A South American Celebration

Day of the Dead is celebrated throughout Mexico and among people of Mexican heritage all over the world. The celebration sees families welcoming the souls of their deceased relatives back for a time of food, drink and celebration.

Inspired by pre-Columbian beliefs that held a cyclical view of life and the universe, mingled with medieval Spanish customs surrounding All Souls Day; the idea that death is an ever-present and integral part of life, rather than something to be feared is the central message of this modern celebration.

Although El Día de los Muertos and Halloween seem to share a lot of similarities, such as dressing up and sugary treats, the intention of the two is entirely different. Both believe that at this time of year the border between the spirit and living world is weakened. Whilst dressing up and other customs surrounding Halloween serve the purpose of scaring away spirits, Day of the Dead celebrations invite them to the table.

Ofrenda Offerings

At the heart of all Day of the Dead celebrations is the concept of the Ofrenda, a collection of offerings dedicated to the deceased person who has been chosen to be honoured. This usually takes the form of a seven-tiered altar, originally representing the Land of the Dead. Each step is covered with brightly coloured table cloths and adorned with Calaveras, Papel Picado and Copal incense.

Copal is a powerful fragrance that is traditionally used to clear negative energies and is a very important part of many indigenous rituals in Mexico and across Central and South America. Here, it used to enhance and evoke a spiritual atmosphere at the Ofrenda altars whether they are found in graveyards or in family homes.

Quintessential Decorations

A quintessentially Mexican decoration is the Papel Picado bunting that can be seen adding vibrance all across the country. This traditional Mexican craft translates as “chopped paper” and it can be found festooned over streets, ofrendas, shrines and at home. Around Day of the Dead, this brightly coloured bunting will often feature patterns of skulls known as Calaveras.

Calaveras also known as “Candy or Sugar skulls” are now synonymous  with Day of the Dead and Mexicana in general.  Families come together to construct their ofrenda and make offerings to their departed loved one’s. These offerings often take the form of food, music, dancing, plenty of tequila and brightly decorated sugar paste or clay skulls with the names of the departed are written on them.

These “Candy Skulls” made of sugar paste are most often used on Dia de los Angelitos. This occurs two days before and celebrates the life of a departed child.

As with all parts of the celebration this is done without a sense of morbidity and as a celebration of the person’s life. Eventually the term Candy Skull came to mean any garishly decorated skulls, and are often depicting grinning so as to laugh at death itself.

La Calavera Catrina

Perhaps the most famous Calavera imagery in modern Mexico is La Calavera Catrina, commonly seen in contemporary and folk artworks, printed fabrics, adverts and billboards, graffiti and especially in Day of The Dead fancy dress costumes.

Created by political printmaker José Posada, it was Diego Rivera who popularised and named her in his 15-metre-long mural 'Dream of a Sunday Afternoon Along Central Alameda.'