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| Figure 1: Dia de los Muertos altar in Washington, D.C. (Source: NPR) |
You may have heard of the holiday Dia de los Muertos (English
translation: Day of the Dead) (Figure 1). For
better or worse it has become a part of American popular culture and a large
part been culturally
appropriated, but some believe its popularity has also driven its
recognition and increased the number of individuals who legitimately celebrate
it. But what exactly is it? With its brightly colored skulls and boisterous
parties many mistake Dia de los Muertos as Mexican Halloween, but it has
nothing to do with Halloween. Today’s
blog post will discuss what exactly Dia de los Muertos is and what it means to
those who celebrate it traditionally.
Dia de los Muertos is a holiday that originated 3000 years
ago in Mexico. It is a combination of
Aztec and Catholic beliefs that have intermixed over the generations. A celebration of life, not death as it is
often mistaken to be about, Dia de los Muertos is celebrated over a period of
three days, beginning on October 31.
Each day of the holiday is reserved for specific commemorations of the lives
of the deceased, with November 1 & 2 representing the memorialization of
children who died, followed by adults who passed away.
Family members and friends construct an altar in their homes
to which they make ofrendas (offerings) for the purpose of gifting to the
spirits of their deceased loved ones. These
ofrendas are central to the holiday and are meant to represent the four
elements. Ofrendas include but are not
limited to favorite foods, toys, drinks, and other items related to the deceased. The altars are decorated with additional
ofrendas, including pitchers of water, cempasúchiles (Mexican marigolds), sugar skulls, bread, papel picado (tissue
paper decorated with cut outs), and candles.
Ofrendas can also be left at the graves of the deceased, not just at the
home altar. Other activities include
parties, games, dinners, and any other events that the deceased enjoyed in life. Ultimately, these actions are meant to draw
the attention of the deceased, who are believed to be able to return to earth
to celebrate with their living loved ones.
Again, these celebrations are about remembering the lives of those who
lived, but it is also about acknowledging the natural order of the life and
death cycle.
Several Latin American cultures have adopted Dia de los Muertos or a version
of it. As noted in a previous blog post
Chileans celebrate Dia de los Santos, which is similar but also different from
Dia de los Muertos. Given the popularity
of the holiday here in the US, particularly among non-Latinos, there is a risk
of the holiday losing its original meaning.
The purpose of the holiday has changed among Mexicans as some have taken
to highlighting civil rights abuses (e.g. the large number of women killed in
Mexico annually), but the original intent of the holiday remains the same. For those who are not of Latino descent it is
requested that if you do celebrate the holiday that you do so with respect and
the knowledge of its original purpose and rituals. Ultimately, remembering the lives of those
who have passed can be a cathartic way of handling grief and celebrating life,
which is central to Dia de los Muertos.
Bibliography
Anderson, M. (2016, October 30). 5 Facts About Día
de los Muertos (The Day of the Dead). Retrieved from Smithsonian Insider:
https://insider.si.edu/2016/10/5-facts-dia-de-los-muertos-day-dead/
Dobrin, I. (2017, November 2). Día De Los Muertos
Comes To Life Across The Mexican Diaspora. Retrieved from NPR:
https://www.npr.org/2017/11/02/561527322/mexicos-celebrated-d-a-de-los-muertos-evolves-in-the-u-s
National Geographic Society. (2012, October 17). Dia
de los Muertos. Retrieved from National Geographic:
https://www.nationalgeographic.org/media/dia-de-los-muertos/
Unitarian Universalist Association. (2018). Dia de
los Muertos (Day of the Dead). Retrieved from Unitarian Universalist
Association: https://www.uua.org/worship/holidays/dia-de-los-muertos
17 comments:
This blog post was intriguing to me. I have so much interest in this holiday and have learned quite a bit from the information you posted. One part that really stuck out to me was about the holiday losing its meaning over time. That would be very sad if one of their most meaningful holidays lost the value. there are a couple of children’s movies that take place around this holiday and it is so interesting to watch because they have had such a great way of portraying the love these families have and the meaning of the celebrations.
