Day of the Dead

TheDay of the Dead(Spanish:Día de (los) Muertos)is a holiday traditionally celebrated on November 1 and 2, though other days, such as October 31 or November 6, may be included depending on the locality.The multi-day holiday involves family and friends gathering to pay respects and  remember friends and family members who have died. These celebrations can take a humorous tone, as celebrants remember amusing events and anecdotes about the departed.It is widely observed inMexico, where it largely developed, and is also observed in other places, especially by people of Mexican heritage. The observance falls during the Christian period ofAllhallowtide.Some argue that there areIndigenous Mexicanor ancientAztecinfluences that account for the custom, though others see it as a local expression of the Allhallowtide season that was brought to the region by the Spanish; the Day of the Dead has become a way to remember those forebears of Mexican culture. The Day of the Dead is largely seen as having a festive characteristic.
Traditions connected with the holiday include honoring the deceased usingcalaverasandmarigold flowersknown ascempazúchitl, buildinghome altarscalledofrendaswith the favorite foods and beverages of the departed, and visiting graves with these items as gifts for the deceased.The celebration is not solely focused on the dead, as it is also common to give gifts to friends such as candy sugar skulls, to share traditionalpan de muertowith family and friends, and to write light-hearted and often irreverent verses in the form of mockepitaphsdedicated to living friends and acquaintances, a literary form known ascalaveras literarias.
In 2008, the tradition was inscribed in theRepresentative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of HumanitybyUNESCO.
Mexican academics are divided on whether the festivity has genuine indigenous pre-Hispanic roots or whether it is a 20th-century rebranded version of a Spanish tradition developed during the presidency ofLázaro Cárdenasto encourage Mexican nationalism through an "Aztec" identity.The festivity has become a national symbol in recent decades and it is taught in the nation's school system asserting a native origin.In 2008, the tradition was inscribed in theRepresentative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of HumanitybyUNESCO.
Views differ on whether the festivity has indigenous pre-Hispanic roots, whether it is a more modern adaptation of an existing European tradition, or a combination of both as a manifestation ofsyncretism. The beginning of the Christian observance ofAllhallowtide, including All Saints' Day and its vigil, as well as All Souls' Day, is observed on the same days in places like Spain and Southern Europe, and elsewhere in Christendom.Critics of the Native American origin claim that even though pre-Columbian Mexico had traditions that honored the dead, current depictions of the festivity have more in common with European traditions ofDanse macabreand their allegories of life and death personified in the human skeleton to remind of the ephemeral nature of life.Over the past decades, however, Mexican academia has increasingly questioned the validity of this assumption, even going as far as calling it a politically motivated fabrication. Historian Elsa Malvido, researcher for the MexicanInstituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia(INAH, orNational Institute of Anthropology and History) and founder of the institute's Taller de Estudios sobre la Muerte (Workshop of Studies on Death), was the first to do so in the context of her wider research into Mexican attitudes to death and disease across the centuries. Malvido completely discards a native or even syncretic origin arguing that the tradition can be fully traced to Medieval Europe. She highlights the existence of similar traditions on the same day, not just in Spain, but in the rest of Catholic Southern Europe and Latin America such as altars for the dead, sweets in the shape of skulls and bread in the shape of bones.
Agustin Sanchez Gonzalez has a similar view in his article published in the INAH's bi-monthly journalArqueología Mexicana. Gonzalez states that, even though the "indigenous" narrative became hegemonic, the spirit of the festivity has far more in common with European traditions ofDanse macabreand their allegories of life and death personified in the human skeleton to remind us the ephemeral nature of life. He also highlights that in the 19th-century press there was little mention of the Day of the Dead in the sense that we know it today. All there was were long processions to cemeteries, sometimes ending with drunkenness. Elsa Malvido also points to the recent origin of the tradition of "velar" or staying up all night with the dead. It resulted from theReform Lawsunder the presidency ofBenito Juarezwhich forced family pantheons out of Churches and into civil cemeteries, requiring rich families to have servants guard family possessions displayed at altars.
