas in general and the Day of the Dead in particular, which reflect many national traits of Mexicans.
Fiesta or celebration is an extremely important cultural concept for Mexicans. According to Paz (1961), their “calendar is crowded with fiestas” (p.47). One may argue that every culture has holidays, and there is nothing special about Mexicans also having such. However, Paz identifies several peculiarities in how his compatriots celebrate and perceive their festivities compared to citizens of other countries. The writer also comments on the specific reasons for Mexicans’ passion for exuberant ceremonies and festive occasions.
Life experience often influences artists’ works, and Paz was not an exception. His family had suffered a lot during Mexican Civil War and was quite poor (Brittanica). However, Paz had access to his grandfather’s big library, where he learned a lot and later managed to get an education and started publishing his poems (Brittanica). What is important to note is that Paz visited and worked in several countries, including Spain, France, and the US. It allowed him to look at his homeland both from inside as its citizen and from outside as a person, who had contacts with foreigners, witnessed other lifestyles, and learned about different outlooks. One can learn more about something when one has alternatives to compare it to. The same goes for the culture: one cannot fully appreciate the good things about one’s culture and be critical of bad ones if one knows nothing about others. Therefore, Paz’s view on Mexican culture is so precise and valuable.
In Chapter 3 of The Labyrinth of Solitude , Paz explains Mexicans’ love for exuberant rituals, ceremonies, and festive activities. Moreover, he comments on several paradoxes related to Mexican attitudes towards holidays that often puzzle the foreigners. For instance, The Labyrinth of Solitude answers why Mexico wastes so much money on seemingly meaningless and useless celebrations. Another paradox explained by Paz is the weirdly festive and cheerful manner Mexicans celebrate the Day of the Dead.
Paz explains the essence and the peculiarities of Mexican fiestas through several cultural concepts. The first one is the appreciation of the present moment. Paz (1961) notes that during celebrations, “time comes to a full stop” and returns to its original form: “the present, in which past and future are reconciled” (pp. 47-48). Fiestas allow Mexicans to enjoy and appreciate what they already have instead of worrying about tomorrow beyond our reach (Paz, 1961). It might sound unpractical, as one should not completely abandon all thoughts and plans concerning the future or valuable memories from the past. However, what one can learn from such an attitude towards time is that excessive worries about the past or the future make people miss important life moments and forget about actually enjoying their life.
Another important observation Paz makes in this chapter is that fiestas might be the way for Mexicans to escape solitude. The author notes that Mexican celebrations always involve large masses of people. In Paris or New York, one may see big gatherings as well, but, as Paz (1961) points out, “the absence of people, in the sense of a people, is remarkable” there (p.48). Unlike such gatherings, where people would still stand in small groups and might be lonely even surrounded by a crowd, Mexican fiestas “form a living community” (Paz, 1961, p.48). Therefore, it is impossible to feel lonely on such occasions.
Mexican fiestas are not only crowded but also full of noise, energy, and even violence. Paz (1961) explains it as a need for Mexicans to get free from pent-up emotions: both positive and negative. Therefore, everything seems to be amplified during fiestas: “the silent Mexican whistles, shouts, sings, shoots off fireworks, discharges his pistol into the air” (Paz, 1961, p.49). Paz (1961) adds that by doing all of this, the Mexican “discharges his soul” (p.49). Although it is better to avoid the violent activities happening during fiestas, the overall way Mexicans release their pent-up feelings seems noteworthy.
The amount of money Mexicans waste on celebration astonishes foreigners. Moreover, they are shocked when they witness the festive atmosphere during the holidays or rituals connected to death. Paz (1961) explains that both of these cultural patterns follow the same principle: “everything attracts its opposite” (p.50). Therefore, for Mexicans, squandering is a way of attracting money, and celebrating death is the way they welcome and promote rebirth.
Mexican fiestas are chaotic, but Mexicans welcome this kind of chaos. It allows them to get free from social norms, customs, regulations, and from themselves (Paz, 1961). They can throw away their identities and pretend someone else. As “the customary hierarchies vanish,” everyone becomes equal and liberated during fiestas (Paz, 1961, p. 51). Thus, fiestas can be seen as a way to make people of different social statuses closer to each other.
In conclusion, Octavio Paz’s The Labyrinth of Solitude gives the readers a brief overview of Mexican culture and worldview. Mexicans’ attitudes towards fiestas contain valuable lessons: appreciation of the present, the importance of companionship, and free expression of emotions. Mexicans also noticed a magical connection between the opposite life phenomena and used it in their rituals: they waste money to attract them or celebrate death to provoke rebirth. Moreover, fiesta can be considered a small revolution against established norms: all participants lose the acquired statuses but get the sense of equality and companionship, which is difficult to feel in other circumstances.