Ghost notes
In music, a ghost note or dead note is a musical note with rhythmic value, but without a discernible tone when touched. In musical notation, this is represented by an "X" for the note head instead of an oval, or a parenthesis around the note head. This should not be confused with X-shaped notation which raises a note to a double sharp. In stringed instruments, this occurs by sounding a silent string. “Mute to the point where it’s more percussive than obvious and clear in tone. There is a tone, certainly, but its musical value is more rhythmic than melodic or harmonic... they add momentum and lead to any bass line.” When they are on a rhythmic figure, they are deliberately ignored, often to the point of near silence. Ghost notes are often used by electric and double bass players in various varieties of popular music and traditional music styles. In vocal music, a ghost note represents words that are spoken rhythmically instead of sung.
Day of the dead
Janal Pixan is the Mayan version of the celebration otherwise known as Dia de Muertos (Day of the Dead). In the Yucatán Peninsula the tradition differs from that of the rest of Mexico, altars are set up in memory of deceased loved ones on which photos of them are placed as well as offerings of their favorite foods and drinks; all decorated with flowers and pious images as well as crosses drawn with chalk or rice. The weekend before November 1st, two popular festivals take place in the historic center of Mérida. First the Parade of Souls where the participants parade with their faces made up like a “calavera” (skull) and carrying a lantern. The next day takes place the funeral procession which begins with a tin coffin filled with orange flowers and carried by sad young boys. Then the opposing entities parade dancing and accompanied by stilt walkers, followed by children in traditional Yucatec costume and then the adults. Among them a spectacular Catalina dressed in black brocade in a carriage. Commemorations continue on October 31 and November 1 with processions in cemeteries as elsewhere in Mexico.