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Day of the Dead, El Dia de los Muertos
- 1. Written by: Kristine Liljenquist, Suzanne Rutkowski, and Rebecca Kohler Additional Material by: Janice Strauss, Stephanie Call, and Chad Seals
- 2. El Día de los Muertos
- 3. Two-Day Celebration • November 1 - honor the children • November 2 - honor the adults
- 6. The Aztecs • The Aztecs believed: -Death awakens the dreaming -Death is not frightening -Death is a continuation of life • Practice of honoring the dead is over 3,000 years old
- 8. The Spanish • Hernán Cortés invaded Mexico in 1519. • Combined holidays
- 9. When Cultures Connect • El Día de los Muertos: Aztec and Christian beliefs about the afterlife combined
- 10. November 1st • Remember infants and children • Los angelitos
- 12. November 2nd • Dedicated to remembering adults • Celebration with little ones
- 13. Preparation • Two weeks before • Trips to el mercado • Gather special possessions
- 14. Mercado Delights
- 15. Food for the Dead • Bread • Drinks • Fruit • Favorite dishes
- 16. El pan de muerto • Decorated bread • Shaped into figures • May contain a toy!
- 17. Flowers to Honor the Dead
- 18. Las flores • Decoration • Create a pathway
- 19. Las calaveras • Candy skulls • Angelitos • Gift exchange
- 20. Las calacas • Skeleton represents dead playfully mimicking living • Calacas generally depicted as joyous
- 21. QuickTime™ and a YUV420 codec decompressor are needed to see this picture.
- 23. Altar Decorations • Sugar cane arch • Variety of foods • Favorite items
- 24. Papel picado
- 25. The copal Bowl
- 26. The Finished Altar QuickTime™ and a YUV420 codec decompressor are needed to see this picture.
- 27. La comida • Great feasts prepared • Traditional family dishes shared in homes and graveside
- 28. A comprar • Ingredients for the meals
- 30. Dessert
- 32. The Procession • Meal prepared and the altar completed • Family journeys to cemetery • Pass parades and processions
- 33. Costumes and Parties QuickTime™ and a YUV420 codec decompressor are needed to see this picture.
- 34. School Parade
- 35. Brass Band
- 39. A Colorful Display for All
- 40. All Are Equal in Death
- 41. Tapete de arena
- 42. QuickTime™ and a YUV420 codec decompressor are needed to see this picture.
- 43. The Cemetery • Families arrive at the cemetery. • Celebrate with music and food
- 44. Cemetery Celebration When I die I will be with you… So that we Will keep on loving each other.
- 45. Rural Cemetery
- 48. A Holiday for All Ages
- 49. Light it Again!
- 50. Al final… • El Día de los Muertos is not Halloween
- 51. QuickTime™ and a YUV420 codec decompressor are needed to see this picture.
- 52. To the residents of New York, Paris, or London, the word DEATH is never pronounced because it burns the lips. Mexicans, on the other hand, frequent it, caress it, they sleep with it, they celebrate it, it is one of their favorite games and their most permanent love. ~ Octavio Paz
- 53. Produced by: Christina Groleau, Rebecca Kohler, Alicia Sossi Written by: Suzanne Rutkowski, Rebecca Kohler, Nora King, Kristine Liljenquist, Skip McWilliams Additional Material: Chad Seals, Janet Strauss, Stephanie Call Sources: Day of the Dead in Mexico
Editor's Notes
- What does it mean? Literally, el Día de los Muertos is the Day of the Dead. Is it sad? Is it scary? Is it like Halloween? No, no and no! Day of the Dead is a fun and festive celebration.
- Day of the Dead is celebrated over a two-day period. The first day commemorates the children who have passed on. The second day remembers the adults who are no longer living.
- The people of Mexico want the deceased to know they are both loved and remembered. It is a solemn holiday, yet it is joyous at the same time.
- Although the holiday is celebrated throughout Mexico, in the state of Oaxaca the celebration of el Día de los Muertos is one of the most important holidays of the year. For many families, this holiday has more meaning than Christmas or Easter. It is a celebration that combines the traditions of many cultures.
- The Aztecs believed that life is a dream and in death one awakens. Death is not to be feared. It is simply the continuation of life. The practice of honoring the dead has been observed by the Mesoamericans for over 3,000 years.
- The original Aztec calendar was made up of 18 months. Each month had 20 days. Before there was the Day of the Dead celebration, there was an Aztec celebration called “veintenas.” It was held about halfway through the year. It wasn’t until the arrival of the Spaniards that the holiday was moved to November, to coincide with the Catholic holidays, All Hallow’s Eve and All Souls Day.
