She cleaned the family tomb, prayed, and then we ate our picnic. I was scared because I had never been in a cemetery in the USA, much less had a picnic at one. There were so many other people there too. "A few months after I arrived, she prepared a picnic and we walked to the cemetery. At this tender age, my parents divorced and I was sent to live with my grandmother in Mexico," Catalán said. "Celebrating and honoring my ancestors is a ritual for my spirituality and it started when I was 8 years old. She fondly recalls visitations to the family burial site at the cemetery with her grandmother to honor the dead in their family. They love remembering him."Ĭhicana and self-proclaimed kitchen witch Carla Catalán of Catalán Botánica finds Día de los Muertos to be a personal time of peace and renewal. But since my dad passed away in 2018, they feel more part of the storytelling. My daughters enjoy hearing the stories every year. We always spend time with my mom sharing memories of the ancestors we add to the altar. "My husband and daughters help prepare the altar. We pair this with a warm cup of champurrado," Becerra told POPSUGAR Latina. One of my favorites is the nicho cookie with an edible image of my ancestors. "We often cook chile verde, but in the last few years I've added sugar cookies in the shapes of traditional elements of a Día de los Muertos altar. Native American and Mexican American artist Alicia Becerra deeply incorporates food in her altar work during this time. The food is what brings us together during this time, which runs parallel as a special ritual and an unconscious act of intergenerational healing. The modern-day concept is to prepare the favorite meals of our dearly departed as a deliciously coercive gesture to guide their spirits back to our homes. There are food staples you'll find across altars such as corn, tamales, and now the ever-popular sugar skulls. Food is symbolic and is considered to be an ofrenda (offering) to the dead. Its influence has spread as inspiration for other Latinxs to honor their loved ones through this sacred celebration.įood plays a tremendous role in Día de los Muertos. Over time, the eventual intertwining of Mexican Indigenous beliefs and folk customs from the Catholic Church that make up the largely mainstream understanding of Día de los Muertos has branched out. Día de los Muertos is celebrated in Mexican households from Nov. It's seen as a momentous homecoming for the spirits of our beloved dead ancestors. This ethereal portal is an opportunity to heal through reconnection. During this time a dimension opens that allows access to spirits. 1, the Aztecas and pagans, respectively in separate cultures, understood this annual period as a time when the veil between the spirit realm and the living realm is thin. This was a time when they celebrated their passed loved ones with food and various offerings.įrom Oct. As a result of this philosophy, Día de los Muertos naturally progressed into a cultural ritual for the Indigenous people of the region.
The Aztecas believed that death wasn't the end.
The truth is, Día de los Muertos is a spiritual holiday and it coincides with All Souls' Day and All Saints' Day, which are Catholic holidays that derive from pagan influence.Īside from the religious influence of the Spaniards, the roots originally tie back to the Aztecas of Mexico. In fact, that's far from the truth and highly offensive. And no, Día de los Muertos is not a Mexican version of Halloween. The significance of the decorations - and ways of celebrating - can vary, since Día de los Muertos is an ancestral celebration that’s widespread across multiple Mexican cultures.Why is Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, celebrated subsequent to Halloween? Well, the two actually have no relation. Food, specifically pan de muerto, a sugary bread with hints of orange essence.They represent the transcendence of life and death from the physical to the spiritual. Skulls, made from sugar, ceramics, wood or paper.Each candle on an altar can also represent a family member or loved one a family wishes to remember. Candles, to light the way for the souls of those remembered to meet with their families again.Salt, to keep the souls of those traveling to and from Mictlán pure during their journeys.Papel picado, or perforated paper banners, where the paper color and design can represent a person’s life story and cause of death.(That’s why the petal bridges glow in “Coco,” the Disney movie.)
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