The historian Ricardo Pérez Montfort has further demonstrated how the ideology known asindigenismobecame more and more closely linked to post-revolutionary official projects whereasHispanismowas identified with conservative political stances. This exclusive nationalism began to displace all other cultural perspectives, to the point that in the 1930s the Aztec godQuetzalcoatlwas officially promoted by the government as a substitute for the SpanishThree Kingstradition, with a person dressed up as the deity offering gifts to poor children.
In this context, the Day of the Dead began to be officially isolated from the Catholic Church by the leftist government ofLázaro Cárdenasmotivated both by "indigenismo" and left-leaninganti-clericalism. Malvido herself goes as far as calling the festivity a "Cardenist invention" whereby the Catholic elements are removed and emphasis is laid on indigenous iconography, the focus on death and what Malvido considers to be the cultural invention according to which Mexicans venerate death.Gonzalez explains that Mexicannationalismdeveloped diverse cultural expressions with a seal of tradition but which are essentially social constructs which eventually developed ancestral tones. One of these would be the Catholic Día de Muertos which, during the 20th century, appropriated the elements of an ancient pagan rite.
One key element of the re-developed festivity which appears during this time isLa Calavera Catrinaby MexicanlithographerJosé Guadalupe Posada. According to Gonzalez, while Posada is portrayed in current times as the "restorer" of Mexico's pre-Hispanic tradition, he was never interested in Native American culture or history. Posada was predominantly interested in drawing scary images which are far closer to those of the Europeanrenaissanceor the horrors painted byFrancisco de Goyain theSpanish War of IndependenceagainstNapoleonthan to theMexicatzompantli. The recent trans-Atlantic connection can also be observed in the pervasive use ofcoupletin allegories of death and the playDon Juan Tenorioby 19th-century Spanish writerJosé Zorrillawhich is represented on this date both in Spain and in Mexico since the early 19th century due to its ghostly apparitions and cemetery scenes.
Opposing views assert that despite the obvious European influence, there exists proof of pre-Columbian festivities that were very similar in spirit, with the Aztec people having at least six celebrations during the year that were very similar to Day of the Dead, the closest one beingQuecholli, a celebration that honored Mixcóatl (the god of war) and was celebrated between October 20 and November 8. This celebration included elements such as the placement of altars with food (tamales) near the burying grounds of warriors to help them in their journey to the afterlife.Influential Mexican poet and Nobel prize laureateOctavio Pazstrongly supported the syncretic view of the Día de Muertos tradition being a continuity of ancient Aztec festivals celebrating death, as is most evident in the chapter "All Saints, Day of the Dead" of his 1950 book-length essayThe Labyrinth of Solitude.
Ruben C. Cordova emphasizes the zeal with which the Spanish attempted to extinguish indigenous religious beliefs and practices, such that it is often difficult to reconstruct their main features. Over time, indigenous converts became extremely devout Catholics. As Mexico modernized, the traditional practices that the Spanish had brought to the Americas survived most robustly in rural and less affluent communities, which had high concentrations of indigenous and mestizo populations. Thus archaic Spanish religious practices in marginal areas came to be mistakenly regarded as the "pure" core of primarily "indigenous" Day of the Dead festivities.
The Aztecs devoted two twenty-day months in their ritual calendar to the dead: the ninth and tenth months, which were for children and adults, respectively. Cordova argues that some recollection of these festivals "was compressed down to two days and cryptically celebrated within the Catholic liturgical calendar", which is why, in Mexico, "unlike other Latin American countries with Day of the Dead traditions — All Saints' Day is dedicated to children, and All Souls' Day is dedicated to adults."
He also notes that the same object, such as a stone skull carved by the Aztecs, would have different meanings in different religious contexts. For the Aztecs, bones—and skulls in particular—were reservoirs of enormous sacred power. A stone skull could evoke sacrifice, and the skull racks where the skulls of sacrificed captives were displayed. The Spanish could take an Aztec skull and repurpose it by placing it on a holy water font, or under a cross in a cemetery, whereby it would be transformed into a memento mori.
Regardless of its origin, the festivity has become a national symbol in Mexico and as such is taught in the nation's school system, typically asserting a native origin. It is also aschool holidaynationwide.
