Dia De Los Muertos: How Day of the Dead keeps tradition alive and brings ancestors to life
When Alma Paz-San Miguel was living in Guadalajara, Jalisco, surrounded by her living family members, she didn't give celebrating Dia de los Muertos or Day of the Dead, much consideration. Twenty years ago, the celebrations mainly took place in places like Oaxaca and Michoacan, she said. However, everything changed when she emigrated to the United States and had her daughter, Sofia San Miguel.
"When you are living outside of your country, you become more Mexican. Everything amplifies," she said. "You want to take every piece of your culture and and treasure it when you don't live in your country."
Now, an administrative specialist with Vanderbilt University's Center for Latin, Caribbean and LatinX studies, Paz takes pride in celebrating the holiday each year with her family and educating others about the day's significance.
Since her daughter was born, the family keeps their traditions alive by coming together to make the ofrenda or altar. "We always talk about our dead when we were putting the altar together and filling it with the things they love so it becomes a conversation ... That's a way of bringing them to life," she said.
On Paz's altar you'll find pecans for her father-in-law, cigarettes for her mother-in-law, mezcal for her grandmother and a miniature toy car for her father who was a mechanic.
For over a decade, Paz has collaborated with Cheekwood during their annual Day of the Dead celebration. She said seeing others, especially non-native or non-Spanish speaking people, participate in the festivities brings her immense joy.
"It makes me so happy because it adds value and interest to our culture which makes you proud," she said. "The more people know, the better."
What is Day of the Dead?
Celebrated just after Halloween, Day of the Dead is about welcoming, remembering and celebrating deceased loved ones to ensure their blessings.
Although commonly mistaken as a Halloween style celebration, Dia de los Muertos has roots dating back to pre-colonial Latin America. Today, the holiday is celebrated throughout various Latin American countries as well as the United States. Day of the Dead serves as a chance to bridge the divide between the living and the dead — a centuries old practice of honoring those who have passed and keeping their memory alive.
Sugar skulls, painted faces: A visual guide to Día De Los Muertos 2023
When is Day of the Dead?
Day of the Dead is on Nov. 1 and Nov. 2.
Where did Day of the Dead originate?
The origins of Day of the Dead date back to the peak of the Mayan empire in what is now present day Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, Honduras and southern Mexico. For the Mayan people, certain caves were part of the underworld, considered holy and a place to perform sacred rituals. Mayans used the caves as places to communicate with their ancestors by providing food, incense and turkey blood.
For the Incas, November was spent remembering their ancestors by taking mummies from their tombs, dressing them in fine clothing, and laying offerings of llama meat, coca, maize beer, and candles of llama fat in exchange for their blessings for marriages, fertility, and successful harvests.
These indigenous groups believed death to be a crucial part of the life cycle. Instead of viewing it as an end, they saw it as a form of renewal. When Spanish settlers and colonizers arrived in the 1500's, they brought with them their Catholic traditions which blended with the region's existing indigenous practices.
More: Día de los Muertos fechas y significado: Una guía ilustrada de como se celebran
Spaniards brought with them the religious observation of All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day thus outlawing certain customs in their mission to convert people to Roman Catholicism. For example, Spaniards moved the Aztec rituals from August to early November to coincide with the Catholic observation of All Saints’ Day.
Where is Day of the Dead celebrated?
While the holiday originated in Mexico, celebrations take place all across Latin America and the United States.
How to celebrate Day of the Dead
Although the theme is the same, different Latin American countries have their own unique way of honoring the dead.
In Mexico, people build altars in their homes, at church, or in the cemetery. Each altar is unique and can include photographs or favorite foods of the deceased, as well as flowers, candles, sweet breads, and incense. In some cities, families, neighbors and friends walk together in a procession to the cemetery to share a meal at the gravesites of their beloved. There they enjoy music and dancing.
Other popular elements are bright orange Marigold flowers, multi-colored papel picado or tissue paper adornments, sugar skulls, and pan de muerto, an oval-shaped sweet, yeast bread.
In Guatemala, where approximately half of the population is Mayan, rituals play a huge part in celebrating the dead. One tradition is the flying of kites, where residents can spend months constructing enormous kites to fly from the hillsides. The kitess help guide returning spirits to their families. Once the celebrations have ended, the kites are burned so that the dead may return peacefully until the next year.
In Bolivia, early November also marks the beginning of the rainy season when recently planted seeds are germinating. To attract more rain, farmers play music on flutes called pinkullus, filling the cemetery with melancholic music that beckons returning spirits.
Dia De Los Muertos in Nashville
Join Cheekwood Oct. 28 and 29 at their annual Dia de los Muertos celebration. Throughout the weekend enjoy traditional music and dance, art activities, and authentic cuisine. Spend the day viewing murals, altars and visiting the various vendors selling local art and gifts.
Diana Leyva covers breaking and trending news for The Tennessean. Contact her at Dleyva@gannett.com or follow her on X at @_leyvadiana
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: When is Day of the Dead 2023 celebrated? What is it and what to know.
