Growing up in Mexico, I’ve celebrated Día de los Muertos and its traditions my whole life. It is one of the most sincere and heartwarming traditions and, honestly, my favorite. I love everything, from plucking the flor de cempasúchil petals to secretly licking the calaveras de azúcar with my sister to eating the pan de muerto meant for the ofrenda. This tradition was part of my life throughout school and within my family, and it’s one I really appreciate.
Día de los Muertos is a longstanding Mexican tradition celebrated on Nov. 1 and 2. Nov. 1 is known as Día de todos los Santos, honoring children who have passed, while Nov. 2 is known as Día de los Fieles Difuntos, honoring adults who have passed. Día de los Muertos aims to honor and commemorate the lives of the dead, emphasizing remembrance rather than forgetting.
The holiday blends Indigenous traditions, which honored the dead long before the Spanish arrived, with Catholic influences. Unlike All Saints’ Day (Nov. 1), which celebrates saints recognized by the Church, Día de los Muertos focuses on the people in our own lives, like friends and family who have passed away.
At its heart, this tradition is about celebrating their lives rather than focusing on grief. It is a tradition that’s full of love, awe, and admiration, as it changes the narrative that sadness, pain, and grief are the only thing that follows the death of someone. This celebration of life is also further emphasized by all the traditions that accompany this day.
One of the most popular traditions is the ofrenda, a structure resembling a staircase with multiple levels to display food, candles, flowers, pictures, and more. These items are meant to be important or characteristic to the people being commemorated. The ofrendas are not only for the family of the dead to celebrate life, but they are meant for the dead to enjoy all the things they once loved again. In many households, there is a belief that the souls of the dead return and visit them starting October 27, around the time the ofrendas are being built, and they make their way back to heaven on November 3, when the ofrendas are taken down. During this time, their souls visit friends and family and are greeted with the items and foods they loved.
Most ofrendas include staple items such as the flor de cempasúchil, papel picado, pan de muerto, and calaveras de azúcar. Something I love about ofrendas is that, despite having these staple items, almost all of them are customized to each family’s traditions and beliefs, making each one unique, special, and tailored to each family. Some examples of commonly used objects include: food the person loved, pictures of them throughout the years, or specific clothing/accessories they used. It’s amazing to see the creativity that comes through and the choices families make that really reflect and honor their loved one.
For example, when my family would make one, we would include a picture of my great-grandfather, accompanied by a pack of cigarettes, because he loved to smoke. We would also include pictures of our dogs and place their collars and name plates on the side. In addition to the personal things, my family loved to add both calaveras de azucar and calaveras de chocolate.
It’s easy to lose touch with our emotions and traditions, especially when we’re far from home. But Día de los Muertos has a way of grounding me. It reminds me to slow down, remember the people I love, and find peace in those memories rather than sadness. Mexico celebrates both Halloween and Día de los Muertos, and I love that balance, but for me, nothing compares to the smell of cempasúchil and the feeling of building the ofrenda with my family. Who I primarily remember during this time are my dogs, and that gives me comfort because I believe that as long as we keep remembering them, they never truly leave.