A number of Mexico City's museums and public spaces have played an important part in developing and promoting urban Day of the Dead traditions through altars and installations. These notable organizations include: Anahuacalli, The Frida Kahlo Museum, The Museum of Popular Cultures, The Dolores Olmedo Museum, The Museum of the First Printing Press, and The Cloister of Sor Juana. From turn of the millennium until the imposition of the James Bond-inspired parade, remarkable large-scale installations were created on the Zocalo, Mexico City's central square.
During Día de Muertos, the tradition is to build private altars ("ofrendas") containing the favorite foods and beverages, as well as photos and memorabilia, of the departed. The intent is to encourage visits by the souls, so the souls will hear the prayers and the words of the living directed to them. These altars are often placed at home or in public spaces such as schools and libraries, but it is also common for people to go to cemeteries to place these altars next to the tombs of the departed.
Plans for the day are made throughout the year, including gathering the goods to be offered to the dead. During the three-day period families usually clean and decorate graves;most visit the cemeteries where their loved ones are buried and decorate their graves withofrendas(altars), which often include orange Mexican marigolds (Tagetes erecta) calledcempasúchil(originally namedcempōhualxōchitl,Nāhuatlfor 'twenty flowers'). In modern Mexico the marigold is sometimes calledFlor de Muerto('Flower of Dead'). These flowers are thought to attractsoulsof the dead to the offerings. It is also believed the bright petals with a strong scent can guide the souls from cemeteries to their family homes.The common name in English, marigold, is derived fromMary's gold, a name first applied to a similar plant native to Europe,Calendula officinalis.
Toys are brought for dead children (los angelitos, or 'the little angels'), and bottles oftequila,mezcalorpulqueor jars ofatolefor adults. Families will also offer trinkets or the deceased's favorite candies on the grave. Some families haveofrendasin homes, usually with foods such as candied pumpkin,pan de muerto('bread of dead'), andsugar skulls; and beverages such asatole. Theofrendasare left out in the homes as a welcoming gesture for the deceased.Some people believe the spirits of the dead eat the "spiritual essence" of theofrendas' food, so though the celebrators eat the food after the festivities, they believe it lacks nutritional value. Pillows and blankets are left out so the deceased can rest after their long journey. In some parts of Mexico, such as the towns ofMixquic,PátzcuaroandJanitzio, people spend all night beside the graves of their relatives. In many places, people have picnics at the grave site, as well.
Some families buildaltarsor smallshrinesin their homes;these sometimes feature aChristian cross, statues or pictures of theBlessed Virgin Mary, pictures of deceased relatives and other people, scores of candles, and anofrenda. Traditionally, families spend some time around the altar, praying and telling anecdotes about the deceased. In some locations, celebrants wear shells on their clothing, so when they dance, the noise will wake up the dead; some will also dress up as the deceased.
During Day of the Dead festivities, food is both eaten by living people and given to the spirits of their departed ancestors asofrendas('offerings').Tamalesare one of the most common dishes prepared for this day for both purposes.
Pan de muertoandcalaverasare associated specifically with Day of the Dead.Pan de muertois a type of sweet roll shaped like a bun, topped with sugar, and often decorated with bone-shaped pieces of the same pastry.Calaveras, or sugar skulls, display colorful designs to represent the vitality and individual personality of the departed.
In addition to food, drinks are also important to the tradition of Day of the Dead. Historically, the main alcoholic drink waspulque; today families will commonly drink the favorite beverage of their deceased ancestors.Other drinks associated with the holiday areatoleandchampurrado, warm, thick, non-alcoholicmasadrinks.
Agua de Jamaica(water ofhibiscus) is a popular herbal tea made of the flowers and leaves of the Jamaican hibiscus plant (Hibiscus sabdariffa), known asflor de Jamaicain Mexico. It is served cold and quite sweet with a lot of ice. The ruby-red beverage is also known ashibiscus teain English-speaking countries.
In theYucatán Peninsula,mukbil pollo(píibchicken) is traditionally prepared on October 31 or November 1, and eaten by the family throughout the following days. It is similar to a big tamale, composed of masa and pork lard, and stuffed with pork, chicken, tomato, garlic, peppers, onions,epazote,achiote, and spices. Once stuffed, the mukbil pollo is bathed inkool sauce, made with meat broth, habanero chili, and corn masa. It is then covered in banana leaves and steamed in an underground oven over the course of several hours. Once cooked, it is dug up and opened to eat.
