Days of the Dead is more than a group of people having a fiesta in skull masks. The culture, the lore, and the history behind it are so much more interesting and worth learning. In fact, according to the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Mexico’s Days of the Dead is categorized as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
Days of the Dead, or Dia de los Muertos, originates from a Spanish celebration, el Día de Ánimas, which means All Soul’s Day. All Soul’s Day is actually a Pan-Roman Catholic Holiday. It is celebrated every 2nd November to remember the deceased. Another Pan-Roman Catholic Holiday, which is called Dia de Todos Santos, or All Saints’ Day, is usually celebrated a day before, on the 1st November. Over time, these two Catholic holidays were combined and merged into what is known today as the Days of the Dead, which is celebrated for two days, from 31 October morning until 2nd November morning. According to their culture, the barrier between the real world and the spirit world is lifted in these 48 hours. Which means the dead ones are able to come into our world to visit their living loved ones.
This is why the Days of the Dead are not the day to mourn death. It is celebrated with happiness because our dead loved ones are returning. It is all about remembering their legacies and memories. Offerings, or ofrenda, such as food, pictures, artisan products, and more presented on the deceased’s altars. These decorated altars are here to prevent people from forgetting their dead, loved ones and to keep their memories alive.
Although Days of the Dead, as many suggested, are originated by the combination of two Catholic holidays, one might dispute that this festival could be inspired by the folkloric origins of the native people of Mexico, considering that there are little to no Catholic qualities in this celebration. It can be seen by the tradition of decorating altars with ofrenda itself; the tradition has been in South America since the age of pre-Hispanic, pre-Columbia, or before the Western colonization. Even in the Aztec civilization, they consider death as the natural phase of life and it shouldn’t be mourned. There was also an annual two month-long celebration of Aztec to celebrate Mictecacihuatl, the Queen of the Underworld. After the Spanish colonization in the 16th century, the Aztec festival was moved from August to November, to align with their Roman Catholic’s All Saints’ Day.
The most iconic symbol of the Days of the Dead is la calavera, which means the skull. Skull masks are crucial in celebrating this festival. It can be made of wood carvings, costumes, or even some paper mache will do the job. But one of the most unique ways of making a la calavera is by making a mask from edible white sugar. The Mexicans usually write the names of their deceased loved ones on the forehead region of the skull masks. And the la calaveras of the Days of the Dead are usually smiling to mock the living with our mundane and repetitive daily lives. This is because the whole purpose of the Days of the Dead, other than to remember the deceased, is to remember life as it is today because death could be around the corner. Death is not a concept that should be scared but it should be embraced with bravery.
References:
Valdez, J. (2022). FROM SOLEMNITY TO CELEBRATION: THE COMMERCIALIZATION OF THE DAY OF THE DEAD. Washington and Lee University. Retrieved April 4, 2023, from https://dspace.wlu.edu/bitstream/handle/11021/35826/WLURG38_Valdez_LACS_2022.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y
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