What Día de los Muertos Means and How to Celebrate

Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) is a two-day celebration of life and death that takes place in early November. The indigenous Mexican holiday demonstrates respect to those who are deceased and celebrates those who are living. It can be raucous but also deeply beautiful and moving.

A brief history of the celebration

The holiday originates from several indigenous cultures of Mexico and emphasizes the desire to honor and worship the dead instead of mourning them – something that has been practiced in some form for thousands of years. The During Day of the Dead is rooted in the belief of a continuum between the worlds of the living and the dead, and is a time when both can be closer to one another in real life. Altars created in homes and public spaces welcome spirits, adorned with marigold petals to help them find their way and food to eat after their long travels back to the living. Favorite treats among the dead include pan dulce (sweet bread), sugar skulls, and pulque, a sweet drink made from agave. Some traditions have changed over time. For example, these days people write short, witty poems that poke fun at the living, and the famous La Calavera Catrina (loosely translated as the elegant skull) is actually a more contemporary icon of the holiday. Created in the early 20th Century by political cartoonist José Guadalupe Posada and given her name by Diego Rivera, La Calavera Catrina is dressed in an elaborate French outfit, symbolizing the impending obsolescence of material possessions. It is important to note that the name of the holiday is a result of colonization and the Catholic Church’s cooping of many Mexican cultures and beliefs – how folks celebrate today is quite different than what the ancestors did.  

This celebration invites everyone to join.

Today, Day of the Dead is celebrated around the world and is recognized as a cultural heritage by UNESCO. Rudy Garcia and Richard Rios are co-hosts of a yearly event in Stockton, California, called Flor y Canto (Flower and Song), where singers, musicians, and poets gather to celebrate the holiday. For them, Flor y Canto is a way of preserving the true meaning of Day of the Dead, ensuring it doesn’t become just another face-paint party and marigold dance session. “I’ve always been a little dismayed how it’s not being understood, especially by our community, Latinos,” Garcia told Recordnet. “I’m afraid what I’ve seen in the past is people have a true, honest desire to do something with and for our culture, but they lose their way because they don’t have access to information that would make their experience richer.”  

One of the beautiful altars displayed for Dia De Los Muertos Oak Park! @lavenaditasac #diadelosmuertos #dayofthedead #dayofthedeadoakpark #diadelosmuertosaltar #altar #diadelosmuertosop #sugarskulls #respect #altar #celebratethedead #visithistoricoakpark #loveoakpark #oakparkproud #revitalizeoakpark #oppn #oakparkpromise

A post shared by Oak Park Promise Neighborhood (@oakparkpromise) on Nov 2, 2016 at 9:38pm PDT

  That aside, Garcia also stresses that this holiday is for everyone to celebrate loved ones who have passed, whether or not they have ancestors in Mexico. Every dead ancestor deserves recognition and a warm welcome into the land of the living. In New York, Mano a Mano: Mexican Culture Without Borders is a non-profit dedicated to just this – sharing the indigenous histories of Día de los Muertos and inviting people from across borders to join in. “We’re excited about seeing new faces, seeing cross-cultural audiences,” says Garcia. “That was part of the original plan, to highlight the beauty of the Mexican culture, the indigenous culture, to share it with the audience, to show the special beauty that’s part of this culture.”

Where to welcome back your ancestors?

While Mexico City is surely the best place to be, New York is known for throwing a legendarily large celebration and will also be magnificent. You’ll even discover the dead finding their way by marigold-trail to locations like Birmingham, Alabama, and Des Moines, Iowa. Google ‘Dia de los Muertos’ and your city of residence and you’re likely to find an event.