A commonsymbolof the holiday is the skull (in Spanishcalavera), which celebrants represent inmasks, calledcalacas(colloquial term for skeleton), and foods such aschocolateor sugar skulls, which are inscribed with the name of the recipient on the forehead. Sugar skulls can be given as gifts to both the living and the dead.Other holiday foods includepan de muerto, a sweeteggbread made in various shapes from plain rounds to skulls, often decorated with white frosting to look like twisted bones.
In some parts of the country, especially the larger cities, children in costumes roam the streets, knocking on people's doors for acalaverita, a small gift of candies or money; they also ask passersby for it. This custom is similar to that ofHalloween'strick-or-treatingin the United States, but without the component of mischief to homeowners if no treat is given.
A distinctive literary form exists within this holiday where people write shortpoemsin traditional rhymingverse, calledcalaveras literarias(lit. "literary skulls"), which are mocking, light-heartedepitaphsmostly dedicated to friends, classmates, co-workers, or family members (living or dead) but also to public or historical figures, describing interesting habits and attitudes, as well as comedic or absurd anecdotes that use death-related imagery which includes but is not limited to cemeteries, skulls, or thegrim reaper, all of this in situations where the dedicatee has an encounter with death itself.This custom originated in the 18th or 19th century after anewspaperpublished a poem narrating a dream of a cemetery in the future which included the words "and all of us were dead", and then proceeding to read the tombstones. Current newspapers dedicatecalaveras literariasto public figures, withcartoonsofskeletonsin the style of the famouscalaverasofJosé Guadalupe Posada, a Mexican illustrator.In modern Mexico,calaveras literariasare a staple of the holiday in many institutions and organizations, for example, in public schools, students are encouraged or required to write them as part of the language class.
Posada's most famous print,La Calavera Catrina("The Elegant Skull"), was likely intended as a criticism of Mexican upper-class women who imitated European fashions. It was first published posthumously in a broadside with a text (not by Posada) that mocked working-class vendors ofchickpeas.
Posada's image of a skeletal figure with a big hat decorated with two ostrich feathers and flowers was elaborated into a full scale figure byMexican MuralistDiego Riverain afrescopainted in 1946–47. Rivera's Catrina has a simpleTehuanadress and a feather boa, as well as other features that make allusions to the indigenous peoples of Mexico. Through the addition of these indigenous features, Rivera rehabilitated Catrina into a nationalist emblem.
The Catrina character has become deeply associated with the Day of the Dead. Catrina figures made of a wide range of materials, as well as people with Catrina costumes, have come to play a prominent role in modern Day of the Dead observances in Mexico and elsewhere. The Catrina phenomenon has in fact gone beyond Day of the Dead, resulting in non-seasonal and even permanent "Catrinas", including COVID-19 masks, tattoos, permanently decorated cars, and Catrina-themed artworks.Some artists have even developed a sub-specialization in Catrina imagery.
Theatricalpresentations ofDon Juan TenoriobyJosé Zorrilla(1817–1893) are also traditional on this day.
The traditions and activities that take place in celebration of the Day of the Dead are not universal, often varying from town to town. For example, in the town ofPátzcuaroon theLago de PátzcuaroinMichoacán, the tradition is very different if the deceased is a child rather than an adult. On November 1 of the year after a child's death, thegodparentsset a table in the parents' home with sweets, fruits,pan de muerto, a cross, a rosary (used to ask the Virgin Mary to pray for them), and candles. This is meant to celebrate the child's life, in respect and appreciation for the parents. There is also dancing with colorful costumes, often with skull-shaped masks and devil masks in the plaza or garden of the town. At midnight on November 2, the people light candles and ride winged boats calledmariposas(butterflies) to Janitzio, an island in the middle of the lake where there is a cemetery, to honor and celebrate the lives of the dead there.
In contrast, the town ofOcotepec, north ofCuernavacain the State ofMorelos, opens its doors to visitors in exchange forveladoras(small wax candles) to show respect for the recently deceased. In return the visitors receivetamalesandatole. This is done only by the owners of the house where someone in the household has died in the previous year. Many people of the surrounding areas arrive early to eat for free and enjoy the elaborate altars set up to receive the visitors.
