The Story of the Man who Carried the Candles

*At Xcaret Park`s Esplanade

Joótsuuk Group presents La historia del cargador de velas [The Story of the Man who Carried the Candles]

**A collective creation of the Tihousuco Community Theater Group
**From the heart of Quintana Roo`s Mayan Zone, stories from oral traditions presented on stage

By Alejandra Flores

The stories told by the elders of Quintana Roo`s Mayan Zone have come to life thanks to Joótsuuk, directed by cultural advocate José Maria Uc.  For this year`s festival, the community theater group, with 20 years experience, will participate in the 3rd Life and Death Traditions Festival with their staging of The Story of the Man who Carried the Candles, a collective creation that blends elements from oral traditions surrounding the Day of the Dead celebrations.

For José Maria Uc, the theater is a way to recover memories of the ancient past and bring the customs and traditions of their people to the stage.  For over 20 years, the community theater group of more than 60 players, including boys and girls who participate as part of their life studies, has turned theater into a game where they once again value their native tongue, Maya, and their beliefs.

The Story of the Man who Carried the Candles presents an ancient Mayan tradition: the dead come to visit their relatives during the celebration of Hanal Pixan.  They come to eat and drink the offerings brought by their loved ones and sometimes that long pilgrimage of souls is witnessed by the living.  Mayan elders say that those who have seen the souls must not speak of it; they must keep the secret because if they don`t, if they give in to the temptation to tell someone, they will die during the Day of the Dead festivities and, as their punishment, they must go to the end of the line and carry the dearly departed`s candles on their backs.

The story, which will be presented in Maya, came to life as part of a theater workshop offered by Xcaret Park, in coordination with the Yucatan Cultural Institute, in which five Mayan communities from the State Quintana Roo participated.  This workshop was designed to make the daily work of community theaters more professional and provide theater groups with the tools needed to create theater productions.  We`re sure the results will leave spectators with the desire to learn more about Mayan traditions.  This is an incomparable opportunity to talk with the players—boys, girls, young people and adults—who will generously explain why, during the Day of the Dead festivities, they must keep their homes swept clean and put everything in its place; why their clothes must always be clean and embroidery hidden in a red cloth.

The Story of the Man who Carried the Candles will be presented on November 1st and 2nd at Xcaret Park`s Esplanade.