Día de Muertos

Marigold Aspen on Mt. Werner - September 2024

Note: The term “Día de Muertos” is how the holiday is referred to in Mexico; “Día de los Muertos” is a back-translation, from the English “Day of the Dead.” I use Día de Muertos to honor the original designation.

In one of my favorite books, Barbara Kingsolver’s Animal Dreams, the main character returns to her tiny rural hometown of Grace, Arizona. In the course of the story she joins the local Día de Muertos celebration. Kingsolver’s description and the concept of this holiday has stayed with me for decades. In the book, Día de Muertos is a family holiday celebrated with an all-day outing at the local cemetery. The families set up camp on the gravesites of relatives with large amounts of delicious food and drink. The children run through the graves playing games, the adults visit with one another, and stories of those who passed are shared throughout the day and into the evening. This celebration of the dead - the honoring of ancestors alongside the present realities of food, drink, play, and conversational connection - is a refreshing and wholesome perspective on the cycle of life. 

In pre-Hispanic Central America and Mexico, Día de Muertos was a time to honor the dead. It was first celebrated over 3000 years ago by the Olmecs, and then by the Toltecs, Mixtecs, Zapotecs, Maya and Aztecs. The belief was that this life is a preparation for what comes after; the honoring of those who had passed into that realm was important for maintaining good relationships with the dead.

Día de Muertos is celebrated in Mexico from October 28 - November 2. Traditionally, certain days were designated for the specific ways in which people passed. For example, October 29 was for those who died from drowning, November 1 marks the day for the passing of children, and November 2 is for adults who’ve moved on. Interestingly, parades were not a part of the holiday until the James Bond movie Spectre inspired the first parade in Mexico City in 2016. Since then, parades are often a part of the celebrations in major cities.

Just as in Kingsolver’s novel, the traditional celebration is an honoring of the ancestors by their families. Gatherings at cemeteries are a part of the holiday, as well as altars, ofrendas, created in individual homes or even in the graveyards themselves. The altars consist of symbolic items which are intended to please the ancestral spirits and bring them home for this special time:

• Cempasuchil (Marigolds), represented death for the Aztecs. It was thought that the orange and gold petals held the heat of the sun. Flor de Muerto (flower of the dead, Mexican marigolds) with their bright color and distinctive scent, lead the spirits to the altar. 
• Copal or Inciense (copal tree resin or other incense) keeps the bad spirits away.
• Velas (candles), so that the spirits of the ancestors can find their way to the altar. Also represents the element of fire.
• Papel Picado (paper cut-outs), symbolize the connection between death and life. Also represents the element of air.
• Agua (water), in a clay or glass jug, for the spirits might be thirsty. Also represents the element of water.
• Pan de Muerto (Bread of the dead), a sweet bread made with anise and orange peel to nourish the spirits. Also represents the element of earth.
• Calaveras (sugar skulls), decorated colorfully and sometimes with the name of the deceased written on the forehead.
• Favorite foods of the departed, as well as photos, notes, and personal items may also be a part of the altar.

Have you ever been to the Día de Muertos altar set up at Bud Werner Library? The official lighting this year is Friday November 1 from 12:00-1:00pm, and the altar is open Wednesday October 30 through Sunday November 3 from 10am - 5pm. I have visited over the past couple of years, and try to go during a quiet time in the evening. There is a poignancy and a peacefulness in the bright yellow marigolds bordering the aisle to the ofrenda, the photos and drawings and notes written to loved ones, all lit by the tiny white flames of electric tealights.

Sources/Learn More
Mano a Mano: Mexican Culture Without Borders: Día de Muertos (Day of the Dead)
The Mexican Museum: Día de los Muertos
Smithsonian National Museum of the American Latino: Día de los Muertos Resources