Another peculiar tradition involving children isLaDanza de los Viejitos(the Dance of the Old Men) where boys and young men dressed like grandfathers crouch and jump in an energetic dance.
In the 2015James BondfilmSpectre, the opening sequence features a Day of the Dead parade in Mexico City. At the time, no such parade took place in Mexico City; one year later, due to the interest in the film and the government desire to promote the Mexican culture, the federal and local authorities decided to organize an actualDía de Muertosparade throughPaseo de la ReformaandCentro Historicoon October 29, 2016, which was attended by 250,000 people.This could be seen as an example of thepizza effect. The idea of a massive celebration was also popularized in the Disney Pixar movieCoco.
In many communities in the United States with Mexican residents, Day of the Dead celebrations are very similar to those held in Mexico. In some of these communities, in states such asTexas,New Mexico,andArizona,the celebrations tend to be mostly traditional. TheAll Souls Processionhas been an annual event since 1990 inTucson, Arizona. The event combines elements of traditional Day of the Dead celebrations with those of pagan harvest festivals. People wearing masks carry signs honoring the dead and an urn in which people can place slips of paper with prayers on them to be burned.Likewise, Old Town San Diego, California, annually hosts a traditional two-day celebration culminating in a candlelight procession to the historic El Campo Santo Cemetery.
The festival also was held annually at historicForest Hills CemeteryinBoston'sJamaica Plainneighborhood. Sponsored by Forest Hills Educational Trust and the folkloric performance group La Piñata, the Day of the Dead festivities celebrated the cycle of life and death. People brought offerings of flowers, photos, mementos, and food for their departed loved ones, which they placed at an elaborately and colorfully decorated altar. A program of traditional music and dance also accompanied the community event. The Jamaica Plain celebration was discontinued in 2011.
TheSmithsonian Institution, in collaboration with theUniversity of Texas at El PasoandSecond Life, have created a Smithsonian Latino Virtual Museum and accompanying multimedia e-book:Día de los Muertos: Day of the Dead. The project's website contains some of the text and images which explain the origins of some of the customary core practices related to the Day of the Dead, such as the background beliefs and theoffrenda(the special altar commemorating one's deceased loved one).The Made ForiTunesmultimedia e-book version provides additional content, such as further details; additional photo galleries; pop-up profiles of influential Latino artists and cultural figures over the decades; and video clipsof interviews with artists who makeDía de Muertos-themed artwork, explanations and performances of Aztec and other traditional dances, an animation short that explains the customs to children, virtual poetry readings in English and Spanish.
In 2021, theBiden-Harris administrationcelebrated theDía de Muertos.
Santa Ana, California, is said to hold the "largest event in Southern California" honoringDía de Muertos, called the annualNoche de Altares, which began in 2002.The celebration of the Day of the Dead in Santa Ana has grown to two large events with the creation of an event held at theSanta Ana Regional Transportation Centerfor the first time on November 1, 2015.
In other communities, interactions between Mexican traditions and American culture are resulting in celebrations in which Mexican traditions are being extended to make artistic or sometimes political statements. For example, inLos Angeles, California, theSelf Help Graphics & ArtMexican-American cultural center presents an annual Day of the Dead celebration that includes both traditional and political elements, such as altars to honor the victims of theIraq War, highlighting the high casualty rate among Latino soldiers. An updated, intercultural version of the Day of the Dead is also evolving at Hollywood Forever Cemetery.There, in a mixture ofNative Californianart, Mexican traditions and Hollywood hip, conventional altars are set up side by side with altars toJayne MansfieldandJohnny Ramone. Colorful native dancers and music intermix withperformance artists, while slyprankstersplay on traditional themes.
Similar traditional and intercultural updating of Mexican celebrations are held inSan Francisco. For example, theGalería de la Raza, SomArts Cultural Center, Mission Cultural Center,de Young Museumand altars atGarfield Squareby the Marigold Project.Oakland is home toCorazon Del Puebloin the Fruitvale district.Corazon Del Pueblohas a shop offering handcrafted Mexican gifts and a museum devoted to Day of the Dead artifacts. Also, the Fruitvale district in Oakland serves as the hub of theDía de Muertosannual festival which occurs the last weekend of October. Here, a mix of several Mexican traditions come together with traditional Aztec dancers, regional Mexican music, and other Mexican artisans to celebrate the day.
