Day of the Dead
The Day of the Dead is a unique festival that is the result of 16th century contact between Mesoamerica
and Europe. Conceptually, it is a hybrid (result of mixing), owing its origins to both prehispanic Aztec
philosophy and religion and medieval European ritual practice. Ceremonies held during the Aztec
summer month of Miccailhuitontli (feast of the ancestors) were mainly focused on the celebration of the
dead. These were held under the supernatural direction of the goddess Mictecacihuatl. Both children and
dead ancestors were remembered and celebrated. It was also during this month that the Aztecs
commemorated fallen warriors. According to Diego Duran, a 16th century Spanish priest, the Aztecs
would bring offerings of food to altars in honor of the dead. They would also place small clay images that
were supposed to represent the deceased on these same altars.
When the Spaniards arrived in the 16th century, they brought the Christian Holiday of All Soul's Day with
them. This was a Roman Catholic holy day commemorating the dead in general as well as baptized
Christians who were believed to be in purgatory. Spanish priests were quick to see a correlation between
the Aztec and Christian celebrations so moved the Aztec festival from summer to fall so that it coincided
with All Souls day. This was done in the hopes that the Aztec holiday, which the Spaniards considered to
be pagan, would be transformed into an acceptable Christian holiday.
The result of this cultural blending is an event where modern Mexicanos celebrate their ancestors during
the first two days of November, rather than at the beginning of summer. While this modern festival has
Christian components, it still maintains its indigenous Native American ones.
Across Mexico, activities associated with Day of the Dead are fairly consistent from place to place. On the
first day, families visit the graves of their relatives. During this time, they decorate the gravesite with
flowers, earth, and candles. The also hold a kind of picnic at the graveside where they interact socially
among themselves and with other families and community members who are all gathered at the
cemetery. The stories that are exchanged by the families often feature other people who are also buried
in the same cemetery. In this way, Day of the Dead acts as a method of social cohesion between different
groups of people. Folks gathered around the graves are there not only to celebrate their ancestors, but to
celebrate the role that those ancestors played in a larger community.
The meals prepared for these picnics include tamales and pan de muerto (a special bread in the shape of
a person). Sweets are also included in the feast. These include, cookies, chocolate and sugar skulls.
Friends and family members exchange gifts consisting of sugar skeletons or other items with a death
related iconography. Often times, a gift is more prized if the skull or skeleton has one's own name written
on it with icing. As in the case of pan de muerto, when the celebrant takes a bite out of the skull, the
person symbolically "takes a bite of death" and thereby, inoculates themselves against the fear of death.
Decoration is not restricted to gravesites. Often times people set up home altars dedicated to the same
relatives. These are profusely decorated with flowers (primarily yellow and orange marigolds and/or
crysanthemums). These were called cempoa-xochitl and are a clear holdover from Pre-Columbian times.
For the Aztecs, the color yellow referenced the autumn—a season when nature begins to die. The arc or
arco that forms a semi-halo atop the altar is symbolic of the path taken across the heavens by the dead. As
in the case of the gravesides, home altars are also adorned with religious amulets and food offerings. The
foods chosen are generally those that the deceased enjoyed during his life. This can run the gamut to
different kinds of fruit, to cigarettes, and alcoholic beverages. Mescal is a favorite. All in all, the altar
represents a recognition of the cycle of life and death that is part of human existence. There is some slight
variation in how Day of the Dead is observed in Mexico. For instance, its celebration in large cities, like
Oaxaca, leans more toward the secular than the sacred. Also, foodstuffs and altar construction are,
logically enough, dependent upon the natural resources of the area. Nonetheless, what seems to be
maintained throughout is the remembrance of the dead and the celebration of the continuity of life and
the community.
1. Where is Day of the Dead mostly celebrated?
2. Day of the Dead is a “hybrid” celebration of what two
elements?
3. Why did the Spaniards move the holiday to
November?
4. What do families do on Day of the Dead? (at least
three things)
5. What kind of special foods are eaten during the Days
of the Dead?
6. What kinds of things are placed on the altar?