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Sugared skull treats, mounds of fruit, candlelight vigils, the odd tequila bottle, skeleton dolls and cemeteries like no one has seen them before.This is the Day of Dead (Dia de los Muertos) Festival in Mexico celebrated across Mexican cemeteries and streets on the evening of November 1st. Now that’s a different way to spend Halloween! |
On the night of Nov 1st, families across Mexico and several other Latin American countries begin the celebration to commemorate their ancestors by preparing their ancestors’ favourite food and drink as well as traditional day of the dead food (day of the dead bread and sugar skulls). At dusk, the families bring all this food to the tomb which has been decorated with numerous flowers (mostly marigolds) and lit candles.
The family either stay just long enough for a prayer to their dead family members, or they stay up outside all night next to the tomb in 7 degrees celcius weather with only the heat from the candles and their blankets to keep them warm. Instead of going to the cemetery or in the case where the body was not buried, some families create shrines, big piles of fruits and vegetables, flowers and lit candles with a picture of the passed-on individual and/or the name of their profession. These shrines often fill a whole room in their house.
Mexicans place candles and food on these tombs or shrines to help the spirits gain strength and find their way to heaven if they have not reached their destination yet.
It is also said that many years ago, the Day of the Dead celebration used to be on a different day. The rumour is that the festival was moved from its original May 5th date to November 1st by the Missionaries so that it would be more in line with All Saints Day as part of their efforts in converting locals to the Christian faith.
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We paid about $40 CAD for a tour that started at 7pm and ended at 4am visiting five small towns and including dinner. At one intance, we felt very privileged to be allowed in one lady’s home whose husband had just recently passed away a few months ago and held a shrine inside her house (see picture). We also were very humbled to be invited into cemeteries where people were mourning and celebrating their dead family members.
Check out the video of our cemetery visit (10 Megs)
Working up to the Day of the Dead, it was odd to see the celebrations of Day of the Dead and Halloween — which they call here La noche de las brujas / The Night of the Witches — intertwined together. Several days during the week leading up to Nov 1st, kids dressed up in costumes paraded together in the streets of small towns. Other times, kids (some in costumes, some not) walked around in the evening with Jack-O-Lanterns (carved pumpkins with candles inside) asking for money. We found out later they were collecting money to buy candy skulls and other Halloween treats — quite different from kids in North America who just go around asking for candy directly and families are expected to have them available.
Learn more about the day of the dead through the links below :