Día de los Muertos - The Day of the Dead

Written by MikeH

Día de los Muertos

Colourful Altar

Although many things have been said and written about Dia de los Muertos, my goal of this article is to share with you some key facts about this ancient three-day colorful celebration that runs from October 31st to November 2nd. It is an integral part of Mexican identity and culture. 

For me this celebration is all about keeping our ancestors’ memories and allowing them to remain alive with us. Even though Día de los Muertos was not as exciting for me as Christmas or the Three Wise Men day, I appreciated as a child growing up, being able to learn about our ancient customs, at home and also at school. Even today it plays a large role in Mexican schools where contests take place to choose the best and most original altar. This encourages children to participate and giving them an understanding of this practice.

Let me begin by giving you an overview of on the origin of this colorful festivity. Dia de los Muertos, in English the Day of the Death, is a holiday usually celebrated from October 31st to November 2nd in Mexico where the tradition originated.  It is also present in other Latin American countries. In 2003, the UNESCO designated this celebration as Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity. 

The holiday can be defined as a fusion from indigenous Aztec rituals and Catholicism. This was brought to the region by Spanish conquistadores whose goal was to remember the dead with festivals and offerings. An interesting fact is that before the Spanish colonization in the 16th century, this celebration probably used to be held at the beginning of summer. In a later stage in history, the Catholic Church decided to make it coincide with All Saints' Eve, All Saints' Day, and All Souls' Day.

According to Mexican belief, during this period the dead are awakened from their eternal sleep to come back to this physical world to share celebrations with their loved ones. The living (family members, relatives, friends) are entitled to honour the deceased with food, drinks, personal objects, events or activities that the dead enjoyed in life. 

Although the traditions to celebrate the Dia de los Muertos are not universal and vary from region to region in Mexico, people frequently place richly decorated altars (called “ofrendas” in Spanish) in their homes as a welcome gesture for the souls. In some regions, for example Michoacán state and specifically in Janitzio, the families go to the cemetery where they clean and decorate the tombs of their dead relatives and place offerings. 

Food Offerings

The belief of the people is that the food and beverages placed on the altars are reserved for the spirits of the dead, who eat the "spiritual essence”. From my personal beliefs and practices, the food and drinks can be consumed only following the festivities on November 2nd as otherwise it can be considered an offense to our ancestors. 

Construction of the altars and the elements, varies from region to region. These can range from humble compositions to very sophisticated and expensive constructions. However elaborate or modest the altars are, they serve the same purpose: remembering the beloved ones. 

The Offerings and the Meaning

There are numerous elements associated with preparing an altar. I am not going to go into detail of each of the elements, however, I would like to bring your attention to some of the elements associated with all.

Flowers: first and most representative element found in the altars are the orange Mexican marigolds called “cempasúchil” (originally named cempoaxochitl, Nāhuatl for "twenty flowers"). In modern Mexico the marigold is sometimes referred to Flor de Muerto (“flower of dead”). These flowers are thought to attract the souls of the dead to the offerings.

Food: it is possible to find calabaza dulce, (“candied pumpkin”), pan de muerto ("bread of dead"), and calaveras (“sugar skulls”), along with very typical beverages such as atole or hot chocolate. 

Religious symbols and images: altars feature many religious symbols such as the Christian Cross, statues or pictures of the Blessed Virgin Mary, pictures of the deceased, candles and colorful chopped (tissue) paper. Each of these have different meanings and they add vibrancy to the altars. For example, the chopped paper represents the link between the world of the living and the dead. 

Incense and candles: each day at mid-day and incense burner is lit to emit an aromatic smell (burning of incense, in Spanish referred to “copal”) to welcome the deceased members to the altar. The candles are lit to illuminate the passage between the two worlds. 

Summary of the celebration

Day 1: October 31st the families prepare the altars to invite the angelitos (spirits of dead children) to return 

Day 2: November 1st is reserved for the adult spirits who will come to visit. 

Day 3: November 2nd is usually associated with families going to the cemetery and decorating the graves and tombs of their relatives. 

Decorated Tombs

As I have previously mentioned, these customs and practices will vary from region to region and are more associated with the center and south of the country. Although Mexico is now a modern place and despite the American festival of Halloween having invaded our society, our traditions still remain strong. This is something I am very proud of.

Images supplied by author.