When you hear the words “sugar skull” what is your immediate thought? Halloween? Candy? If you think Halloween, you’re wrong. Not going to sugar coat that for you. We’ve all seen sugar skull or colorful, dancing skeleton themed decorations, blankets, costumes at the store right next to Halloween things or even mixed in among them. But the sugar skull–or rather, what it is part of, Dia de los Muertos — is far from being Halloween appropriate.
People celebrate Dias de Los Muertos — Days of the Dead — on November 1st and 2nd. The tradition has been ongoing for millenia, particularly in Mexico, its country of origin. When the conquistadors invaded Mexico, the Aztec peoples tried to maintain their hold on this tradition of honoring their dead. So in an effort to appease the conquering Spaniards but also maintain cultural identity, the Aztecs altered the traditional time of celebration to align with the Spaniard’s Catholicism. Hence, why Dia de los Muertos is celebrated on November 1st and 2nd — All Saints and All Souls Day. And even that merging isn’t that bad of one: All Saints and All Souls, like Dia de los Muertos, honors the lives of past martyrs and people.
Courtesy Tom Robinson Photography
Halloween stems from the practice of scaring away unwanted and feared spirits. Dia de los Muertos, instead, welcomes them. During this celebration, families join together and go to the cemetery to visit the graves of loved ones. There, they wash the tombs or headstones, leave favorite foods of the deceased, play music, and decorate everything. If you’ve seen Disney Pixar’s Coco, you know what I’m talking about. Parents teach their children about their ancestors, such as what their favorite food was, to help keep the person’s memory alive. (Again, Coco!)
Courtesy Sipse.com
At the end of the night, a person should learn that death is not something to fear but something to embrace or welcome. With marigolds galore, candles everywhere, and family nearby, death is not as cold or distant as it seems. Dia de los Muertos is a time of celebration of life and death–not a celebration of fear (looking at you, Halloween).