Día de Muertos

Día de Muertos, like much else in Mexico, has both Indian and Spanish roots and is totally Mexican. Since ancient times, people in Mexico have held the belief that the spirits of the dead can find their way back home more easily if enticed by the smoke of incense, the aroma of flowers, and the light of candles. To make them feel comfortable after they arrive, they find some of their favorite things on the ofrenda. Even though I've talked about it every November for years as a Spanish teacher, I really didn't understand how important and beautiful it is until I experienced it here.

We went to Morelia in the state of Michoacan, near Pátzcuaro, where one of the most traditional celebrations takes place. We never did make it to Pátzcuaro but were completely enthralled by what we saw in Morelia and the DF. Driving to Morelia, we saw truckload after truckload of flowers - the yellow cempasuchl, a large wine-colored flower, sprays of small white flowers, all used to decorate the ofrendas. Arriving on Wednesday, we got to see people constructing a very large ofrenda and then passed by it on Thursday night to see it come to life with all the candles and prayers.







The first thing you need to know about Día de Muertos is that it is not Halloween, Mexican-style, not spooky-scary, not weird. Instead, it is a tender, beautiful, communal and personal way for people to honor and remember their loved ones. People build ofrendas, offer prayers, light candles, visit the cemeteries. In some places families spend the entire night of Nov. 1 in the cemetery.

I hope the photos convey some of the beauty, but you will have to imagine the aromas, the sounds. We went into the inner courtyard of a building in Morelia and saw many ofrendas, each one built by a different grammar school. Children filled a stairwell, enjoying an ice cream snack. We got there just as the chorus of another school was setting up for a concert.
It was wonderful to be there, to see their smiles, the proud families enjoying and photographing the event. One father slipped up behind his daughter and held his cell phone by her; I imagine her grandparents were on the other end. Above all, Dia de Muertos is about family.