spirituality

Monday night I attended the opening event of the 4^th annual Maya Day Celebrations, hosted by Tumul K’in Center of Learning. The Celebrations will last 13 days, which correspond to a spiritually significant number for the Maya. The Celebrations began with a traditional Maya ceremony at the stunning ancient temples of Lubaantun, outside of San Pedro Columbia village, in the Toledo District of southern Belize. This Maya city flourished in the late Classic period from around 700-900 AD. The architecture of Lubaantun is very unique, built with hand cut blocks, laid without mortar into a step-pyramid form with rounded corners. 

 

The spiritual ceremony was performed by a man who is a spiritual leader from the Belizean Maya community, accompanied by a Maya woman and man from Guatemala’s Ak’ Tenamit. The central altar was composed of sugar to represent the sweetness of the world, on which copal and candles were burned. The Maya altar and the Maya flag are composed of 4 equal sections, divided by an equal armed cross. The four sections of the Maya flag are colored red, black, white and yellow, which represent the four colors of corn and the four colors of people on Earth. In the Maya vision of the world, all people are considered equal and people of all cultures, ethnic groups and races are considered brothers and sisters. Copious copal smoke and continuous Mayan prayers filled the air between of Lubaantun’s ancient temples throughout the ceremony.

 

Gratitude for the ancestors’ role in the Maya’s vibrant and resistant culture today, was the central motive of the ceremony. The organizers stressed the importance of revitalizing the traditional Maya practices of spiritual gratitude, declaring that any day could be a “Maya day” and anyone could perform these ceremonies. In addition to the importance of showing gratitude to the ancestors, it was clear that this event renewed pride and solidarity for many, which itself was incredibly valuable. At the end of the ceremony, a torch was carried on a 3 hour torch run and motorcade rally all the way from Lubaantun to Tumul K’in where the flame was transferred to a torch at the school. The rally went through the communities of San Miguel, Silver Creek, Big Falls, Dump and Mafredi, with Maya families lining the route, standing outside their homes and cheering the young students on.  The celebration ended with traditional marimba music, fireworks, and a delicious meal of bean and cohune cabbage tamales and the traditional cacao drink. Mmmm... The whole event was inspiring, peaceful and exciting. And for the chance to experience this, I have to express my own gratitude. Tojo’kre!