Día de Muertos/Day of the Dead
Día de Muertos (Day of the Dead) is a Mexican holiday that dates back to Pre Hispanic times, yes, before the Spanish conquest.
Once a year the Aztecs held a festival celebrating the death of their ancestors, while honoring the goddess Mictecacihuatl, Queen of the Underworld, or Lady of the Dead. The Aztecs believed that the deceased preferred to be celebrated, rather than mourned, so during the festival they first honored los angelitos, the deceased children, then those who passed away as adults.
After the Spaniards conquered the Aztecs in 1521, they tried to make the Aztecs adopt their Catholic beliefs. They didn’t understand the Aztec belief system and didn’t try to. As Catholics, they thought that the Aztecs were pagan barbarians and tried their best to squash the old Aztec rituals and fully convert the indigenous people over to their Catholic beliefs… but they failed. Spanish conquerors tried to vanish it, that’s why now it’s mixed with some catholic rituals as well.
With time, this holiday reached other parts of the world, but it’s Mexican. Don’t forget that.
Every part of the country celebrates in a different way, but with the same purpose.
In Mexico people put an Ofrenda, that is like a altar with a photograph of your deceased loved ones, with food, candy, drinks, and everything that the dead relatives enjoyed in life. Also, some people go to cemetery and put their Ofrendas there, they spend the night by the side on the graves, celebrating and remembering their deceased loved ones.
Día de Muertos is a celebration, a party, a fiesta, is not something sad or morbid, is a day to remember our loved ones with a smile.
We even have these sugar skull with our names on it, we have calaveritas, which are short poems with comical purpose about how we, the living ones, are going to die. We don’t see Death as something solemn and serious.
Día de Muertos allows the dead to live again.
Day of the Dead is important, very, for us Mexicans. I dare to say that is the most important holiday here, is part of our History, even is part of the UNESCO intangible cultural world.
Here are some important facts about Día de muertos:
- Día de Muertos (Day of the Dead) is on November 2. We celebrate also November 1, usually dedicated to children.
- La Catrina is a representation of the Death as an elegant lady. The original image was made by José Guadalupe Posada, then included by Diego Rivera in his “Sueño de una Tarde Dominical en la Alameda Central” painting.
- Although the Day of the Dead originated in Mexico it is also celebrated in other countries. Cities in the U.S. with large Mexican immigrant populations brought their traditions with them in joyous celebrations.
- Pan de muerto is baked and eaten on the Day of the Dead. The bread is sweet and is often decorated with strips of dough resembling bone or shaped like a skull and decorated.
- Sugar Skulls are used to decorate the ofrendas on Día de Muertos. These decorative skulls have the name of the deceased (or the alive as joke) on the forehead and are decorated with stripes, dots and swirls of icing to enhance the features of the skulls.
- Papel picado, often used to decorate Ofrendas, is a decorative craft made out of paper cut into elaborate designs. It is considered a Mexican folk art.
A proper Ofrenda has to have:
- Candles, to guide the way back to the world of the living.
- Papel picado.
- Cempasúchil flowers or marigolds, the smell helps our visitors to keep going.
- Salt.
- Water, because when they arrive, they’re tired.
- A cross made of quicklime or cempasúchil flowers, it also guides the way.
- A religious image, it could be a saint, the Virgin Mary, etc. (if you’re not Catholic, it’s not really necessary)
- Copal/Incense, the smell guides the deceased ones on their way back.
- Fruits, like apples, plums, bananas, pumpkins, sweet potatos, sugar canes, jicamas, tangerines, oranges, etc. These are seasonal mexican fruits, so, you can replace them with the deceased ones favorite fruits.
- Sugar skulls and other candies specifically made for Día de Muertos. (Like Calabaza en tacha, calaveritas de chocolate o amaranto)
- Pan de Muerto.
- A photograph of the deceased one(s) you’re dedicating your Ofrenda to.
- Food and drinks.
- Everything they enjoyed in life, like cigarettes or a toy or whatever.