InSan Diego, California, the city that borders Mexico, the celebrations range across the entire county. All the way up at the most northern part of the county,Oceansidecelebrates their annual event which includes community and family altars built around the Oceanside Civic Center and Pier View Way, as well as events at theMission San Luis Rey de Francia. In the more central area of San Diego,City Heightscelebrates through a public festival in Jeremy Henwood Memorial Park that includes at least 35 altars, lowriders, and entertainment, all for free. Down inChula Vista, they celebrate the tradition through a movie night at Third and Davidson streets where they will be screening "Coco." This movie night also consists of a community altar, an Altar contest, a catrin/catrina contest, as well as lots of music, food, and vendors. Overall, San Diego is booming with colorful celebrations honoring ancestors across the county.
InItaly, November 2 isAll Souls' Dayand is colloquially known as Day of the Dead or "Giorno dei Morti". While many regional nuances exist, celebrations generally consist of placing flowers at cemeteries and family burial sites and speaking to deceased relatives.Some traditions also include lighting a red candle or "lumino" on the window sills at sunset and laying out a table of food for deceased relatives who will come to visit. Like other Day of the Dead traditions around the world, Giorno dei Morti is a day dedicated to honoring the lives of those who have died. Additionally, it is a tradition that teaches children not to be afraid of death.
InSicily, families celebrate a long-held Day of the Dead tradition called The Festival of the Dead or "Festa dei Morti". On the eve of November 1, La Festa di Ognissanti, orAll Saints' Day, older family members act as the "defunti", or spirits of deceased family members, who sneak into the home and hide sweets and gifts for their young descendants to awake to. On the morning of November 2, children begin the day by hunting to find the gifts in shoes or a special wicker basket of the dead called "cannistru dei morti" or "u cannistru", which typically consist of various sweets, small toys, boned-shaped almond flavored cookies called "ossa dei morti", sugar dolls called "pupi di zucchero", and fruit, vegetable, and ghoul shapedmarzipantreats called "Frutta martorana". The pupi di zucchero, thought to be anArabiccultural import, are often found in the shapes of folkloric characters who represent humanized versions of the souls of the dead. Eating the sugar dolls reflects the idea of the individual absorbing the dead and, in doing so, bringing the dead back to life within themselves on November 2. After gifts are shared and breakfast is enjoyed, the whole family will often visit the cemetery or burial site bearing flowers. They will light candles and play amongst the graves to thank the deceased for the gifts, before enjoying a hearty feast. The tradition holds that the spirits of the deceased will remain with the family to enjoy a day of feasting and merriment.
Acclaimed Sicilian authorAndrea Camillerirecounts his Giorno dei Morti experience as boy, as well as the negative cultural impact that WWII era American influence had on the long-held tradition.
Food plays an important part of Italy's day of the dead tradition, with various regional treats being used as offerings to the dead on their journey to the afterlife. InTuscanyandMilanthe "pane dei morti" or "bread of the dead" is said to be the characteristic offering. In northernApulia, a wheat growing region, a sweet dish for the Day of the Dead is Colva or "Grains of the Dead". Fave dei morti or "fava beans of the dead" are another dish for the day found widespread through Italy. Ossa dei morti, suitably elongated and frosted "bones of the dead" are sweets found in Apulia and Sicily. In Sicily, families enjoy special day of the dead cakes and cookies that are made into symbolic shapes such as skulls and finger bones. The "sweets of the dead" are a marzipan treats called frutta martorana.On the night of November 1, Sicilian parents and grandparents traditionally buy Frutta di Martorana to gift to children on November 2.
In addition to visiting their own family members, some people pay respects to those without a family. Some Italians take it upon themselves to adopt centuries-old unclaimed bodies and give them offerings like money or jewelry as a way to ease their pain and ask for favors.
Mexican-style Day of the Dead celebrations occur in major cities inAustralia,Fiji, andIndonesia, most organized by Mexican communities. Additionally, an independent annual celebration is held inWellington, New Zealand, complete with altars celebrating the deceased with flowers and gifts.
