Is there life after death? Roughly speaking the answer to this question is divided into two opinions: yes and no. While for some it’s the end of their life on earth, for others it’s just the beginning, something that a festivity like the Day of the Dead, a holiday celebrated throughout Mexico, manages to frame very well.
What’s the meaning behind the Day of the Dead?
Let’s start by answering where it comes from. According to different historians, it’s impossible to have an exact date for the beginning of the Day of the Dead in Mexico, since it’s shared by pre-Hispanic cultures such as the Aztec, Zapotec, Purépecha, and Totonaca—just to name a few. It’s estimated that it’s a 3,000-year-old ritual. If we talk about one culture in particular, it would have to be the Aztecs: For them, this was a celebration preceded by festivities in honor of Mictlantecuhtli and Mictecacihuatl, the lord and lady of Mictlan—nine regions subdivided into tests that the ‘dead’ has to pass, depending on how they behaved when alive and the faults they committed while walking the earth. These images later mutated until they became La Catrina that we know today.
Day of the Dead: an emblematic celebration in Mexico.
This celebration persevered despite the Spanish conquest in Aridoamerica and Mesoamerica. In the particular case of Mexico, the violence suffered by its inhabitants during this period forced many to make their customs prevail at all costs. The civilizations of this part of the world were highly affected, not only because of the new diseases transmitted by the Europeans, but by the deep depression that they caused in the elderly who refused to change their religion and abandon something they had believed in all their lives…It was thus that some families began to keep Catholic figures in their homes with hidden spaces inside them, in which they kept small tokens of gratitude to what the Spaniards called their “old gods” or “pagan deities.” This is how it persisted until today.
Seeing that not everyone adopted the new religion as part of the culture, some priests decided to unite some of the pre-Hispanic celebrations with those of the Catholic Church, combining the Day of the Dead with the Catholic tradition of All Saints or Of the Faithful Departed in a two-day celebration on November 1 and 2.
On the border with the United States there is also the union of the Mexican traditions of Day of the Dead with Halloween, celebrated on October 31.
Why is death celebrated in Mexico?
Although for many just thinking about this would be creepy, the truth is that this country has an energy charged with different colors. According to Jean Chevalier’s Dictionary of Symbols, “Death has, in fact, several meanings. As a liberator of sorrows and worries, it is not an end in itself; it opens access to the realm of the spirit, to true life: mors janua vitae (death is the gateway to life). In an esoteric sense, it symbolizes the profound change that the man undergoes as a result of initiation. The profane must die in order to be reborn to the superior life that initiation confers. If he does not die in his imperfect state, all initiatory progress is forbidden to him.” Life and death, seen from a cosmogonic point of view, are cycles that mark ends and beginnings, so it’s not surprising that in the case of Mexico this is seen as a party, because it’s not a goodbye but a see you later.
That’s why with great devotion, shortly before the end of October, a large number of families in Mexico set aside a table or a small piece of furniture to place an altar of the dead that includes photos of those who have crossed the threshold of death, showing them that, both in their homes and in the hearts of their loved ones, they continue to be remembered—something that extends to the first days of November. On the table, they put the traditional pan de muerto, candies, papel picado in different colors, fruits, sugar skulls, water (as the dead have supposedly come a long way), and flowers (cempasúchil and others in shades of purple known as moco de pavo or manta de candela). If possible, they add what the person liked most in life and, of course, candles to light the way; there are also the finishing touches: tissue paper that usually ranges between oranges, purples, and blacks.
How is the Day of the Dead celebrated in Mexico today?
People prepare weeks in advance to celebrate the Day of the Dead. Depending on where they are, this is something they may celebrate in a cemetery during the first days of November, where they go to leave flowers; in some places, they put altars and visit close relatives, while in other places, a big parade is created, like the one that takes place in Mexico City.
In 2008 the Day of the Dead was declared Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in Mexico, and although this tradition is also celebrated in some regions of Central America and the United States, there’s no doubt that it’s a distinguished Mexican celebration.
Each family makes a small (or large) altar for the dead in their home, prays a rosary or even attends a mass in memory of the deceased. Others just light candles, remember them in silence and wait until nightfall for the deceased to visit them.
One of the traditions that reaches Mexican homes, as well as the cemeteries, are the calaveritas inspired by La Catrina: a figure loaded with stories that extend from the Mixtec culture to a mural painted by Diego Rivera called Dream of a Sunday Afternoon in Alameda Park, and one of the most popular costumes among children and adults.
In the case of Mexico City, the main streets are filled with the joy and costumes of thousands and thousands of people who are part of the parade of Las Catrinas or just wish to see it. The famous avenue Paseo de la Reforma is filled with yellow flowers that amaze all visitors (and are only used during this time of the year), which honor the dead.
How is the Day of the Dead celebrated in San Andrés Míxquic, Mexico City?
Other states and towns have particular traditions that make them worthy of national and international recognition. San Andrés Míxquic, in the municipality of Tláhuac, in Mexico City, is known for its colorful decorations, the popular festival in the streets, and its chinampas and tombs, which are decorated with flowers and offerings.
How is the Day of the Dead celebrated in Janitzio, Michoacán?
Janitzio, Michoacán, a town of Purépecha origin, is recognized as one of the best places to celebrate the Day of the Dead. Its inhabitants make a procession to the cemetery to visit the graves of their dead, which they decorate with embroidered napkins and place offerings with the favorite feasts of their deceased.
It’s said that the returning souls fly like butterflies over the lake of Pátzcuaro and show themselves as the reflection of water ripples until they reach the island of Janitzio. It’s also said that under the lake of Pátzcuaro there’s a treasure, and on November 1, those who guard the treasure are seen as shadows over the lake.
How is the Day of the Dead celebrated in Pomuch, Campeche?
Perhaps one of the most unique traditions is that of Pomuch, Campeche, where on November 1 and 2, its inhabitants commemorate the Day of the Dead by going to the graves of their deceased to wash their bones. This town of Mayan traditions has the belief that if the bones are not washed, the deceased will haunt the town and will not rest in peace.
How is the Day of the Dead celebrated in Oaxaca, Oaxaca?
Oaxaca is also known for its Day of the Dead celebration. The traditional ofrendas and visits to the cemeteries that take place all over the country are combined with the particular customs of Oaxaca. Among these traditions are the nightly comparsas with musical bands from the region, and fireworks also known as cuetes and toritos. The residents allocate a portion of their offerings to these parades.
Another typical tradition of the region is to go house by house to give some of their offerings to their family, neighbors, and friends and then go to the cemetery to visit the dead. This tradition is known as llevar los muertos (carrying the dead).
Something feels different in the air: It’s not nostalgia for those who have left, but joy of reliving some of the best memories alongside them through altars, folk music and rituals…Perhaps these memories have to do with spending a date like this with them, as well as the joy of preserving the beautiful Day of the Dead tradition, which is one of the most important components of Mexican culture.
