The diary of a doll

31 October, 2004
8:31 p.m.

Día de Muertos
Listening to: Moonspell: Full Moon Madness
Mood:

I was browsing when I encountered some news about “el Día de Muertos” or the Day of the Dead. It called my attention when someone mentioned that anyone celebrating it was going to have problems with the producers of the movie called “Day of the Dead” and then someone else told him that maybe Mexicans had come up with the idea first. I was a bit surprised with their lack of knowledge so I decided to write a bit about this ancient tradition.

The origins of this tradition vary from place to place. The Mexicas celebrated the Tzompantli where they would place everything that the diseased (a captured enemy or someone offered to the Sun) needed in their travel to the kingdom of death or Miclán. The Aztecs would hold a month of celebration called Miccailhuitontli which was presided by Mictecacihuatl or Lady of the Dead which would happen around the end of July and the beginning of August. The traditions were different but one thing was the same, they came together to celebrate death not as the end but as an extension of life. When Mexico got invaded by Spain the conquerors saw this as worshiping the devil. This lead the church to re-arrange things as they converted the Indians. The mix between Catholicism and the ancient pagan rites gave birth to “El día de Muertos” as it’s known today.

When foreigners visit Mexico during the last weeks of October they find traditions that most don’t understand. They go to shops and find skulls made of sugar (calaveras) and skeletons made of wood, wax, clay and so on. These skeletons represent the living and you find them dressed as nurses, prostitutes, doctors, mariachis, etc. You can see the skeletons doing several things such as dancing and singing. The Pan de Muertos (breath of the dead) is found rather easily as well. This is a sweet bread usually covered with sugar that has some uneven forms on top representing bones.

The celebration is prepared some days before the first and the second of November. The first of November is used to celebrate and receive the souls of the dead children; the second of November is used for the adults. Traditionally an altar is placed in the graveyard on the tombs of the diseased or at home (this usually depends on which part of Mexico you live in). The altar is covered with colorful paper cut in a decorative manner, yellow marigolds (zempasuchitl), candles, pan de muerto and candy skulls. The pictures of the diseased are also placed in the altar together with their favorite things such as cigarettes, food, drinks and so on. Food and drink are placed in the altar mainly because it’s beleived that after their long journey the spirit will be hungry. When the spirit arrives they will absorb the essence of the food which will be consumed by the family when the altar is taken down.

When the altar is placed in the cemetery the whole family will go to spend the night there. They will share drink and food with family, friends and sometimes a curious visitor wishing to learn more about this. During this time you will be able to see hundreds of candles lighting the cemetery. Wherever you go in Mexico the tradition will vary slightly. In Mixquic the doors of each home remain open to encourage visitors to become a part of the celebration. In Puebla the altar is place solely at home. In Oaxaca the altar is placed at home to greet the spirits of the children and then moved to the cemetery to greet the spirits of the adult. In the little towns of Michoacan people will walk to the cemetery at dusk while carrying candles, fruit, pan de muerto and structures decorated with flowers. In some towns the path from home to the cemetery is marked with marigold petals while in others it’s marked with candles. The traditions vary but the purpose is the same today as it was in the beginning, to celebrate death as the next natural step and to let our dead know that we still remember them.

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