Day of the Dead (Spanish: Día de Muertos) is a Mexican holiday
celebrated throughout Mexico, in particular the Central and South
regions, and by people of Mexican ancestry living in other places,
especially the United States. It is acknowledged internationally in many
other cultures. The multi-day holiday focuses on gatherings of family
and friends to pray for and remember friends and family members who have
died, and help support their spiritual journey. In 2008, the tradition
was inscribed in the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural
Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO.
The holiday is
sometimes called Día de los Muertos in Anglophone countries, a
back-translation of its original name, Día de Muertos. It is
particularly celebrated in Mexico where the day is a public holiday.
Prior to Spanish colonization in the 16th century, the celebration took
place at the beginning of summer. Gradually, it was associated with
October 31, November 1, and November 2 to coincide with the Western
Christianity triduum of Allhallowtide: All Saints' Eve, All Saints' Day,
and All Souls' Day. Traditions connected with the holiday include
building private altars called ofrendas, honoring the deceased using
calaveras, aztec marigolds, and the favorite foods and beverages of the
departed, and visiting graves with these as gifts. Visitors also leave
possessions of the deceased at the graves.
Scholars
trace the origins of the modern Mexican holiday to indigenous
observances dating back hundreds of years and to an Aztec festival
dedicated to the goddess Mictecacihuatl. The holiday has spread
throughout the world, being absorbed into other deep traditions in honor
of the dead. It has become a national symbol and as such is taught (for
educational purposes) in the nation's schools. Many families celebrate a
traditional "All Saints' Day" associated with the Catholic Church.
Originally,
the Day of the Dead as such was not celebrated in northern Mexico,
where it was unknown until the 20th century because its indigenous
people had different traditions. The people and the church rejected it
as a day related to syncretizing pagan elements with Catholic
Christianity. They held the traditional 'All Saints' Day' in the same
way as other Christians in the world. There was limited Mesoamerican
influence in this region, and relatively few indigenous inhabitants from
the regions of Southern Mexico, where the holiday was celebrated. In
the early 21st century in northern Mexico, Día de Muertos is observed
because the Mexican government made it a national holiday based on
educational policies from the 1960s; it has introduced this holiday as a
unifying national tradition based on indigenous traditions.
The
Mexican Day of the Dead celebration is similar to other societies'
observances of a time to honor the dead. The Spanish tradition, for
instance, includes festivals and parades, as well as gatherings of
families at cemeteries to pray for their deceased loved ones at the end
of the day.
Observance in Mexico
Origins
The
Day of the Dead celebrations in Mexico developed from ancient
traditions among its pre-Columbian cultures. Rituals celebrating the
deaths of ancestors had been observed by these civilizations perhaps for
as long as 2,500–3,000 years. The festival that developed into the
modern Day of the Dead fell in the ninth month of the Aztec calendar,
about the beginning of August, and was celebrated for an entire month.
The festivities were dedicated to the goddess known as the "Lady of the
Dead", corresponding to the modern La Calavera Catrina.
By
the late 20th century in most regions of Mexico, practices had
developed to honor dead children and infants on November 1, and to honor
deceased adults on November 2. November 1 is generally referred to as
Día de los Inocentes ("Day of the Innocents") but also as Día de los
Angelitos ("Day of the Little Angels"); November 2 is referred to as Día
de los Muertos or Día de los Difuntos ("Day of the Dead").
Food
During
Day of the Dead festivities, food is both eaten by living people and
given to the spirits of their departed ancestors as ofrendas
("offerings"). Tamales are one of the most common dishes prepared for
this day for both purposes.
Pan de muerto and
calaveras are associated specifically with Day of the Dead. Pan de
muerto is a type of sweet roll shaped like a bun, topped with sugar, and
often decorated with bone-shaped phalanges pieces.. Calaveras, or sugar
skulls, display colorful designs to represent the vitality and
individual personality of the departed.
In addition to
food, drink is also important to the tradition of Day of the Dead.
Historically, the main alcoholic drink was pulque while today families
will commonly drink the favorite beverage of their deceased ancestors.
Other drinks associated with the holiday are atole and champurrado,
warm, thick, non-alcoholic masa drinks.
Jamaica iced
tea is a popular herbal tea made of the flowers and leaves of the
Jamaican hibiscus plant (Hibiscus sabdariffa), known as flor de Jamaica
in Mexico. It is served cold and quite sweet with a lot of ice. The
ruby-red beverage is called hibiscus tea in English-speaking countries
and called agua de Jamaica (water of Jamaica) in Spanish.
