The Day of the Dead is a historical holiday based on the Aztec custom of celebrating their dead ancestors with a day they called “All Soul’s Day.” Spanish invaders brought the custom with them in the early 1500’s when they invaded Mexico. The Aztecs originally had the whole month of November to celebrate the dead. The activities of the holiday were believed to be watched over by the goddess “Mictecacihuatl”; the goddess of death or known as “Lady Of The Dead.”
The holiday involves humans painted and/or dressed as skeletons or the “people of the undead realm.” The event features skeletons, altars, and other “trappings of death.” The holiday doesn’t only celebrate the dead but the holiday also celebrates life and its connection to death. During this holiday, the people celebrating will create “ofrendas”, or better known a
s altars, displaying the dead family members or friends so they can “pass over” from the undead realm. Commonly, people will gather at cemeteries, sitting at graves and decorating them with candles, marigolds, and pictures of the dead person buried there. They create “calaveras”, which are skulls made of sugar. They eat bread they call “pan de muerto” and they decorate with “La Catrina” which is the queen of the Aztec underworld. La Catrina is also known as the Lithe Skeleton who is seen wearing a hat and a colorful dress.
The Day of the Dead may be celebrated differently in every culture but it is often celebrated the same in some forms. Families still decorate, dress up for events and set up an ofrenda with photos of the deceased and they commonly place the deceased person’s favorite food and/or drink. They commonly put candles or incense up on the ofrenda. The common offerings are very simple but they mean a majority of the people dead and alive. Cempasúchil, also known as marigolds, are a common offering and traditionally the most used decoration because they believe the flowers will lure the dead to the ofrendas offered to them. In some places, people will wear shells on dresses so when they dance, the sound will raise the dead to celebrate the day of the dead in the mortal realm.
During the day of the dead they eat plenty of different types of meals, whether it be for dinner or a feast or given to the dead as an offering. For the meals that the people eat, they eat many different things, like Tamales, which is a traditional Mesoamerican dish made of masa. Atoles, which are a Mexican drink served with food. Mole being a sauce they use for dip and tortilla soup is as it says in the name. With many different types of candy being a common side along with the foods, the celebrations involve many different foods and beverages. The foods are eaten commonly after praying and visiting the dead’s graves or ofrendas. Every family member or friend has a singular grave but can have multiple ofrendas. It’s a family holiday celebrated with large groups of people who are labeled family. Dead and alive, all sides of the family come together to celebrate the day of the dead. Next time November comes around, go visit your relatives graves and give them some marigolds, who knows maybe they’ll visit you as well.
