How do you celebrate Day of the Dead in Mexico?

The Day of the Dead 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. It is widely observed in Mexico, where it largely developed, and is also observed in other places, especially by people of Mexican heritage.

On this day, Mexican families prepare to honor their loved ones by placing their photos on an ofrenda, or home altar, along with candles to help guide them home. Plumes of copal incense drift into the air as people invite their neighbors inside to admire the decorative altars.

Mexicans celebrate the Day of the Dead – Dia de Muertos

Adults and children dress as skeletons and celebrate the lives of the departed in annual joy-filled festivities.

During the Day of the Dead celebrations that take place in late October and early November in Mexico, the living remember and honour their dearly departed, but with celebration — not sorrow.

It is believed that during the Day of the Dead — or Dia de Muertos — they are able to commune with their deceased loved ones.

No one knows when the first observance took place, but it is rooted in agriculture-related beliefs from Mexico’s pre-Hispanic era, said Andres Medina, a researcher at the Anthropological Research Institute of the National Autonomous University of Mexico.

“In that mythology, the corn is buried when it’s planted and leads an underground life for a period to later reappear as a plant,” Medina said. The grain of corn is seen as a seed, comparable to a bone, which is seen as the origin of life.

Today, skeletons are central to Day of the Dead celebrations, symbolising a return of the bones to the living world. Like seeds planted under soil, the dead disappear temporarily only to return each year like the annual harvest.

Altars are core to the observance as well. Families place photographs of their ancestors on their home altars, which include decorations cut out of paper and candles.

The way Mexicans celebrate the Day of the Dead continues to evolve.

 Day of the Dead

“Nowadays there’s an influence of American Halloween in the celebration,” Medina said. “These elements carry a new meaning in the context of the original meaning of the festival, which is to celebrate the dead. To celebrate life.”

In 2016, the government started a popular annual parade in Mexico City that concludes in a main square featuring altars built by artisans from across the country.

Paola Valencia, originally from the Mexican state of Oaxaca, said the residents of her hometown, Santa Cruz Xoxocotlan, take a lot of time to build large altars each year. They are a source of pride for the whole community.

Festivities included traditional Mexican foods and drinks served by Vallartas Mexican Grill while, across the street, a colorful ofrenda (altar) to bygone loved ones was the focus on the grounds of the former Carnegie Library, recently purchased by the Akiing organization to become the Giiwedinong Treaty Rights and Cultural Museum.

A DJ played at first Mexican traditional music before switching to American party standards. Corey Medina & Brothers performed live later in the evening.

Local resident Jeremy Simonson placed some photos of his dearly departed on the ofrenda.

“My mother passed away three weeks ago, so I started with that,” he said. “Then, my father passed away a few years back, so I put him down. And then an uncle passed, and then our aunt passed last year as well.”