A celebration of life is not what comes to mind to most non-Hispanic individuals when they hear about Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), but that is precisely what defines this important holiday. Dating back to other holidays in Ancient Mesoamerica (think Mexico and Latin America) in which different indigenous groups celebrated lost loved ones, and after the Spanish colonization of those lands, they all became what we see observed today as Día de los Muertos.
The holiday is often seen as “Mexican Halloween”, which is far from the fact. While Halloween celebrates mischief and death, where we don costumes, eat candy and watch horror movies, Day of the Dead fondly honors the memory of loved ones long gone. Some celebrators do dress in costume, usually painting their faces to resemble calaveritas de azucar (sugar skulls) and women wear crowns comprised of cempasúchil, a type of marigold that grows only in Latin America. During the forty-eight-hour celebration, alters, called ofrendas, are built to honor the dead. Gifts are left on the alters; gifts of toys and candies are generally left at the graves of children. A common offering of food is left at each ofrenda. Pan de muerto (literally the “bread of the dead”) is a traditional sweet bread, decorated with bones, candy tears, and more, is a common feature at the alters of dead loved ones.[1]
Many other traditions surrounding Día de los Muertos remain in place including ancient indigenous observations. In the city of Pátzcuaro, indigenous peoples paddle out to the island of Janitzio to burn candles in what is an all-night vigil (known as Noche de Muertos) at an indigenous cemetery.[2] And in the city of Aguascalientes, Día de los Muertos marks the beginning of their week-long Festival de Calaveras.[3]
The traditions of Day of the Dead have lasted for centuries. However, in Brazil, recently elected President Jair Bolsonaro has created fear among Brazilians, as he as immediately announced rollbacks on protections for indigenous peoples and lands.[4] It’s difficult to say (or imagine) what lies ahead for the future of indigenous peoples and their traditions in Brazil, such as Finados (Day of the Dead, Brazil). As this Day of the Dead approaches us, we should stay conscious that the Day of the Dead isn’t “Mexican Halloween” but a significant (possibly endangered) holiday.
Photo Credit: Erik Ruiz
[1] Betty Cortina, "Celebrating Dia De Los Muerto: Pan De Muerto," NBC Latino, November 01, 2012, http://nbclatino.com/2012/11/01/celebrating-dia-de-los-muerto-pan-de-muerto/.
[2] "Day of the Dead/ Night of the Dead," Lake Patzcuaro, http://www.lakepatzcuaro.org/DayOfDead.html.
[3] "Festival De Calaveras," Viva Aguascalientes, https://vivaaguascalientes.com/en/festival-de-calaveras/.
[4] Scott Wallace, "Brazil's New Leader Promised to Exploit the Amazon-but Can He?" National Geographic. October 31, 2018, https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/2018/10/brazil-president-jair-bolsonaro-promises-exploit-amazon-rain-forest/.
