Day of the Dead

Dia de los Muertos: November 2

Mexico’s Day of the Dead or Dia de los Muertos falls on November 2nd and, together with All Saints Day (November 1), constitutes an important recognition and remembrance by the Mexican people of their recently and no-so-recently departed loved ones. In essence, All Saints Day on the 1st commemorates the innocents and children who have died, and All Soul’s Day on the 2nd is in honor of all the rest of the population, who may not have quite such an unsullied history.

Flower-festooned cemetary on the Day of the Dead

The event is marked by a number of activities and rituals, among which figure the decoration of gravesites and altars with marigolds (the deep orange cempasuchitl, or the flower of the dead) along with other blossoms; the setting out of ofrendas or offerings of food and drink, including the favorite dishes and candies of those who have passed on; the lighting of masses of candles, placing of photos and favorite items on the altar of those who have passed away, and the offering of decorated candied skulls and figurines of all kinds. These candied sugar figurines can be extremely elaborate, depicting the dead in humorous ways, positions and expressions often reminiscent of the characteristics of that particular personality while alive. Some are little hollow-eyed calaveras (skulls) with shiny cheeks and colorful hair, others are head-to-toe calaca (skeletal) figures reclining in coffins, others are fully dressed sporting dresses, shawls and hats, swigging bottle of beer or tequila and carrying their own bouquets of flowers. These are often given as presents to the living as well and should be accepted in a sense of fun and respect.

A special bread is baked for Dia de los Muertos, aptly called “Pan de los Muertos“, or Bread of the Dead. It’s a semi-sweet egg bread usually shaped with crossbones reliefs on the stop and decorated with candied fruit. It is both eaten by the living and left out for the dead with beverages such as atole (a thick, sweetened, cornmeal gruel) and beer – and I suspect even pulque and tequila – to wash it down.

I’ve seen references to the fact that certain Day of the Dead altars should follow a specific architecture that is highly symbolic, each altar being contructed with seven levels representing the seven levels through with the dead must past in order to gain peace, and certain items placed on each level according to a specific formula. Others claim that no matter what the arrangement of the altar is, it should hold certain elements although their exact placement might not be all that important. Some of these items include (beside those already mentioned), chains made of of purple and yellow paper (these colors represent the union between life and death), or flowers of those same colors co-mingled with white, copal (a natural resin used as incense), ears of corn, sugar cane and fresh fruits, a glass or jar of pure water, and salt

Under the Volcano – Criterion Collection

The celebrations of the All Saint’s Day and All Soul’s Day aren’t necessarily morose, although the inevitable moments of sadness and sense of loss do creep in. But here in Mexico it is an occasion when those who have been left behind in this world feel they have the unique opportunity to be visited by the dead, and can resurrect the best of their personalities and spend some happy hours together again, drinking and telling stories of old. It a bit of a yearly re-living of the wake, when we gather to celebrate the loves and lives of those who have gone on before us.

Here in Mexico with the unfortunate commercial influence of Hallowe’en filtering down from the north, we see more and more groups of kids wandering the streets on the night of the 31st, carrying their little plastic pumpkin replicas, made in China, no doubt, asking for their Calaverita, or treat of candy, coins or toys. With the increase in vandalism, graveyards are often locked at after dark and families seldom spend their nights reveling with their beloved departed. We hope the original traditions are kept alive and not inexorably overrun by the cold com

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Originally posted 2009-07-22 15:02:58.