The Day of the Dead, known in Spanish as Día de los Muertos, is a holiday that celebrates life and honors the dead through traditions, food, decorations, and activities intended to sustain the connections between the living and the dead. The Day of the Dead originated in Mexico and is celebrated around the world, beginning on the last days of October and concluding in early November, contrary to the singular "day" implied by its name. While some recognize this celebration as a time of playful skeletons, colorful papel picados ("perforated paper"), and candlelit graveyards, it has been observed in some form throughout Mexico for over 3000 years, and its traditions are as varied as the people who celebrate it.
Celebrating the Day of the Dead
In her book Celebrating Latino Folklore: An Encyclopedia of Cultural Traditions, María Herrera-Sobek writes that "The Day of the Dead marks the one time during the year when the dead may return, if only for a few hours, to visit their loved ones and to enjoy the pleasures they had known in life" (403). Festivities often begin on the evening of 31 October and conclude on 2 November, but some rural communities in Mexico begin their observance as early as 27 October, when those deceased without families or friends can find sustenance for their souls in the form of crusts of bread and water vessels hung outside of homes. In these communities, even the unknown are not forgotten.
On the next day, celebrants accommodate the souls of those who died violent deaths, and who might be viewed as malevolent spirits:
These fears stem from Aztec beliefs that the quality of our afterlives is dictated by the manner in which we die, not the manner in which we lived. For this reason, those souls who died by accident, murder, or other violent means are offered sustenance at a safe distance.
30 and 31 October mark the days when communities commemorate and welcome back the souls of children, those who died before being baptized and after baptism, respectively. On 1 November, the souls of the adult dead are welcomed back by their families. These loved ones, sometimes known as the 'Faithful Dead', are welcomed back with ringing church bells and home ofrendas, where their family members await. During the days of the festival, families tend to the gravesites of their loved ones. Celebrants clean, repair, and decorate graves, bring and share food, light candles, and sometimes play or enjoy music in the cemeteries. The festivities conclude at dusk on 2 November, when the dead still lingering among the living make their way back to the afterlife, sometimes with the aid of masked 'mummers' tasked with frightening away the souls who might dawdle in the world of the living.
During each day of the celebration, as souls are welcomed, the living create ofrendas, where they display food, flowers, and visual art, often including scenes or iconography with skulls and skeletons, to help them connect with and provide sustenance for the souls of the dead.