Kahla Perry
like you stated in your blog, this holiday and Halloween are two completely different things. I first learned about this Holiday when I started taking Spanish courses a few years ago and one of the very first things we learned is that this is a celebration of life. This leads me to believe that people who misuse this holiday have not attempted to learn its history at all. I like that you brought up cultural appropriation because the truth is we love holidays! we usually don't care what holiday it is, as long as we get to take off work or school we're all for it. Celebrating holidays just for the sakes of celebrating is where cultural appropriation plays a part of because people lose interest in the overall meaning. This reminds me of the time where I was little and wanted to celebrate Hanukkah because I thought that it meant a week of Christmas. Once I learned the meaning of it and found out that it’s not just getting toys and clothes every day I changed my mind.
It does not surprise me this holiday has lost meaning over time. I think most holidays have lost meaning over time, especially in the United States. When I was younger, I thought the Day of the Dead holiday was the Spanish version of Halloween. Day of the Dead seems like an enlightening holiday to celebrate, dedicating 3 days to the holiday. Our deceased loved ones getting remembrance and recognition from the living is purely appreciative and meaningful. This Mexican holiday is very overlooked by many.
I never really heard of this holiday. So they basically get together and throw a memorial for they peoples they had passed away decades ago? If so Americans does this too. Every year of July me and my family throw a memorial for my big brother because he is passed away.
I not only found this blog post very interesting but I also learned a few things about Dia de los Muertos that I didn’t know. What I didn’t know was that they constructed alters to put in their homes to decorate with offerings for the deceased. I hope that throughout time people begin to have a better understanding of the meaning behind this holiday.
This is a very interesting blog. I have never heard of this particular holiday. I agree that there should be more appreciation for the holidays because they mean so much more than how we celebrate them.
Hi my name is Avery Davis, and I love this holiday. when I was younger me and my family always would spend time in San Antonio, Texas. Then cross the boarder to celebrate. This post just brought back so many memories of my childhood.
I was born in Mexico. As a child I remember my great grandmother building a huge altar. It had pictures of her siblings, her son (my great uncle) and my great grandfather. She decorated the altar with white candles, statues of different saints and would place food offerings. The food offering was my favorite part, because she would always cook extra for me and my siblings to eat with her. It was tradition to eat pan de muerto, but I was never a big fan of the flavor.
-Cinthia Ochoa
I have never heard of this holiday it's interesting how cultures have so much in common. In my culture the way that we celebrate a death is so similar to this particular holiday except it's just one day. Some people will actually have a party others would go to the grave site or the place the person died and have a balloon release, light candles , leave gifts such as teddy bears, balloons, pictures, t-shirts as well. It's really a beautiful thing and to know that other cultures does this as well is awesome.
I have heard of this holiday before. What I did not know was the original meaning. I had learned about people celebrating 3 days and things like that but I did not know it was for children and such. Over time I can see how the holiday can be tarnished by those who don't know or care to do research. Respectfully, I think it is a great way to celebrate those who have passed away. Just like some people have a funeral as a "home going" or somewhat celebration I can see it fit to celebrate them in that manner.
This blog reminded of all the beautiful colors and sights I remember when I was younger. When I was in grade school we discussed about the Day of the Dead because we read a book about it in class. I loved learning about the holiday and this blog gave me more insight.
It was actually interesting reading about the Day of the Dead. Reading about it and seeing it in movies are different. Learn something new every day.
-Kyla Thomas
Wgat I got from this was that the holiday is basically a celebration of the dead. I've never really heard about this holiday but my family celebrates the life of my aunt every year on her birthday.It kind of turned into a holiday for us.All of my family members come over and cook dinner,we go see her and then we share our favorite memories together.
-Jasmine Busby
I love spanish holidays and celebrating them with my mexican families. I have heard so many things about day of the dead and it would be sad to see it lose its value and meaning. -castrele hoy
very great story about the day of the day its kind of weird they put food around their burial ground when they die and feel like only latino should celebrate their culture
I find it really interesting how well dia de los muertos meshed together the christen celebration of All Saints Day where people honor their dead with food, candles and visit burial pots (at least in eastern Europe) and they traditions of the native people who adopted it.
petra andrei
El Dia de los Muertos, or the Day of the Dead, is an interesting and unique holiday for several reasons. It is a culturally significant holiday that is celebrated in Mexico and by Mexican communities in other parts of the world. It has ancient roots in Aztec and Mesoamerican traditions, but it has also been influenced by Catholicism since the Spanish colonization era.
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