Day of the Dead / Dia de los Muertos

Dia de los Muertos is a Mexican holiday celebrated throughout Mexico and around the world. The holiday focuses on gatherings of families and friends to pray for and remember friends and family members who have died. It is particularly celebrated in Mexico, where it is a national holiday. The celebration takes place on November 1 and 2, in connection with the Catholic holidays of All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day. Traditions connected with the holiday include building private altars honoring the deceased using sugar skulls, marigolds, and the favorite foods and beverages of the departed. Visiting graves with these as gifts is common. People also leave possessions of the deceased.

The Day of the Dead celebrations in Mexico can be traced back to its indigenous pagan cultures. Rituals celebrating the deaths of ancestors had been observed by these civilizations perhaps for as long as 2,500–3,000 years.

We had the wonderful opportunity of celebrating the day of the Dead, or Dia de los Muertos in Mexico. What a fascinating experience for us! We had heard about the holiday, but to experience it first hand was truly remarkable.

A few days before the holiday the downtown area started filling up with marigold flowers and large, green squashes that are carved, similar to our tradition of the Halloween Jack-o-lantern. There were  different images of skulls and skeletons, and on November 1st, we started to see the "ofrendas" (or offerings) in public areas and in homes. These ofrendas are altars that are made to honor the dead. The ofrendas contain the favorite foods and beverages, as well as photos and memorabilia of the departed. One of the most powerful parts of the tradition that we witnessed was the trail of marigold petals coming from the ofrendas (generally in people's homes) leading out their sidewalks and to the street. It was as if the dead were welcomed back to their homes. Imagine most homes in our village with a trail of bright yellow marigold petals leading from their home to the street. It was quit a sight!

Children walk around with "calaveras" or lit, carved green squash the night of Nov. 1 and stop at people's homes to get candy. Generally, a cross and often skeletons are carved into the calavera, and although Mexican tradition is not like Halloween, in recent times, Dia de los Muertos has started to mimic our Halloween tradition, much to the dismay of people following Mexican tradition.

We did do the walk with our daughter and her friends carrying calaveras. There were fires in the streets and people handed out candy to the children and a traditional, hot drink called "pulque" to the adults. The children did have a saying that they recited at doors before receiving candy, but once the streets got really crowded, that seemed to be skipped over. Most children were not dressed in costume, but some were. There were lit images of skulls and skeletons and a joyful presence felt in the streets by many families. 

We also felt honored to visit the large cemetery in our village twice over Dia de los Muertos. It was a big party; lots of people, music, food, and flowers. When we went at night the cemetery was lit up by candlelight too. We really appreciated witnessing the true celebration of loved ones who have died.

It was incredible to experience this holiday first hand. It made me think about how we view death in our country. I think we're much more afraid of death and don't embrace it in the same way that Mexicans do. I was so touched by the beauty of the holiday. It was very powerful to see the dead honored the way in which they were.

I can not take credit for all the photos below. Some were posted online so I think it's OK to share them with you. It has been challenging for me to take photos of strangers because I feel like it's being invasive, and Mexicans don't seem to pose for photos like Americans do. So, it's tricky to even got shots of the people we know. It's important for me to share our experience with you, though, so I'm trying to take photos without invading people's space and privacy too much, and still allowing myself to be in the present moment with my experiences.

Marigolds in the central square.

The beauty of the wisdom of older people here is so striking. There seem to be many more older people out and about in society here and a visible part of daily life. It's really nice to see.

And younger people too! The wide range...

Another view of the central square preparing for the holiday.

And more flowers being sold.

Brian and Lea in the central square with all the marigolds.

What a great sight that I captured! A pretty cool way to transport flowers, huh?

Other goods being sold at the market for Dia de los Muertos.

Dried corn husks to prepare Tomales, a traditional Mexican food that is wrapped in the husks.

"Pan de Muerte" which is special bread for the holiday.

Ceramics sold in the central square at the time of the holiday.

Decorative Skulls.

A show that we saw at the auditorium in the center that was free and open to the public for Dia de los Muertos.

An "ofrenda" or offering that we saw in a store.

The ofrenda at our close friend's home.

Another ofrenda.

And yet another...

The main ofrenda at the school that Kimberly teaches at.

Another ofrenda at the school that Kimberly teaches.

And another one...

An ofrenda that we saw from the street.

Lea receiving food from the ofrenda at her school.

The ofrenda that we created in our home honoring our loved ones who have past.

Marigold petals leading out of a home.

Kimberly with a man by the name of Miguel who does gardening work at her Spanish language school. Kimberly and Lea ran into him at the cemetery. He was selling goods outside with his wife. People here seem to earn money however they can.

The cemetery during the day.

The cemetery at night.

Another view of the cemetery at night. This image gives you a sense of all the energy and the movement going on in the cemetery, which is so drastically different that the cemeteries we've been to in the USA.

Another image of the cemetery during the day.

And another one. Marigolds everywhere!

Tepoz Nieves (the big ice cream shop in town) celebrates Dia de los Muertos!

Green squash sold in the central square to carve "calaveras".

Lea carving her calavera. A big hole is cut in the back for the light to shine through. A long, thin, white candle is placed inside and hangs down from the bottom. A wire holder is tied to the top for the children to carry the calaveras.

Children go from home to home with their lit calaveras on the night of November 1.

A family passing out candy.

Children in the central square.

Children dressed up for Dia de los Muertos, which is controversial.

A skeleton seen at night while we were out going door to door.

Another sign of the holiday.

Another calavera, very well done!

These signs were everywhere. This sign says, "Ours is the day of the dead, not Halloween."

This one says, "No Halloween. Put your gift to the deceased." There were powerful message all around the village that the people would like to maintain the tradition of their holiday, for obvious reasons. What a beautiful tradition the Mexicans have to honor their loved ones who have passed in such a meaningful way.