Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) is a beautiful yet often misunderstood Latin American holiday where the memory of ancestors and the continuity of life are celebrated. It is believed that at this time the souls of the departed return to visit the living; it is not a time of sadness but of reflection and respect for loved ones. Although this celebration has ancient pre Columbian roots in Mexico as well as many other Latin American countries, the tradition is now celebrated worldwide by many, respectfully practiced by a variety of cultures.
El Día de Los Muertos originated in Mexico, perhaps as far back as 3000 years ago. Roots of the holiday are typically credited as beginning with the Olmecs, who passed the concept on to the Toltecs, Maya, Zapotec, Mixtec and Aztecs. It is believed Dia de Los Muertos-as we have come to know the observance-stems from an ancient Aztec festival dedicated to the goddess Mictecacihuatl. In variation of this Dia de Los Muertos is now a mixture of indigenous, Catholic, and modern tradition, and includes beautiful offerings, gathering at cemeteries and socializing.
The traditions and activities which take place in celebration of the Day of the Dead are not universal- the manner of celebration varies regionally with folkloric traditions and also varies from place to place. In Brazil, Dia de Finados is a public holiday that many Brazilians celebrate by visiting cemeteries and churches. In Spain there are festivals and parades which end in people gather at cemeteries to pray for their dead loved ones. Guatemalans elaborately decorate gravestonesand incorporate barriletes gigantes — extravagant and enormous kites which are central to the festivities, and fiambre (cheese and meat salad) placed in altars in order to lure the dead back to earth. Similar observances occur elsewhere in Europe, and similarly themed celebrations appear in many Asian and African cultures as well. In Mexico, where the festive holiday is most revered and familiar, Los Dias de Los Muertos tradition varies from town to town. In Pátzcuaro the tradition is very different if the deceased is a child rather than an adult; the Godparents of a deceased child who set altars, food and pray in respect and appreciation for the parents. In the town of Ocotepec, resident’s open doors to visitors in exchange for veladoras (small wax candles) to show respect for the recently deceased and visitors in turn receive food. In the town of Mixquic, a cardboard coffin leads a candlelit procession through the streets to the town’s graveyards, where families gather to celebrate; candles remain lit to guide spirits home and midnight bells toll to call them back. And at Pomuch Cemetery in Campeche Mexico, old folk beliefs holds that poorly cared for relatives will become angry and walk the streets, so in order to avoid this, the bones are exhumed and cleaned by relatives during the holiday. In other parts of Mexico (especially the cities, where in recent years there are displaced other customs), children in costumes roam the streets, knocking on people's doors for a calaverita, a small gift of candies or money; they also ask passersby for it, somewhat similar to “Trick or Treating. Within the urban areas of Mexico City, the holiday is celebrated as a folk tradition, rather than a spiritual or religious affair.
While there are numerous differences within celebratory details, the holiday focus is on gatherings of family and friends to pray for and remember loved ones who have passed on. The majority of us are familiar with the aesthetic beauty in tradition connected with the holiday- building exquisite and elaborate altars to honor the deceased using sugar skulls, marigolds(Tagetes erecta), photos, pan de muerto (bread of the dead), favorite foods and beverages of the departed, and later visiting graves with these as gifts. Dias de Los Muertos cemetery visits are an integral part of the holiday, as people visit cemeteries in order to show love and respect and visit the souls of the departed making these ofrendas (offerings) with the intent to encourage visits by the souls so that the souls will hear the prayers and the comments of the living directed to them. Celebrations often take a humorous tone, as celebrants remember funny events and anecdotes about the departed.
