How to celebrate Day of the Dead (from a living person’s perspective)

Current Mexican culture is a rich and colourful blend of prehispanic traditions and Spanish
rituals – but sometimes, our culture is portrayed as only the colours, and not the meaning
behind our masks, murals, music and iconography. This happens particularly with the Day of
the Dead, which is sometimes seen as a sort of ‘Mexican Halloween’ where we paint our
faces as skulls and we make paper flowers. However, the Day of the Dead goes far beyond
that.
The Day of the Dead is, as many other celebrations, a holiday that comes from the Spanish
evangelisation of ancient indigenous traditions. Mexican indigenous cultures, specifically
Aztecs, had the belief that the deceased would travel to a place called Mictlan (the
underworld) after their passing. The Aztec portrayal of the afterlife differed from the Catholic
concept of heaven and hell; instead, it was believed that all souls would live in the same
underworld, and depending on the way they died, they would inhabit different parts of
Mictlan.
After the Spanish colonization, this belief was adapted into the All Souls Day, and Day of the
Dead, celebrated on the 1st and 2nd of November, respectively.
On the Day of the Dead, death is not seen as an absence, but a presence. We celebrate the
return of the souls of our loved ones, and we believe that, for the day, they return to spend
some time with us. Traditionally, we place an offering to pay them tribute and remember their
moments on Earth.
The offering, or altar, contains certain elements that ensure that our deceased loved ones
will stop by and know that the offering is for them.
Firstly, the altar should be mounted in a two-tiered table, where the top tier represents
heaven, and the bottom one, earth. The table can be covered in colorful tablecloths, or a
simple black cloth.
On top of the table, on whichever of the tiers, we should place pictures of the people we are
expecting, and any personal belongings that they may enjoy to see again. These things will
serve as indicators that the offering is for them, and they can be anything – musical
instruments, toys, books, or even written letters (if you feel the need of telling them
something!).
To brighten the path to the offering, since our visitors are coming from a dark place very far
away, we trace a pathway with cempasuchil flower petals, and candles in the altar. It is also
traditional to include a representation of a dog (be it a sculpture, figure, or even plushie),
since the dog will help in guiding your visitors on their way to your altar, and on their way
back.
To quench their thirst after their long journey from the underworld, we should add a glass of
water to the offering, as well as traditional dishes, or any of their favourite foods, drinks, or treats. It is common to also include beer or liquor, and traditional pastries known as pan de
muerto, which represent our generosity and appreciation for our loved ones.
For good luck, we can add a plate with salt, which, according to tradition, prevents souls
from corrupting, and we should also draw a cross on the floor with that same salt. The cross,
besides the Catholic meaning, is also intended to represent the four cardinal points and help
our loved ones in orienting themselves in their journey back. And speaking of journey back –
we can add a bag of coins (real, or chocolate coins, whichever you have at hand) for our
loved ones to take, in case they may need currency with them whenever they return to
Mictlan.
Setting up an altar by following these steps is the traditional way to celebrate the Day of the
Dead, but it is important to also remember that we are not just placing props and objects on
a table. We are paying tribute to the loving memory of those who have left, and we are not
mourning or grieving their death; we are celebrating their lives, and the beautiful and
ephemeral moments we had with them. To understand this, is to truly enjoy the Day of the
Dead.
After reading all of this, you may be thinking: why does it all sound so surreal and fantasy-
like?
And I’d proudly respond to you: Mexico is a very, very surreal place to live in. As Salvador
Dali once said: “I could never come back to Mexico, I can’t live in a place more surreal than my paintings”.

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