Culture / Traditions
3 galleries
Collection of Galleries on Culture and Traditions.
Currently we are featuring photographs of:
- Day of the Dead, as celebrated in Mexico (Los Cabos, Baja California Sur)
- Turtle Release
Currently we are featuring photographs of:
- Day of the Dead, as celebrated in Mexico (Los Cabos, Baja California Sur)
- Turtle Release
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33 imagesPhotographs were taken at a public cemetery during The Day of The Dead celebrations in San Jose del Cabo, Baja California Sur, Mexico. Day of the Dead, El Día de los Muertos, or All Souls' Day, is a holiday celebrated all over the world in honor of our beloved deceased. The holiday focuses on gatherings of family and friends to pray for and remember friends and family members who have died. In Mexico, El Día de los Muertos is actually a celebration of life. The Day of the Dead celebrations in Mexico can be traced back to the indigenous Olmec, Zapotec, Mixtec, Mexican or Aztec, Maya, P'urhépecha, and Totonac. Rituals celebrating the deaths of ancestors have been observed by these civilizations perhaps for as long as 2500-3000 years. In most regions of Mexico, November 1 honors children and infants, whereas deceased adults are honored on November 2 by taunting them in their grave. This is indicated by generally referring to November 1 mainly as "Día de los Inocentes" (Day of the Innocents) but also as "Día de los Angelitos" (Day of the Little Angels) and November 2 as "Día de los Muertos" or "Día de los Difuntos" (Day of the Dead). The Day of the Dead celebration occurs on the 2nd of November in connection with the Catholic holiday of All Saints' Day which occurs on Nov 1st and All Souls' Day which occurs on Nov 2nd. Traditions include building private altars honoring the deceased, using sugar skulls, marigolds, and the favorite foods and beverages of the departed, and visiting graves with these as gifts. Similar holidays are celebrated in many parts of the world; it's a public holiday (Dia de Finados) in Brazil, where many Brazilians celebrate by visiting cemeteries and churches. In Spain, there are festivals and parades, and at the end of the day, people gather at cemeteries and pray for their loved ones who have died. Similar observances occur elsewhere in Europe and in the Philippines, and similar celebrations appear in many Asian and African cultures.
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43 imagesEaster Champagne Brunch as celebrated at Capella Pedregal Hotel & Resort, in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur. The Easter brunch was offering inclusive Taittinger Champagne and Bloody Marys. Don Manuel's restaurant's Su Cocina was serving breakfast items, combination salads, seafood selections, traditional roasts and accompaniments, Continental Charcuterie and cheeses, Mexican specialties and a tempting choice of desserts.
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48 imagesTurtle Release in Los Cabos, at the Beach Club of Club Campestre. Sea turtle monitoring, nurseries, and hatchling release programs are helping to improve sea turtle survival rates in Los Cabos. Sea turtles migrate the world's oceans and have come to Los Cabos beaches to lay their eggs for millions of years. Two of the world's eight sea turtle species nest in Los Cabos. The smallest, the Olive Ridley, also known as the golfina, nests June through to December. The golfina feeds on shrimp, jellyfish, snails and algae, and can grow to 26 inches long, weighing up to 90 pounds. The largest marine turtle, the Laud, or leatherback, nests on our beaches from November through February. Leatherbacks grow up to 70 inches long, weighing up to 1,300 pounds. Its favorite food is jellyfish, and it will dive up to one kilometer in search of food. Golfinas, and especially leatherbacks, are endangered species, suffering from the effects of long lines, fishing nets, development, and illegal poaching. Most mature sea turtle females return to the beach of their birth, called a natal beach, to dig their nests and lay their eggs at night. Only about one in 1,000 of their offspring will survive the treacherous journey from the nest to maturity. After incubating for about two months, they hatch, and take several days to claw their way out of the nest, instinctively making their way to the sea, following the moon and the horizon. Many fall prey to birds and sand crabs as they struggle to reach the shore, others are led off track by deep grooves left from vehicular traffic and disorienting artificial lighting from beachfront hotels and residential areas. Once in the ocean, they face new predators or are victims of long line fishing nets, poaching and pollution. Sea turtle nursery programs greatly improve hatchling survival rates through the first critical stage of their lives. The tiny hatchlings are returned to their nesting area, and released close to the sea at sunrise or sunset.