- Why move a holiday? The Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés, who invaded Mexico in 1519 and conquered the Aztecs, wanted to convert the Americans to Christianity. On All Saints Day, Christians believed that the souls of the departed visited the living. It was similar to the Aztec “veintenas.”
- So, el Día de los Muertos is the fusion of the Aztec belief in the afterlife and of the Christian belief of the possibility that a deceased person’s soul can return. When the cultures connected, the Aztec and Christian beliefs combined and the result is the present day celebration of the Day of the Dead.
- El Día de los Angelitos, or the day of the little angels, is November 1st . This is the day of remembrance for infants and children who have passed on. These loved ones are called angelitos.
- A sugar angelito awaits the return of a young one. The angel is placed on the altar. Then a small step is placed at the front of the altar so that the sugar angelito will be within reach. Tradition calls for candy, toys, balloons, colorful flowers and candles to adorn their graves.
- November 2nd is dedicated to the deceased adults. The people of México believe that the souls of the dead return each year to celebrate with their living relatives. This photograph is of the tomb of la profesora Carmen Rosas Ruiz, one of many thousands buried at that cemetery.
- At least two weeks in advance, families begin purchasing and preparing the items for the altar offerings and celebrations at the cemetery. They make several trips to el mercado. Every week, markets, called tianguis, with hundreds of food and flour skulls appear like magic in the streets of Mexican towns. You can purchase food, decorations, flowers, candy skulls and candles. At home, each family gathers items that were special to the deceased.
- Markets offer many exciting products like different varieties of chilies. Note the molinillos, in the lower right corner of the picture. A molinillo is used to grind the chilies, which are added to foods for the holiday. Ground chilies are even added to hot chocolate to make mole sauce!
- The living believe that when the dead return, they enjoy the sight and smells of foods, but cannot actually eat them. Festive varieties of bread, drinks, and fruit are collected. They also bring the favorite foods, beer and tobacco of the deceased person.
- Bread of the Dead, or pan de muerto is a must-have for this holiday! They are made into different shapes and decorated with strips to represent bones. They are made with flour, butter, sugar, eggs, orange peels and yeast. The loaves pictured are shaped like people. They are called “ánimas,” or souls, and they represent the deceased. Others contain toys that bring luck to the people who find them.
- Fields of cempasúchiles, or marigolds, await harvest for the holiday. Listen to this Aztec legend about the marigolds and the Day of the Dead. (CLICK ICON TO PLAY AUDIO.)
- An abundance of marigolds are gathered to adorn grave sites, ofrendas, or altars. The petals will be used to create a pathway to guide the returning spirits. The path will lead the spirits to the altar.
- Sugar skulls are often exchanged as gifts, encouraging even the youngest children to become involved and carry on the traditions. Some even bear the name of a loved one. Skulls are also made of chocolate! Any Day of the Dead celebration is sure to include a variety of sugar skulls!
- Calacas are skeletons. But they are not scary; they are joyous! They are often shown wearing festive clothing, dancing and playing musical instruments. During Day of the Dead, you may see skeletons as generals on horseback, or even skeleton brides with their bony grooms! The skeletons represent the dead playfully mimicking the living and are not a morbid symbol at all. They may be known as simply la Muerte, or death, or they may be called la Catrina, fancy one, la Flaca, the skinny one, la Huesuda, the bony one or la Pelona, the bald one. The skulls smile and laugh at our poor souls stuck suffering on earth. They are sold as toys and are symbols of respect and fun, not fear.
- (AUTO PLAY VIDEO)
- Once the supplies for the preparation are collected, the building of an altar begins. The altar is most commonly placed in the main room of the home. It is elaborately decorated to entice the spirits’ return. The creation of the altar is a family affair; everyone joins in. The altar bears pictures and mementos of the loved one. The altar may be large or small, simple or extravagant, but is always inviting. It is the path of marigold petals, the aroma of the food, and the scent of copal incense that leads the spirits to the altar for their return visit.
- Typical altar decorations often begin with a sugarcane arch. It is constructed of three steps. The first step represents Hell and the second, Earth. At the top step, Heaven is represented with an array of favorite foods for the spirits to enjoy. Then, personal mementos and photographs are added. The altar includes four main elements: earth, wind, water and fire. Earth is represented by a crop or food, wind by a moving object such as tissue paper, water by a container for the spirit to quench its thirst after the long journey, and fire by a lit wax candle. An extra candle is placed for the forgotten souls.
- Check it out! Papel picado, or cut tissue paper, is designed with a hammer and chisel. Without the use of scissors, 100 sheets at a time are pounded to create small, intricate holes and designs. They are made into angels, skeletons, and some even tell a story cut into the brightly colored paper.
