Dia De Los Muertos / Day Of The Dead: An Ancient Tradition

Day of the Dead (Dia De Los Muertos) is a two day holiday (November 1 and 2) that reunites the living and dead. Families create ofrendas (Offerings) to honor their departed family members that have passed. These altars are decorated with bright yellow marigold flowers, photos of the departed, and the favorite foods and drinks of the one being honored. The offerings are believed to encourage visits from the land of the dead as the departed souls hear their prayers, smell their foods and join in the celebrations!

Origin of the day of the dead

The ancient indigenous peoples of Mexico had several periods throughout the year to celebrate their dead; the most important were carried out at the end of the harvest, between the months of September and November.

The different pre-Hispanic “paradises”

Legend among the Aztecs and Mexica (the dominant indigenous people of pre-Hispanic Mexico and the last Mesoamerican people) told that once a person died they traveled through the nine regions of the underworld.

It was believed that life continued even in the afterlife, which is why he considered the existence of four “destinies” for people, depending on how they died. According to the archaeologist Eduardo López Moctezuma they are divided as follows:

• The Tonatiuhichan was the place where warriors killed in battle, those captured for sacrifice and pregnant women or those who died during childbirth went.
• El Tlalocan, all those who died from causes related to water came to him.
• The Chichihualcuauhco, a space destined for dead babies, there they were suckled by a huge nurse tree until they were “born again”.
• The Mictlan, the kingdom of the dead and destiny of the people who died due to causes mentioned above.

These destinations are not places of darkness or punishment, they are simply the abode of the dead.

Day of the Dead offerings

The Day of the Dead offerings are altars of pre-Hispanic origin dedicated to different deities. The one of the lord of the dead, Mictlantecuhtli, was celebrated in the month we now know as November. The colonizers took the opportunity to make a fusion between the beliefs of the peoples and Christianity.

The altars are set up a couple of days before the 1st and 2nd of November and remain until the 3rd, but each day has a different meaning:

On October 31 at night a white candle is lit to welcome our ancestors
November 1 is the day that the souls who died as children arrive. Sweets and toys should be placed for them. This day at night all the food is placed on the altar.
On November 2 (All Souls’ Day), the souls of deceased adults arrive at night to enjoy the food and drink offered to them.
On November 3, the last candle and a little copal are lit to say goodbye to the deceased and the offering is removed.

The altars are placed in order to glorify the life of the deceased. In several Mexican homes it is customary to have dinner in front of the altar inviting the souls to share the moment together and make a connection between the world of the living with the world of the dead.

Key elements for the offering

In addition to the favorite food and drinks of the deceased, there are other elements that should be used to complement a Day of the Dead altar.

Candles: fire and light represents the presence of the dead.

The photo of the deceased: it is the soul that will visit us.

Incense and copal: it is used to cleanse the house of the bad spirits that may enter that day.

Water: represents life.

Salt: helps purify the soul and drives away evil spirits.

Cempasúchil flower (Marigold Flower): to create paths that guide the spirits of our dead.

Sugar skulls: in ancient times real skulls were used, later they were replaced with skulls made of sugar, chocolate or amaranth. Each skull represents a deceased person.

Papel Picado: Represents the air and the earth.

Bread of the dead: its shape represents the cycle of life, the center symbolizes the heart of the deceased, the reliefs of the tears shed and the orange blossom flavor is in honor of where their souls are.

Representatives of death in Day of the Dead

Mictlantecuhtli

The Mexica God of death, King of Mictlan, welcomes all humans who die naturally.

The Cuatlicue

An important deity of the Aztec pantheon, she was considered the mother goddess of the earth. The goddess was worshiped at the Quecholli autumnal hunting festival, at which an imitator of the goddess was sacrificed.

The Catrina

Originally called Calavera Garbancera, it was created by the illustrator and caricaturist José Guadalupe Posada. This female figure emerged as a mockery of the indigenous people who had become rich and despised their origins and customs.

Death

People of the Mexican holiday Dia De LosMuertos in death masks

Or also known as La Parka, she is a mysterious being with a black robe who comes for souls and takes them from this world with her.

Literary skulls, a work of art of the Spanish language

They were born in the 19th century as a way to express different points of view or feelings in a mocking tone. It is a very popular satire of reality in Mexico during this time.

Literary skulls are characterized by portraying the reality of a situation, a person, an object, a character or even a country with a metaphorical meaning, through rhymes and verses.

Day of the dead in different parts of Mexico

Mixquic, CDMX

It is a neighborhood located in Mexico City. On the nights of the Day of the Dead, the Temple of San Andrés is completely lit up with the candles that relatives light up for their dead.

Mixquic is considered one of the best places in Mexico to witness and live the experience of the Day of the Dead, because here the mixture of pre-Hispanic and Catholic worship have merged to give way to a celebration so alive that it honors death.

Paseo de la Reforma, CDMX

On the Paseo de la Reforma, one of the most important avenues in Mexico City, a mega parade is held on the Day of the Dead in which you can see different artistic manifestations such as dance, music, sculpture, scenery and costumes. .

Janitzio, Michoacan

It is an island that in order to reach the cemetery, you must climb a small hill with adobe and stone constructions. Once there, families in typical costumes set up a typical dinner on the tomb of their loved ones.

Pomuch, Campeche

Pomuch is a town in the state of Campeche where the residents gather a few days before the Day of the Dead celebration and take out the skeletons of their loved ones and begin cleaning the bones to leave them impeccable.

Chignahuapan, Puebla

In this magical town located in Puebla, a festival known as “Light and Life in Chignahuapan” takes place. Lighting is the protagonist of this event, as well as music, traditional dance and fireworks.

San Marcos Island, Aguascalientes

In this place, the Skull Festival is held with a large fair where you can witness the parade of skulls and various cultural events such as typical dances and plays.

Music

During the night of the dead it is traditional to listen to typical music depending on the region where they are, but many people also listen to the music that their loved one enjoyed, in order to honor their memory.

Some of the typical songs that are heard on the day of the dead are:

Paloma negra

La calaca

La llorona

La bruja

For More info check: https://dayofthedead.holiday/