Dia De Los Muertos!

Day of the Death is personally one of my favorite Mexican festivities of the year. Contrary to the American version known as “Halloween”, the Mexican tradition serves to celebrate the lives of those who no longer coexist with us. Dia de muertos is so much more than just going out dressed up as some of our favorite celebrities, T.V characters or some other types of fictional creatures, Dia de los Muertos connects us spiritually to those who were once a very important presence in our lives. Like I said before Day of the Death or Dia de los Muertos is a tradition that is mostly embrace by the Mexican community, so for that matter is not really celebrated in the United States.

To be more detailed and descriptive about this tradition I will give you some fun facts of this special Mexican tradition. This tradition has been around now for many years and it serves as a way to honor our dead’s, it is believed that the gates of heaven are opened at midnight on October 31, and spirits of all the deceased children are allowed to come back to earth and be with their families for only a couple of hours. On November 2, is the turn of the spirits of the adults who come down to enjoy the festivities that are prepared for them, or more precisely to enjoy the ofrendas.

Ofrendas are very common in this tradition, ofrendas are offerings that families make to receive their love ones. It is believed that when the spirits come back to earth they often look for food. There are certain things that an ofrenda must have, for example, your loved ones favorite dishes, favorite beverages, bread, tons of colorful decorations, traditional sweets etc. It is very important to have in mind that as the celebration is taking place one cannot consume anything that is placed in the offerings. As for the deceased children, something that has become very popular on Dia de los Muertos are the sugar skulls, they serve not only as a decoration and a delicious treat, but also as a way to get the attention of all of the children’s spirits. Day of the Death also serves as a reminder to celebrate death as it is not the end of your existence, but instead is just a spiritual transition to a different dimension.

Dia de los Muertos is a beautiful celebration that looks beyond the popular custom of banal and material need such as Halloween.The difference of Halloween and Dia de Muertos is that one does not perceive this day to be frightening, instead as a day to connect to those who are gone.