In the Philippines "Undás" and "Araw ng mga Yumao",All Saints' DayandAll Souls' Day, are celebrated following with the Roman Catholic tradition. Filipinos traditionally observe these days by visiting the family dead to clean and repair their tombs, just as is done in Mexico. Offerings of prayers, flowers, candles, and even food, whileChinese Filipinosadditionally burnjoss sticksandjoss paper(kim). Many also spend the day and ensuing night holding reunions at the cemetery, having feasts and merriment.Due the cultural connections of thePhilippinesandMexicowith links going back to theSpanish Empire, they share some of the aspects of the practices done in the celebration.
As part of a promotion by the Mexican embassy inPrague, Czech Republic, since the late 20th century, some local citizens join in a Mexican-style Day of the Dead. A theater group conducts events involving candles, masks, and make-up usingluminous paintin the form of sugar skulls.
InBelize, Day of the Dead is practiced by people of theYucatec Mayaethnicity. The celebration is known asHanal Pixanwhich means 'food for the souls' in their language. Altars are constructed and decorated with food, drinks, candies, and candles put on them.
Día de las Ñatitas("Day of the Skulls") is a festival celebrated inLa Paz,Bolivia, at the beginning of November after the celebrations of All Saints. Inpre-Columbiantimes indigenous Andeans had a tradition of sharing a day with the bones of their ancestors on the third year after burial. Today families keep only the skulls for such rituals. Traditionally, the skulls of family members are kept at home to watch over the family and protect them during the year. On November 9, the family crowns the skulls with fresh flowers, sometimes also dressing them in various garments, and making offerings of cigarettes, coca leaves, alcohol, and various other items in thanks for the year's protection. The skulls are also sometimes taken to the central cemetery in La Paz for a special Mass and blessing.
TheBrazilianpublic holiday ofDia de Finados,Dia dos MortosorDia dos Fiéis Defuntos(Portuguese: "Day of the Dead" or "Day of the Faithful Deceased") is celebrated on November 2. Similar to other Day of the Dead celebrations, people go to cemeteries and churches with flowers and candles and offerprayers. The celebration is intended as a positive honoring of the dead. Memorializing the dead draws from indigenous and European Catholic origins.
Costa Rica celebrates Día De Los Muertos on November 2. The day is also calledDía de Todos Santos(All Saints Day) andDía de Todos Almas(All Souls' Day). Catholic masses are celebrated and people visit their loved ones' graves to decorate them with flowers and candles.
InEcuadorthe Day of the Dead is observed to some extent by all parts of society, though it is especially important to the indigenousKichwapeoples, who make up an estimated quarter of the population.Indigenafamilies gather together in the community cemetery with offerings of food for a day-long remembrance of their ancestors and lost loved ones. Ceremonial foods includecolada morada, a spiced fruit porridge that derives its deep purple color from theAndean blackberryand purple maize. This is typically consumed withguaguas de pan, bread shaped like infants (or, more generally, people), though variations include many pigs—the latter being traditional to the city ofLoja. The bread, which is wheat flour-based today, but was made withmasain thePre-Columbian era, can be made savory with cheese inside or sweet with a filling ofguava paste. These traditions have permeated mainstream society, as well, where food establishments add bothcolada moradaandguaguas de panto their menus for the season. Many non-indigenous Ecuadorians visit the graves of the deceased, cleaning and bringing flowers, or preparing the traditional foods, too.
Guatemalancelebrations of the Day of the Dead, on November 1, are highlighted by the construction and flying of giant kites.It is customary to fly kites to help the spirits find their way back to Earth. A few kites have notes for the dead attached to the strings of the kites. The kites are used as a kind of telecommunication to heaven.A big event also is the consumption offiambre, which is made only for this day during the year.In addition to the traditional visits to grave sites of ancestors, the tombs and graves are decorated with flowers, candles, and food for the dead. In a few towns, Guatemalans repair and repaint the cemetery with vibrant colors to bring the cemetery to life. They fix things that have gotten damaged over the years or just simply need a touch-up, such as wooden grave cross markers. They also lay flower wreaths on the graves. Some families have picnics in the cemetery.
It is common for Peruvians to visit the cemetery, play music and bring flowers to decorate the graves of dead relatives.
A traditional biscotti-type cookie,ossa di mortoorbones of the deadare made and placed in shoes once worn by dead relatives.