Dia de los Muertos

When Eitan was in Middle School, he was assigned to make Pan de Muerto (Day of the Dead Bread) for his Spanish Class.  Well, found a recipe, made it (came out pretty good!) and he took it to school.  Didn't really give it much thought as to what, why, how, bread?, etc.  Now I know!


So, did some research in preparation of this important local holiday.  Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) comes around right about the same time as Halloween, but it really couldn't be more different.  This spiritual ritual, which occurs on November 1st and 2nd, actually dates back about 3,000 years and has survived the centuries of colonization.  The celebration is a combination of Christian and Indigenous rituals.

Dia de los Muertos is an explosion of color and joy.  Although the theme is death, the point of this celebration is to demonstrate love and respect for deceased family members.

During this holiday, locals go to the grave sites of family members to eat a meal with them, usually a meal that the deceased enjoyed.  Altars (called ofrendas) are also built to honor the deceased. These ofrendas consist of photos of the deceased, marigold flowers (a symbol of death), candles and incense or burning herbs ("to guide the souls to the altars"), statues of deities, and sweet bread.

Pan de Muerto (sweet bread) and water are placed on the ofrenda which provide the deceased with nourishment and strength on their continued "journey".  The idea is that while most of us consider death an end of life, locals view death as a continuation of life.  Rather than mourning loved ones that have passed, on Dia de los Muertos their lives are celebrated!  November 1st is set aside to celebrate babies and children that have passed away, and on November 2nd the adults are celebrated.


In addition, faces of the living are painted with ornate skulls (flowers and filagree) which serve the purpose
of "mocking death".  In other words, we shouldn't be afraid of death.  Another aspect of the holiday includes sugar skulls ("eaten as a symbol of consuming death and the negative emotions that come with it").  In Tulum (and elsewhere there is a large Expat Community), Dia de los Muertos and Halloween do get a bit combined with the celebration 

starting the evening prior on Halloween night. The locals dress up in traditional Halloween Costumes and also set up altars along the street in front of stores and restaurants as well as in the town square, where there is actually a judged contest for the "best" altar.  There was even some local dancing performances!  If you never watched the Disney movie "Coco," you are truly missing something special!  Coco is a beautiful film about this special, beautiful tradition.




Pictures of the evening...........................