Día de los Muertos en México

Fiesta Dia de Muertos, Day of the Dead celebrated between October 31st and November 2nd, is a celebration in which Mexicans remember and honor their deceased loved ones. Though it may sound gloomy or morbid, it’s not.

It’s a festive and colorful holiday. Mexicans visit cemeteries, decorate the graves and spend time there – in the presence of their deceased friends and family members. They also make elaborately decorated altars (sometimes called ofrendas) in their homes.

In the past times the dead were buried close to family homes (sometimes in a tomb underneath the house) and there was great emphasis on maintaining ties with deceased ancestors, who were believed to continue to exist on a different plane. With the arrival of the Spaniards and Catholicism, All Souls’ and All Saints’ Day practices were incorporated into Prehispanic beliefs and customs and Day of the Dead came to be celebrated.

The belief behind Day of the Dead practices is that spirits return to the Earth for one day of the year to be with their families. It is said that the spirits of babies and children who have died (called angelitos, “little angels”) arrive on October 31st at midnight, spend an entire day with their families and then leave. Adults come the following day.

Day of the Dead Altars:
The spirits are greeted with offerings of food and things that the person enjoyed in life. These are laid out on a Day of the Dead altar in the family home. It is believed that the spirits consume the essence and the aroma of the foods that are offered. When the spirits depart, the living consume the food and share it with their family, friends and neighbors.
Other items that are placed on the altar include sugar skulls, often with the person’s name inscribed on the top, pan de muertos, a special bread that is made especially for the season, and cempasuchil (marigolds) which bloom at this time of year and lend a special fragrance to the altar.