Figurines for Día de los Muertos in a shop in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.

“The graveyard is not the final resting place of our dear departed but an ephemeral repository of their remains. The real graveyard, however, is somewhere deep in our heart, where we can always visit them at any time of the day, talk about some unforgettable summers, or cry in solitude as if they were always there for us to stay. And should our twilight come, when we can no longer see the light of the day, some people dear to us will build a graveyard in their hearts. They will let us stay for a while or perhaps longer, as long as they continue to remember, but it does not matter anymore. What is comforting to know, no matter how tragic or tranquil our death may be, somewhere somehow someone will always build a sublime place for us to stay.” ― Danny Castillones Sillada, The Graveyard in Our Heart.

It is Día de los Muertos!!! It’s a beautiful Mexican and Central American holiday that I adore as it’s where one welcomes back the souls of your loved ones for a brief reunion. It celebrates life, not death. It is not the Mexican version of Halloween! You bring their pictures, their favorite food, drink, etc. The tradition believes that at midnight on October 31, the gates of Heaven open up. The children’s spirits come on November 1, and the adults come on November 2 to visit their living family members. This tradition goes back 3000 years to rituals in pre-Columbian Mesoamerica. They believed the dead traveled to Chicunamictlán, the Land of the Dead. The deceased go through 9 different levels (lasts several years) until the soul reaches Mictlán (final resting place). Initially, they would leave food and offerings in August, but when the Catholic Church came into the area, they adopted it to fall on All Saints Day and All Souls Day (people in medieval Spain would offer wine and pan de ánimas to the graves of their deceased family members. 

It is common to see calacas (skeletons), Calaveritas de azucar (sugar skulls), cempasuchil (marigolds), La Catrina (José Guadalupe Posada’s art piece La Catrina to protest the Mexican people trying to look more European), Papel Picado (perforated paper where they chisel spirit figures on wood), and ofrendas (altars) on this day. Monarch Butterflies are also important for this holiday as they are believed to hold the departed loved ones’ spirits. This makes sense - as the first monarch butterflies tend to arrive in Mexico around November 1 for winter.

What is your favorite aspect of Día de Los Muertos? Any favorite movies or favorite parts of the celebrations? If you are not Mexican and want to celebrate, please understand why they celebrate to celebrate with them appropriately. It is not just a big party. It is honoring one’s ancestors. 

FYI: I’m having issues with my blog allowing comments on here. I am working on it. If you would like to leave me a comment on my Instagram post instead, that would be wonderful. 

Sources: https://www.history.com/topics/halloween/day-of-the-dead https://www.si.edu/blog/5-facts-about-dia-de-los-muertos-day-dead https://dayofthedead.holiday/history/

Photo: “Día de los Muertos” - looking through the glass at a shop in San Miguel de Allende, the week after this holiday back in November 2019, San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. Guamares, P’urhépecha, and Hñähñu (Otomi) Ancestral Homeland. Nikon D850 with Nikon 35 mm lens.