- A bowl, like the one shown above, is used for the copal, or incense burning. Copal is made from resin that seeps from the bark of a pine tree. Even before Aztec times, the aroma of the incense was used to help guide the spirits to the altar. As you can see, guiding spirits is a multi-sensory experience. There are sights and sounds, tastes and smells.
- (AUTO PLAY VIDEO) This finished altar is ready for the return of departed loved ones. Let the celebration begin!
- La comida, or the meal, is prepared after the altar is complete. Unlike many American women, Mexican women love to share their kitchen. Making food is a social occasion. It is said that you can not make tamales with less than five women in the kitchen. It is a time to share with family and friends. The foods are enjoyed at home as well as at the gravesite.
- These chickens and turkeys are ready to be cooked for the festivities. Chicken and turkey are often served in a sauce of mole poblano or mole negro. Dead chickens to go!
- Roasted chapulines are a delicacy often purchased at the market in Oaxaca to enjoy at the festivities. Anyone care for a roasted grasshopper taco?
- What is a meal without dessert? Manzanas, or apples, are boiled and peeled and mixed with brown sugar. Pumpkin rind is made into a sugared candy and goat’s milk into caramel.
- Another meal is packed up in picnic baskets to be enjoyed at the cemetery altar. The families then join together in a procession to the cemetery.
- Once the altar is complete and the meal is prepared, the journey to the cemetery begins. Along the way, the family passes parades and processions by those dressed to honor el Día de los Muertos.
- Watch to learn more about costumes and related parties. (CLICK JUST OUTSIDE OF THE PICTURE TO PLAY VIDEO.)
- Children’s schools often hold parades to show off their costumes.
- The parades are sometimes accompanied by brass bands to add to the festive atmosphere.
- Some cemeteries even have band shells where the bands can play. Lots of music and fireworks are important, so the dead will have sound to direct them on their journey home. It is especially important on the night of the 31st when the little ones return because they can be easily distracted and lose their way.
- These are “memorial graves.” It is a special way to honor those women who have died during pregnancy and childbirth. The street is closed for a day. Some graves have an educational sign placed above them to help warn others of symptoms that need medical attention during pregnancy.
- This is an advertisement posted in Oaxaca for a Day of the Dead event. This poster announces visits by “comparsas,” or parades of young men. Parade members perform skits for onlookers’ enjoyment. Costumes are an important part of the performance. They come in a wide range of styles featuring a variety of components. Listen to this clip of a parade member. (CLICK MEGAPHONE TO PLAY AUDIO CLIP.) Can you guess what object is featured on that costume? Shining and jingling bells add excitement to the look and sound of any costume!
- El Día de los Muertos is more than a family affair; it is a community affair, as noted by an American tourist in this audio clip. Even the restaurants invite everyone in to see their displays.
- This model of la Catrina greets restaurant patrons. La Catrina was created by the artist José Guadalupe Posada, during the rule of Porfirio Díaz. It was José’s way of making fun of the very rich, showing that no matter how special they believed themselves to be, they end up as skeletons just like everyone else.
- El tapete de arena is actually art created from sand! There are many of these done by local artists. Like much of the art in México, it is meant to delight all the senses, not only sight. And the creations are fleeting – like life. Paraders will actually walk across this art in a procession and destroy it.
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- At the cemetery, the festivities continue. Families clean the gravesites of deceased family members, decorate the tombs, and celebrate with music and picnics beside each grave.
- Listen to the song in this clip from a cemetery celebration and follow along with the English translation. (CLICK THE MEGAPHONE TO PLAY AUDIO CLIP.)
- This is a rural cemetery in Xoxocotlán, México. Locally it is known as Xoxo (pronounced “ho ho”).
- This cemetery in Oaxaca is surrounded by tombs that are above ground. A candle is placed in each tomb as part of the celebration. Each tomb bears the name of the deceased.
- The events surrounding the Day of the Dead are fun and solemn at the same time. Family members want to celebrate, but also show respect and love for the departed.
- The holiday appeals to young and old alike.
- It is common to hear, “¡Se apagó!,” or “It went out,” as small children get excited about relighting the extinguished candles.
- The costumes, skeletons and celebration may make all this seem like the Mexican version of Halloween, but it is not the same thing. Some Mexican children are becoming influenced by the United States’ customs of trick-or-treating and dressing in costume, but the celebrations of el Día de los Muertos go beyond a few hours of candy collecting. The people of México don’t fear death, they embrace it. Do you think other cultures, such as American, English and French, avoid talking about death? Why?
- (AUTO PLAY VIDEO)
- Listen to Octavio Paz, 1990 Nobel Prize winner. (CLICK MEGAPHONE TO PLAY THE AUDIO CLIP.) In what way is the Aztec view of death reflected in Paz’s statement? Do you agree with his sentiment?