Day of the Dead

A joyous occasion celebrating the memory of ancestors, continuity of life

October is the month of Halloween, of course. According to ancient Celtic traditions, Oct. 31 was the day when the threshold between living and the afterlife was the thinnest. The dying season of autumn reflected nature’s cycle: summer crops harvested, trees losing their leaves, days shortening, bitter cold soon descending, the luminous Harvest Moon.

A similar tradition emerged in Mexico, rooted in Aztec spirituality. El Día de los Muertos, the Day of the Dead, originated as an Aztec ritual venerating the goddess Mictecacihuatl, the goddess of death who ruled over the afterlife. With the Spanish conquest of the “New World” of the Americas, the Day of the Dead became adopted into the Catholic Church calendar, melding Christian and pagan beliefs. The festive celebration embraced the Catholic holy days of All Saints Day and All Souls Day, Nov. 1 and 2, to remember and revere the departed. 

The ancient Mexican tradition is celebrated today in many North, Central and South American countries. The Day of the Dead becomes a joyous occasion celebrating the memory of ancestors and the continuity of life. The Aztecs believed that spirits could return to earth and influence the living, thus El Día de los Muertos celebrates the souls of the departed as they return to visit their loved ones. This is not as a time of mourning because “the path back to the living world must not be made slippery by tears.” The celebration eases feelings of grief and sadness, and it gives comfort to the living. On this festive, mystical, once-a-year occasion the dead return in spirit to visit those they love.

Día de los Muertos is best known for the vivid skeletal images. Folk art abounds, featuring the laughing skeleton with its grim grin. Skeleton figures prance, dance, work and play with all the gusto of the living. They represent the deceased, who want to be remembered.

The skull, la calvera, and the skeleton, las calacas, prevail appearing in various shapes, sizes and materials. Skeletons of papier-mâché, clay and colorful cut paper (called papel picado) pose whimsically in activities enjoyed by the living – dancing, drinking, singing, loving, cooking, working, etc. Pan de muerto, “bread of the dead,” is a sweet baked treat in the shape of the skull and sometimes conceals a miniature skeleton. Decorated sugar skulls are enormously popular. People paint their faces to resemble a skull.

A favorite Day of the Dead custom is making elaborate tribute altars to welcome home the departed spirits. Called ofrendos, these are set up in private homes as well as in public places, and they represent the threshold between the afterlife and earth.  A photograph of the deceased becomes the centerpiece, surrounded by ofrecetas (offerings) that include beloved mementos and the loved one’s favorite foods and beverages. Some altars have flowers, heaps of fruit, stacks of baked goods; others have cigars, beer and tequila, if the deceased was fond of those. Other altar items include burning candles, crosses, holy cards of saints, statues of the Blessed Virgin Mary and scattered marigolds. Known as “the flower with 400 lives,” the orange-y flower symbolized death for the Aztecs, who believed its pungent scent created a path for dead to find their way “home” to the altar.

The fervor of the celebration escalates in some locales. Oaxaca, the Mexican state where the tradition originated, is famous for its extravagant Día de los Muertos celebrations. Festive preparations might go on for a month in advance: cooking favorite foods, decorating the domestic altars, sprucing up the graveyard.  In some towns, on Nov. 1 and 2 masked partygoers dance from house to house, stopping and singing or performing a skit wherever the host offers a drink or a snack or a little money.

Cemeteries become a focal point in some places. Family members visit to clean, repair, pull weeds and decorate their ancestors’ grave sites. On November 1 and 2, they burn copal incense to clear a path for the visiting dead ones. And they light candles on their beloveds’ tombstones until the graveyard is ablaze with hundreds of flickering flames. The social evening might feature strolling musicians and masked costumed revelry-makers to add to the festive mood.

Día de los Muertos has flourished in U.S. cities with sizeable Hispanic populations, especially in the border states. Several Colorado towns and cities also have Day of the Dead festivities.

Denver
Museo de las Americas at 861 Santa Fe Drive celebrates the ancient holiday with the Calacas Ball on Oct. 29, 8 p.m. – 1 a.m. The closing reception is part of the Art District’s First Friday, Nov. 4. Other galleries in the Santa Fe Art District feature Day of the Dead exhibits on First Friday. Studio 12 at 209 S. Kalamath has its third annual Dia de los Muertos show that includes paintings, sculpture, fiber, jewelry and handmade dolls, as well as a “one-of-a-kind” altar.

Olinger Crown Hill Mortuary, Cemetery & Arboretum is hosting a free community event that highlights Day of the Dead, El Dia de los Muertos, from 11 a.m.  – 4 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 29, at 7777 W. 29th Ave. in Wheat Ridge that is also free and open to the public.

In North Denver, the Pirate Contemporary Art at 3655 Navajo St. celebrates the Day of the Dead, Nov. 4 – 20, kicking of the exhibit on First Friday with Aztec dances, a kids’ piñata, an adults’ piñata and displays of altars and artwork submitted by artists, local residents and schoolchildren. In its 25^th year at the Pirate gallery, the evening festivities include a candlelight walk an eight o’clock from the gallery to Our Lady of Guadalupe Church at West 36th Avenue and Kalamath Street.

Pueblo
Colorado State University-Pueblo celebrates the Day of Dead on Nov. 2, 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. with a prayer service, dances, explanatory video, an altar contest and exhibit. The nondenominational prayer vigil, at 4 p.m. encourages people attending to bring photographs of their loved ones and place them on a designated prayer table. Student groups, campus organizations and community members create altars and Aztec dancers entertain at noon.

Longmont
At the Longmont Museum and Cultural Center at 400 Quail Road, festivities include community altars, Day of the Dead artwork and hands-on workshops for making masks and sugar skulls, Oct. 1 – Nov. 6. People are invited to bring photos of deceased loved ones – including pets – to add to the Community Tree of Life in the museum lobby. The Longmont Library has skeleton (calacas) making workshops. The museum’s Family Celebration, Oct. 29 from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m., that include dances, music and food; the event is free. It is the state’s largest Day of the Dead celebration, with as many as 5,000 festivalgoers each year.