Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Dia de Los Muertos 2017: 3 Fast Facts

Dia de Los Muertos 2017: 3 Fast Facts

Please SHARE this with your friends and family.


Day of the Dead is almost here. If you have ever lived in Latin America or Latin communities, you have seen the skeletons partying in colorful scenes and perhaps looked at the sugar skulls and sweet breads in the bakery windows. Many celebrate the three day fiesta with evolving traditions, and in the U.S. events are popping up wherever you can find Mexican neighborhoods. Some traditions get a local spin reflecting the community.

Sometimes it is called “Mexican Halloween” but it comes from a blend of rituals starting with the Aztecs honoring death during the month of August. When the missionaries and explorers dominated Mexico, the traditions adapted to the Catholic ways and blended with All Hallows Eve (October 31), All Saints Day (November 1) and All Souls Day (November 2).

All three days consist of inviting the spirits of deceased children and adults to visit the families preparing to honor their lives in stories and fiestas. The main thought tied to the holiday is that death is faced as a natural part of living and the dead are awakened from their sleep to celebrate with their loved ones.

Young and old gather for three days to make altars, decorate graves and tell stories of the departed, hoping for visits by the souls who are listening to the funny retelling of moments on earth. Many schools are introducing the traditions and communities host a variety of events to invite all to join in the celebrations.

Here’s what you will find at these fiestas, with variations on traditions in different regions of Mexico and cities with robust Latin communities.

1. Ofrendas are decorated altars packed with treats, toys, favorites foods of the departed and photos to get the stories going.

Candles and flowers lead up and blanket the altar to guide the dead to their family party. October 31 and November 1 are dedicated as Day of the Innocents to honor children who are deceased. Toys and candy are brought for dead children spirits. November 2 wraps up the fiesta to honor deceased adults with bottles of tequila, mezcal or jars of atole (a spiced warm toasted corn creamy drink).

Families will bring picnics and set up ofrendas on the grave overflowing with favorite foods, sugar skulls candies and pan de muerto (bread of the dead). Many families create ofrendas at home as a shout out for the deceased. Even pillows and blankets are provided as the belief is the dead have traveled far to visit the family. The fiestas in cemeteries can last all night as the dancing and music can wake up the dead and join in the festivities.

Schoolkids often learn La Danza de los Viejitos (the dance of the little old men) in which boys and young men dress as old men, walk around crouched over then suddenly jump up in an energetic dance.

2. Marigolds, butterflies and skulls are typically used as symbols.

The sugar skull is used not as frightening symbol but rather as a whimsical reminder of the cycle of life, which is why they are brightly decorated. The belief shared is that every living thing will eventually die. Every human being, no matter how beautiful or well-dressed, will eventually be exposed as nothing more than a skeleton and skull. Sometimes the names of the dead are written on the skulls and placed next to their photos. Sugar skulls can be given as gifts to both the living and the dead. Other holiday foods include pan de muerto, a sweet egg bread made in various shapes from plain rounds to skulls and rabbits, often decorated with white frosting to look like twisted bones.

Marigold flowers can be seen laid out as pathways and symbols on the graves and altars to lead the spirits to the families and home due to their vibrant colors and scent. The ofrenda usually has elements of water, wind, earth and fire to guide the spirits. Water and drinks left on the altar will quench their thirst after such a long journey. Papeles Picados are brightly colored paper banners to show the wind. The food, flowers and breads left behind represent the earth. Candles are placed in the form of a cross to show the spirits the way home.

Monarch butterflies show up on many ofrendas and fiestas, as the belief is they bring the spirits of the departed. Coincidentally, the first monarchs arrive in Mexico for the winter on November 1st, just in time for the Day of the Dead.

3. Storytelling of family history and funny anecdotes is a key activity at the fiestas.

During the fiestas at the gravesite, families celebrate the dead with stories recalled while gathering at the ofrenda. Photos decorating the altar and other favorite foods left prompt the tales and the family members are united with the deceased in prayer, joy and laughter.

Learn more about Day of the Dead traditions at this virtual museum.

More from Trending

Yassamin Ansari; Screenshot of Kellyanne Conway
Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images; Fox News

Dem Rep. Epically Shuts Down Kellyanne Conway's Claim Sydney Sweeney Ad Is Causing Liberal 'Panic'

Actor Sydney Sweeney recently faced backlash over her American Eagle ad campaign titled “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans.” The campaign plays on the words “jeans” and “genes,” which some critics claim alludes to eugenics—a theory widely discredited as scientifically inaccurate and ethically dangerous.

According to former presidential counselor Kellyanne Conway—who gave us the term "alternative facts"—the campaign has sparked "panic on the left."

Keep ReadingShow less
Lisa Kudrow in 'Death to 2020'
Netflix

Lisa Kudrow's Portrayal Of A MAGA Spokesperson Resurfaces—And It's Eerily Accurate

Actor Lisa Kudrow has gone viral after her performance in the Netflix mockumentary Death to 2020 as a truth-denying spokesperson for President Donald Trump went viral—prompting many to point out that her portrayal is still spot on.

The film, from the minds of Black Mirror creators Charlie Brooker and Annabel Jones, centers on a group of fictional characters reflecting on major U.S. and U.K. events of 2020, such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the U.S. presidential election.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of Molly Martinez
RSBN

White House Reporter Reacts After Video Glitch Sparks Conspiracy Theory That She's A 'Lizard Person'

White House reporter Molly Martinez responded after a White House livestream glitched and caused her eyes to look completely white for a split-second—prompting conspiracy theorists to go wild and claim she is a "lizard person" who is secretly controlling the government.

Martinez, a Washington-based journalist for local TV chain Gray Television, appeared on camera June 19 in the White House press room, smiling at a friend. A glitch in the original footage made her eyes look entirely white—something conspiracy theorists seized on as “evidence” she’s a lizard person.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of Ben Ferguson and Abby Philip
CNN

Right-Wing Podcaster Blasted After Making Absurd Claim About Trump And Crime Rates In 2024

Conservative podcaster Ben Ferguson left hs fellow CNN panelists stunned after he made the bizarre claim that falling crime rates in 2024 were due to President Donald Trump's policies—even though Trump didn't begin his second term until January 2025.

Ferguson spoke after Trump—who presented fake crime statistics—announced his decision to federalize police in Washington, D.C., and deploy the National Guard in an effort to fight crime.

Keep ReadingShow less
A bride and a groom holding hands
man and woman holding hands focus photo

People Who Attended Multiple Weddings For The Same Person Describe The Differences

Weddings are a wonderful celebration of love and commitment.

That being said, all of us have likely been to a wedding where we have wondered "how long do you think it's going to last".

Keep ReadingShow less