El Día de los Muertos (the Day of the Dead), a Mexican celebration, is a day to celebrate, remember and prepare special foods in honour of those who have departed.
On this day in Mexico, the streets near the cemeteries are filled with decorations of papel picado, flowers, candy calaveras (skeletons and skulls), and parades. Even cemeteries are decorated for this special occasion.
It is believed that the spirits of the dead visit their families in the early morning and leave in the evening of November 2.
To celebrate, the families make altars and place ofrendas (offerings) at their homes and/or cemeteries of food such as pan de muertos baked in shapes of skulls and figures, candles, incense, yellow marigolds known as cempazuchitl (also spelled zempasuchil) and most importantly a photo of the departed soul is placed on the altar.
Living alongside death means that Mexicans have learned to accept it within their lives. Death is apparent in everyday life. It is in art and even in children’s toys.
Death is laughed at in its face. Many euphemisms are used for death, La calaca (the skeleton), la pelona (baldy), la flaca (skinny), and la huesuda (bony).
There are refranes, sayings, and poems that are popular with Day of the Dead. These sayings are clichés and lose meaning when translated. For example, “La muerte es flaca y no puede conmigo” means “Death is skinny/weak and she can’t carry me.”
Calaveras (skulls) are decorated with bright colours with the name of the departed inscribed on the head. Children carrying yellow marigolds enjoy the processions to the cemetery. At the cemetery, music is played, and dances are made to honour the spirits.
Although it is a celebration from Mexico, it’s a celebration one can personalize and integrate into their own religious and cultural beliefs. It is more of a cultural celebration than a religious one. It is a wonderful way to celebrate the memories of our loved ones who are now gone… through art, cooking, music, building ofrendas, we can recount family stories, fun times and lessons learned… not how the person died, but how they lived.
Calaveras (sugar skulls) represented a departed soul, had the name written on the forehead and were placed on the home ofrenda or gravestone to honour the return of a particular spirit. Sugar skull art reflects the folk-art style of big happy smiles, colourful icing and sparkly tin and glittery adornments. Also, you don’t have to be dead to have your name on a sugar skull. It’s part of the fun.
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