CulturallyOurs Culture And Tradition Of The Day Of The Dead From Mexico

Tradition Of Dia De Los Muertos – Day Of The Dead In Mexico

10.31.19
CulturallyOurs Culture And Tradition Of The Day Of The Dead From Mexico

Since pre-Columbian times many Mexican cities and towns honor their dead relatives through fascinating rituals like the famous Day Of The Dead festival also know as Dia De Los Muertos. It is typically held in the end of October through early November over a three-day period in central and southern Mexico although it is gaining more popularity in many places in North America and around the world.

Shane Mitchell, our guest in Season 03 – Lifestyles And People – who is a writer documenting food and cultures, shared her experience in Mexico during Dia De Los Muertos. She talked about how for her, this is a way of honoring her sister by building an altar of remembrance for her.

In case you missed Shane’s interview, you can listen to it here.

Dia De Los Muertos is where people prepare their homes to welcome back their dead relatives home. This festival dates back almost 3000 years. Dia De Los Muertos has its origins in both Aztec tradition and Catholic observance of All Saints Day which is on November 1 and All Souls Day which is on November 2. Although this festival is celebrated around Halloween, the holiday actually has nothing to do it. Halloween is Northern European tradition.CulturallyOurs Culture And Tradition Of The Day Of The Dead From MexicoDuring the days of the dead, families often takes the opportunity to visit the gravesite of their loved one and relatives. They pull out weeds, clean debris and decorate the graves. Often candles, flowers and the favorite foods of the deceased are placed on the grave. Families visit, eat, sing songs and tell favorite stories about those who have passed as a way to remember them and pass on their stories to the younger generation.

For those families where visiting the gravesite is not possible, altars also known as ofrendas are setup in homes. Ofrendas are usually decorated with flowers, candles, ceramic skulls, sugar skulls and most importantly pictures of loved ones. A special type of bread called pan demuerto is also made and placed at the ofrenda along with other foods and treats. Drinks are also placed in the altar to quench the thirst of the dead after their long journey back home.  In many villages it is customary to offer alcoholic beverages. Salt is considered the spice of life and is a staple that is left at the altar. Yellow and orange marigolds considered to be a favorite flower of spirits of the dead are also used to decorate the ofrendas. For days leading up to the days of the dead, all the local markets start selling these items for the ofrendas.CulturallyOurs Culture And Tradition Of The Day Of The Dead From Mexico Decorated ofrendas{photo by www.dayofthedead.holiday}

The rituals used to celebrate the day are varied and colorful all across Mexico.  But they all have the common theme of celebrating the day as a celebration of life even for the dead. The Aztecs believed that death was not the end of life. In fact they envisioned several planes of existence between heaven and earth. When someone passed away, it is believed that where their soul would end up was determined by the way in which they died. Warriors who died in battle, women who died during childbirth, and victims of sacrifice were considered to be the most fortunate, as they would be rewarded by achieving the highest place in the afterlife.

They believed that the gates of heaven open at midnight on October 31 and the spirits of all deceased children, angelitos are allowed to reunite with their families for 24 hours. On November 2, the spirits of the adults come down to enjoy the festivities that are prepared for them.

In the evening, family members go to the cemetery to bid farewell to their dead. Thousands of candles are lit to guide the spirits on their long journey back.

One of the most colorful decorations for Dia De Los Muertos are the beautifully decorated sugar skulls called Calaveras de azucar which are on display throughout Mexico. It is believed that sugar art was bought to the new world by Italian missionaries around the 17th century. Mexico, at that time, was an abundant producer of sugar and the locals quickly learnt how to make sugar art from the friars for their religious festivals. The sugar skulls represent a dearly departed soul and often have their name written on the forehead. This is a key part of the ofrenda (altar) decoration. The skulls are also placed on gravestones to honor the return of a particular family member. In different villages in Mexico, sugar skull art reflects the folk art style of big happy smiles, colorful icing and sparkly tin and glittery adornments. It is said that the sweetness of the sugar candies balances out the harsh bitterness of death of your loved ones.CulturallyOurs Culture And Tradition Of The Day Of The Dead From MexicoIt is more of a cultural holiday than a religious one. Mexicans believe that Dia De Los Muertos celebrates death as a part of the human experience. Instead of grieving and being sad, the dead want to be remembered with happiness. Hence the festivities around the day of the dead honor them with laughter and joy, and food and drink. If the spirts of the departed are happy, they will provide protection, good luck and wisdom to their families.

Traditionally, the Day of Dead consisted of private family gatherings at graves. But in recent years, it has become a community wide elaborate festival that includes mass celebrations with food and drink and parades. Mexico city holds a huge pararde where thousands of people show up dressed in costumes and skeletal makeup.CulturallyOurs Culture And Tradition Of The Day Of The Dead From MexicoDia de los Muertos is a wonderful way to celebrate the memories of loved ones who are now gone through art, food, music, building altars, doing activities with children to recount and remember family who are no longer around.

Dead is not the end, it is only the beginning.

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Leave your comments below

  1. Jen Morrow says:

    I love how Day of the Dead actually focuses on family. It is a celebration of family, living and deceased. The Aztecs really had a good idea with this one.

    • Karthika Gupta says:

      Completely agree Jen. It has and always should be about family. Simple things that we can learn so much from.

  2. Great post! So informative. When I saw it, I knew I had to read it. Thank you for sharing!