Mayan Festivals
Many of the Maya festivals continued to be held into the Spanish colonial period, and some of the Spanish elders such as Bishop Landa described festivals well into the 16th century. There are 3 types of perfomances that are carried out in the Maya language. They are:
-Dance
-Theatrical presentations
-Illusionismm
Dances followed a calendar, and ranged from performances with humor and tricks to dances in preparation for war. During the colonial period, thousands of people came from all around northern Yucatán to see and participate in the dances.
Music was provided by rattles; small bells of copper, gold and clay. A vertical drum ( called the pax) was made of a hollowed tree trunk and covered with an animal skin. Trumpets of wood, gourd, or conch shell, and clay flutes, reed pipes and whistles were also used.
Costumes were part of the dances as well. Shell, feathers, backracks, headdresses, body plates transformed the dancers into historical figures, animals, and gods. Some dances lasted all day. Food and drink were brought to the participants who were dancing. Prep for such dances were substantial, some rehearsal periods lasting for two or three months, organized by an officer (aka holoop). The holpop was a community leader, who set the music, taught others and helped out and organised the festivals throughout the year.
Rituals
There were many different rituals carried out by the people of the Mayan religion. most along the lines of death, but some other categories were known as bloodletting, or much less aggravating, dance. These rituals would have been very confronting for those who were involved but would have become everyday life and they wouldn't have known any different. If some of these rituals were carried out in our modern world, many penalties and many years in prison time would be what the persons involved would be up against.
Mayans feared death, but also feared their gods anger and judgement. They believed in a heaven after death and kept a great respect for those who had died, they would all mourn together at an extreme extent especially when dieing by either child birth, at war or on the battlefield as these were among the most noble deaths in the religion and was considered an "honour" so to speak to even be able to have been in contact with such a person. Those who didn't die of noble death were sent on a journey to heaven but those who sinned were sent to the Mayan version of hell.
Bloodletting is basically cutting open the body to release blood resulting in death. This was believed to be a communication method towards the gods and ancestors. These ceremonies were always on set dates and never came up out of the blue. They could be carried out on both humans and animals.
Mayans feared death, but also feared their gods anger and judgement. They believed in a heaven after death and kept a great respect for those who had died, they would all mourn together at an extreme extent especially when dieing by either child birth, at war or on the battlefield as these were among the most noble deaths in the religion and was considered an "honour" so to speak to even be able to have been in contact with such a person. Those who didn't die of noble death were sent on a journey to heaven but those who sinned were sent to the Mayan version of hell.
Bloodletting is basically cutting open the body to release blood resulting in death. This was believed to be a communication method towards the gods and ancestors. These ceremonies were always on set dates and never came up out of the blue. They could be carried out on both humans and animals.
Toby Westcott