"Day
of the Dead"
-Dia de los Muertos
The first two days of
November Mexico and some parts of the United States celebrates the
ritual know as Dia de los Muertos or Day of the Dead. This is a 3000
year old custom honoring deceased relatives and ancestors.
Celebrations are held in
Mesa, Chandler, Guadalupe and have since merged with Catholic theology
although it still incorporates the use of skulls from the ancient Aztec
ritual.
Wooden skull masks called
calacas are used in dances and placed on altars dedicated to the
dead. Skulls made of sugar have the names of relatives on their
foreheads are eaten by a relative or friend at graveside. The belief is
that the spirits of the deceased come back to visit during the month
long ritual. The natives of Mexico believed life was a dream and death
was the continuation of life and only in death did they become truly
awake. The Aztecs and other Meso-American civilizations kept skulls as
trophies, symbolizing death and rebirth, displaying them during the
rituals.
The Spaniards, trying to
convert the natives to Catholicism, felt the ritual was pagan and
barbaric. In an effort to make the ritual more Christian, they moved the
holiday to coincide with All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day (Nov. 1 and
2). It used to fall on the beginning of August and carry on for the
entire month. The celebrations were watched over by the "Lady of
the Dead," the goddess Mictecacihuati, who was believed to have
died at birth.
In the rural parts of Mexico
celebrants visit the cemetery where relatives and friends are buried.
The graves are decorated, usually with the yellow Marigold, a symbol of
death, and candles. Toys are placed on the graves of children and
Tequila on the graves of adults. The favorite foods of the deceased are
eaten, along with Pan de Muertos, All Souls Bread (for recipe,
click
here). In some places, pictures of the dead are placed in altars built
for the celebration and candles are placed by them.
Dia de los Muertos is often confused
with Halloween, but is has nothing to do with dressing up in
costumes and asking for treats. The Day of the Dead is a celebration
where families honor and remember their relatives that have died.
People in Mexico and Hispanics in America celebrate the day by
cleaning and decorating the graves of loved ones. The custom is a
merging of the ancient Aztec and the Spanish Catholic cultures.
The Aztecs believed that life and death were part of one another and
that the spirits of the dead could affect the living. According to
their culture, a dead persons spirit must make a journey through
nine levels of the underworld facing dangerous challenges along the
way. To help the dead make the journey successfully, friends and
relatives buried their dead with personal and household objects they
felt would help the on their way. The dead persons spirit would make
their way to the level reserved for that persons station in life.
Once a year, the spirits of the dead return to earth to visit
friends and relatives. Dead children would visit in the ninth month
of the Aztec Solar Calendar and adults would visit in the tenth
month. To celebrate this, the friends and relatives pay their
respects by preparing favorite foods to make offerings to the
visiting family members.
When the Spanish invaded Mexico, they
brought their own customs honoring the dead to the New World. The
Catholic customs of All Hallows or All Saints' Day on November 1 and
All Souls' Day on November 2, were days dedicated to praying for the
souls of departed saints, family members and friends.
As the Aztec and Spanish Catholic
traditions already overlapped on the calendar, the two cultures
merged and over time the Day of the Dead became the celebration in
Mexico. All Hallows Eve eventually became the secularized into
Halloween.
Day of the Dead Traditions
From October 31 to November 1, the custom is to clean the grave
sites of any debris and weeds. Decorate the grave with Marigolds. It
is believed that the strong scent of the Marigolds with lead the
souls of the dead back to the grave to visit with living relatives
and friends. Candles are used to illuminate the pathway to the
grave. The favorite food and drink of the departed is served so the
souls can eat the spirit of the offerings, leaving the actual food
for the living. A photo of the dead person is displayed so the souls
can recognize its previous physical form. A piece of clothing and a
favorite tool or object from the deceased also adorns the grave
site.
In Mexico the people also build altars
or ofrendas in the homes. This is a table that holds all the
decorations and offerings that will later be placed on the graves
for the all night vigil on November 1.
PAN
DE MUERTOS, DAY OF THE DEAD BREAD
OR ALL SOULS BREAD
This bread can be made into the shapes of
angels and animals.
Ingredients
1˝ cups of flour
˝ cup of sugar
1 teaspoon of salt
1 tablespoon of anise seed
2 packets of dry yeast
˝ cup of milk
˝ cup of water
˝ cup of butter
4 eggs
3 - 4˝ cups of flour
Preparation
Mix the dry ingredients together, EXCEPT the 3 - 4 ˝ cups of flour. Heat
up the milk, water and butter and mix. Mix into the dry ingredients and
beat well.
Mix
in the eggs and 1˝ cups of flour from the 3 - 4˝ cups left out. Beat
well. Little by little, add the rest of the flour. Knead on a floured
board for 10 minutes. Place the dough in a greased bowl and let it rise
until double its size, about 1˝ hour.
Bake
for about 40 minutes for 350 degrees. Sprinkle with confectioner's sugar
or colored sugar.
