A Brief Guide to the Mexican Ritual of Life and Death
Introduction
El dia de los Muertos, or the Day of the Dead, is a celebration that captures the idea of unity between life and death. It emphasizes death as part of the cycle of life. It came into being when the Catholic feast of All Souls Day, a day to remember the dead with prayer, merged with Native Indian rituals of death after the Spanish conquered Mexico in 1521.
El Dia de los Muertos is celebrated on November 1st, when, it is believed, the spirits of the dead relatives return to their homes. For this special occasion, altars are cleaned and decorated on October 31st to welcome the honored guests. On these altars one traditionally places Zempasuchil (yellow Marigolds), candles, toys, religious pictures, cut tissue-paper decorations, and personal mementos as offerings to the returned souls. Other offerings include incense, cigarettes, liquor, and food such as tamales, sugar skulls, and pan de muerto (bread of the dead), things the returning soul enjoyed during life.
At around 4:00 A.M. on November 1st, the spirits of the children are expected. They are expected for only a few hours and around 8:00 A.M., their departure is marked by the blowing out of tiny candles and their removal from the altar. At about 3:00 P.M. the spirits of the adults arrive and large candles are lit. It is said that the spirits will go away weeping if nothing is offered to them.
Prayers are said at the altar around 8:00 P.M., and everyone attends mass at church on the morning of November 2nd. In the evening, they will fill the cemeteries where graves of the departed relatives are cleaned and decorated with Zempasuchil flowers. Once there, incense is burned and food is offered until dawn. On November 4th, the altars and decorations are removed.
