Día de los Muertos

Featured photo courtesy of Vlad Tchompalov on Unsplash

Día de los Muertos or Day of the Dead is a holiday filled with food, music, flowers, candles, skulls, and skeletons. Don’t get it confused with Halloween, because it’s not the same.

Día de los Muertos is a two-day holiday festival celebrated Nov. 1 and 2. Día de los Muertos is highly associated with Mexico but it’s celebrated in many Latin American countries and Mexican populations in the United States.

The holiday is a mix of Aztec tradition and the Catholic observance of All Saint’s Day, Nov. 1, which is reserved for honoring deceased children and All Souls Day, Nov. 2, honors deceased adults. 

It is believed that the veil between the living and the dead is thinnest, and deceased loved ones are able to visit the living for the day. The reason for this holiday is to celebrate the lives of deceased loved ones. It’s a way to normalize death.

If people grieve and are sad over the dead, it is believed the descended will be offended, so they honor them with laughter and joy.

People clean and decorate graves, orange marigolds usually presented on adult’s graves and white orchids on children’s graves.

Calacas (skeletons) and calaveras (skulls) are known to be symbols of the holiday. Most people associate the two with Día de los Muertos, because they are everywhere. They are seen on masks, makeup, posters, figurines, and most decorations.

Food is seen as an important part of Mexican culture, so this holiday isn’t short of different recipes. There’s a range of sweets, pan de Muertos, and most ofrendas (table filled with offerings) have that person’s favorite meals like mole, tamales, or hot chocolate.

Ofrendas, meaning offering in Spanish, are set up to remember and honor their deceased loved ones. The ofrenda is set up on a table, usually with a white tablecloth and papel picado (cute tissue paper).

There can be several levels to an ofrenda. The top is the place for images of Saints and the Crucifix. For each deceased relative, there is a candle, the light being one of the many things to guide their way back home for the day. A path from the cemetery to the ofrenda at home is covered with flower petals, candles, and offerings to help guide spirits as well.

There is so much more that goes into this holiday, and there is so much more to learn about through experiencing it and not just reading about it.

A way to learn more is to watch Coco, the Book of Life, or other movies about Día de los Muertos. Another way to learn more and to participate in this holiday is building your own ofrenda.

Ofrendas have room for creativity, and each one is different from others. This is because they honor people that you personally knew, so you are able to form the offering in ways they would enjoy most. The constant between each ofrenda is the representation of the four elements. Fire is represented by candles, wind is papel picado, earth is the food, and water is simply water.

There are eights items to include while building your own ofrenda and you have plenty of time to prepare for next year.

Representing the sun, Cempazuchitl are flowers with a gold yellow or copper-brown color. These marigolds create a pretty and aromatic atmosphere, and they attract the souls of the dead. Petals of these flowers trail from the front door to the ofrenda to guide spirits, and they are used to decorate graves.

Pan de muerto (bread of the dead) is known by its criss cross design, meant to represent bones. Each region has a different recipe, topping the bread with sugar, sesame seed, or butter. The bread might have a variety of fillings, like cajeta, chocolate and nata. Generosity of the host is symbolized in the bread, and it feeds the dead upon arriving from their long journey.

The flame of a candle symbolizes hope and faith. For some indigenous groups, the number of candles on an ofrenda represent the number of people they are celebrating. Others have four candles, placed in a cross represent the four cardinal directions to help souls orient themselves and find the ofrenda with ease. The candles are usually white. Purple candles can be used as well, which symbolizes grief.

Copal Incense is burned for a number of reasons, it is seen as an offering to the gods and it cleanses the air to allow spirits entrance without difficulties. The element is seen as praise and prayer, the rising smoke bringing people’s prayers to the gods.

Papel picado decorates the altar. These are thin sheets of colorful paper filled with cut-out designs like animals, pumpkins and skeletons. Since the paper is associated with wind, upon the arrival of the spirits of their loved ones, the papers will move and alert their presence.

Water is needed to quench the soul’s thirst, and it’s present on every ofrenda. Even though there are popular foods like mole or fruits, the drinks and food placed on an ofrenda can be anything, and it’s normally a food that the spirit enjoyed. 

Sugar skulls represent both death and the sweetness of life. Sugar skulls are decorated with flowers and other designs, often including the names of the people the alter is made for.

Personal items can range from a favorite pastime to an article of clothing and it is different for certain ofrendas. Toys are normally included for children that are honored on Nov. 1. This part of the ofrenda is to make your guests feel comfortable and at home.