Day of the Dead in Guanajuato, Mexico

When I moved to Mexico from the USA, something I was looking forward to in my new life was participating in the frequent festivals that take place almost on a daily basis. One festival I wasn't too sure about taking part in, though, was Day of the Dead. To me, it seemed odd and even morbid to celebrate death. However, I knew Mexico had a wealth of Day of the Dead traditions. I decided to keep an open mind until I had the opportunity to witness the holiday myself.

Far from being a somber or morbid event, Day of the Dead is a celebration that includes traditional foods, gifts of candy or chocolate skulls (usually adorned with the recipient's name), humor, and even carnivals. To Mexicans, death is part of life, not something to be feared. We're all going to die, so why not have fun while we're alive? I like that attitude.

Day of the Dead is celebrated on November 1st (connected to the Catholic All Saints' Day) and November 2nd (connected to the Catholic All Souls' Day). However, the holiday predates the advent of Catholicism in Mexico by as much as 2500 years. The indigenous tribes that occupied present-day Mexico (Olmecs, Aztec, Mixtecs, Maya, and others) celebrated the deaths of their ancestors by observing various rituals. Skulls were often kept as trophies and were used in rituals to represent death and rebirth.

Many people believe on these two days of the year the veil between the living and the dead is at its thinnest and it is possible for the two groups to communicate. Since those who are alive want to attract loved ones who have passed on, they observe a number of Day of the Dead traditions.

One tradition is to set up an altar (ofrenda) in the home or at the loved one's gravesite. Some families set up altars on each ancestor's grave as well as one in the home. Others set up one altar to honor all the ancestors. Schools and offices usually set up an altar in a central area to honor former employees, former students, or other important person.

The altars range from very small and plain to very large and elaborate. They usually include a crucifix or a statue of the Virgen Mary or other saint (the altars in public schools and businesses generally omit religious symbols), a picture of the deceased, candles, pitchers of water, flowers (normally these are marigolds), favorite possessions of the deceased, and the deceased's favorite food and drink. Often, strings of pierced paper flags adorned with skulls and bones are strung above and around the altar.

Some families put real food on the altar. The food is made extra spicy so the deceased can smell it and find the way to the waiting family. After the deceased has had an opportunity to "eat" (or partake of the food spiritually), the living members of the family eat the food, though they believe the deceased has taken all the nutrients.

Other families prefer to use marzipan representations of the deceased's favorite foods for the altar. From the last two weeks of October through November 2nd, Guanajuato has an Alfeñique fair in the Jardin de la Reforma where one can buy sugar and candy skulls of various sizes as well as everything imaginable made from marzipan. We've seen various action figures, skeletons, coffins, spiders, various animals, baskets of flowers, plates of tacos and eggs and refried beans, hamburgers and french fries, pastries, even cell phones!...all made of sugar or chocolate. They are all incredibly detailed and look much too pretty to eat.

Another Day of the Dead tradition is Pan de Muertos (bread of the dead). This is an anise-flavored yeast bread usually glazed with an orange juice-sugar-orange zest glaze. It can be shaped into a skull or into a round with "bones" made of dough pressed into the top. Some people decorate bread with flowers, animals, skeletons, and skulls made of icing while others sprinkle the glaze with sugar.