El Dia de Los Muertos is a beautiful holiday to remember those who are no longer with us. A rich celebration full of food, art, decorations and tradition.
History
Día de Los Muertos is a Mexican holiday that involves food, drinks, art and celebrations. Families welcome back the souls of their deceased through this holiday on October 31st – November 2nd. The days are broken down as, October 31st the day the gates of heaven are open, where the spirits of the children are let out for 24 hours. The next day, November 1st, is called the Día de Los Inocentes (or Day of the Children). The final day, November 2nd, is officially the Day of the Dead.
Tradition
How this beautiful holiday is celebrated is through traditions of dance, music, food, art, and decorations. The families will make their deceased favorite foods or drinks, take them to their gravesites or on the ofrendas they built. There are beautiful arrangements of flowers, candles and art around these altars. Popular foods and drinks that are made for this holiday are tamales, conchas (sweet bread), atole (cornmeal drink), spirits (alcohol), Mole (traditional Mexican dish), and sugar skulls.
photo courtesy: Anna Sullivan
Makeup
The makeup that is used for this holiday has a hidden meaning. The sugar skull makeup was influenced by José Guadalupe Posada. He was a printmaker, political lithographer and he played a big part in 20th century art. When individuals paint their faces, they are channeling a loved one and some even write their name on their forehead. There are many different styles, colors and features in sugar skull makeup. As I did some research, I found out that each color has a hidden message. The color yellow represents the sun and its unity. The color white represents spirit, hope and purity. The color red represents blood and life. The color purple represents mourning, grief and suffering. And the final color, pink, represents happiness.
photo courtesy: Danie Franco
Food
The Day of the Dead could not be more beautiful without its delicious, traditional dishes. There are five common authentic dishes that Mexicans prepare for their deceased loved ones. The first is the famous chicken with tomatillo-cilantro salsa tamales and/or mole tamales. Both tamales are either placed at the gravesite or served for guests who visit the home of the host. The second food would be the “pan de muertos” (Day of the Dead bread). This bread is made up of a soft consistency with sugar, it is often found in panaderias (bakeries) leading up to the celebration. The third sweet treat is “Calaveras de Azucar” (sugar skulls) these are skull-shaped hard sugar candies. They are used as decorations and are very popular among children. The fourth most popular food item are the delicious atole’s. Atole is a thick, cornmeal beverage that consists of cinnamon and vanilla. Finally, the fifth food item is the authentic red pozole. This is a stew that has meat, corn and it is garnished with cabbage, chile peppers, radishes or limes. There are many types of Pozoles in Mexico, but the most common one for this holiday is the red one.
photo courtesy: pixabay
As this holiday is approaching, remember this is not a “Mexican Halloween” holiday, but a holiday that is estimated to be over 3,000 years old. It is a celebration deeply rooted with Aztec and Mesoamerican rituals.
