Dìa de los Muertos or “The Day of the Dead” is a Mexican holiday paying homage to loved ones who have passed on. The holiday splices Mexican traditions and Catholic practices to celebrate the dead by carrying on their legacy and importance. The 2017 Disney Pixar movie “Coco” provides a great example of this sacred tradition. As long as we keep our loved ones who’ve passed on in our memory and a part of our routine, their spirit will forever live on.
The holiday is celebrated on November 1 and 2. One way individuals participate in this ritual is by making an ofrenda (altar). The steps to making an ofrenda:
- Pick a deceased loved one you want to honor
- Find a picture of them
- Gather one candle or more
- Assemble your loved one’s favorite food
- Get a glass of water
- Put together anything else of special significance that will appeal to your loved one
Take these items and either put them in a shoe box you can decorate for a mini ofrenda, or you can cover a table in cloth with all your items on it.
Día de los Muertos can be seen as a celebration of continuous life, since it is acknowledged that the spirit still lives on even after death. There is comfort in this tradition in knowing that our loved ones will always be around in spirit, and it is an honor to include them in our celebrations just as we would if they were physically present. You interact with the ofrenda you have built by sitting in front of it and sharing your favorite memories of your loved one, you play their favorite song, or even dance.
Some people take skeletons leftover from Halloween and use them as a part of their ofrenda because skulls and skeletons are represented as a symbol of death and the cycle of life.
With this tradition, it’s never too late to honor passed-on loved ones and carry on their image as the generations progress. Who would you like to celebrate?
