SUGAR SKULLS AND ALTARS!MEXICO CELEBRATES DAY OF THE DEADEdited by Madelyn Miller, the TravelLadyThere are lots of things I love about Mexico. One is they really know how to celebrate. Even when remembering the dead, the focus is on eating and candy. Dancing Calacas (skeletons)! Chocolate coffins!...and Pan de Muertos (bread of the dead)! Celebrated on October 31 (Young Souls Day), November 1 (All Saints Day) and 2 (All Souls Day), Day of the Dead is one of Mexico’s most important holidays paying homage to the dearly departed. While traditions vary from state to state, there are some standard features that unify these celebrations and make them an incredible display of culture and tradition. traditional dish is the tasty calabaza en tacha (candied pumpkin), prepared with cinnamon and brown sugar.
Janitzio, Michoacan State In the heart of southern Michoacan State is Lake Patzcuaro, home to the island of Janitzio. The island of nearly 1500 inhabitants is renowned for its impressive and colorful Day of the Dead celebrations. Pre-preparations abound as many families even grow their own cempasuchils, believing that doing so is more appropriate for their offerings. The squares fill with stands that offer all types of colorful figures allusive to death, the most popular made of sugar. At night, boats are decorated with candles and flowers, loaded with local villagers and visitors who are taken to the island’s cemetery. There they spend the night, summoning back the dead in celebration as the sounds of bells ringing, people chanting and the smell of incense fill the air. The following evening, fishermen paddle their torch-lit canoes around the lake, where they do a performance of butterfly net throwing. Once the sun sets, the dancing begins. The Danza de los Viejitos (Dance of the Old Men) native of Michoacan State and believed to date from prehispanic times is performed as a ritual honoring the Sun. To get to the island, it is necessary to take small boats that run frequently throughout the day. For more information, visit www.michoacan.gob.mx. Mixquic, Mexico City Only 25 miles southeast of Mexico City is the village of Mixquic, a magnet for visitors and locals during Day of the Dead. The area takes on a busy and festive air in the final days of October as merchants set up street stands to hawk their wares for the Day of the Dead. In the cemetery, all family burial plots are elaborately embellished with an array of earthly delights in the hope of luring departed spirits. Each year, a street fair is held from October 30 to November 2 that fills the village streets fanning out from the main plaza. Similar to the Halloween tradition in the United States, on the night of Oct. 31, children go from house to house asking for goodies. Most homes have large, intricate altars for Day of the Dead. Children kneel at the altar and recite prayers before being offered food-gifts. Then, they move on to the next home repeating the same ritual of kneeling and prayers. To light their way, children carry carved green and white chilacayote (squash), which look incredibly similar to jack-o-lanterns. As darkness falls upon Mixquic, the glow of thousands of votive candles illuminates the way for the dead. At midnight they are called home with the mournful tolling of bells. Then each soul is lovingly remembered with recitations of the Rosary. The food-laden street fair roars outside the church graveyard, villagers descend upon the cemetery with food, drink, candles and cempasuchil. For more information, visit www.tlahuac.df.gob.mx/turismo/. MORE DELICIOUS THINGS ABOUT MEXICOBEST MAP Hammond International GUIDEBOOKS FROMMERS MEXICO 2006 MEXICO: HEALTH AND SAFETY TRAVEL GUIDE INSIGHT GUIDES MEXICO A TRAVEL GUIDE TO THE JEWISH CARIBBEAN AND SOUTH AMERICAN LET’S GO MEXICO Lonely Planet Mexico EYEWITNESS TRAVEL GUIDES MEXICO FOLK WISDOM OF MEXICO TRAVELERS TALES GUIDES MEXICAN DAYS MOON HANDBOOKS PACIFIC MEXICO Michelin Tourist Guide to Mexico, Guatemala and Belize HIDDEN BAJA MEXICO CITYINSIGHT POCKET GUIDE MEXICO CITY LONELY PLANET MEXICO CITY' MOON HANDBOOK MEXICO CITY OAXACAMOON HANDBOOKS OAXACA Oaxaca EAT SMART IN MEXICO LIVE BETTER SOUTH OF THE BORDER ON MEXICAN TIME BEST SOUVENIRS OF MEXICO legal drugs. I always get Retin-A for myself and friends. I know people who also buy antibiotics and other prescription drugs that are available over-the-counter in Mexico Damiana. A sweet liquor believed to be an aphrodisiac. I think it works because it is so yummy you drink too much. And the bottle could be a collector’s item, it is shaped like a voluptuous nude woman Mexican sea salt. Easily available in supermarkets. A wonderful gifts for gourmet foodie friends. Other food gifts include mountain grown coffee, Mexican vanilla, and sweets made of tamarindo and coconut. MOST REQUESTED THINGS TO BRING BACK FOR FRIENDS RETINA- if you are old enough to need it, you know what it is and will appreciate that it costs about 90% less if you buy it in Mexico. If you have lots of friends who want it, it may be worth a trip to Walmart. But call ahead and tell them you want to order some, the day I was there they only had 3 tubes in stock. I had had four disappointed friends. Kahlua Mezcal with a worm MY FAVORITE MEXICAN DRINK Dirty banana (recipe compliments of Dorado Pacifico Ixtapa) TO GET A TASTE OF MEXICO AT HOME CULINARY MEXICO LA COMIDA DEL BARIO A YUCATAN KITCHEN SPEAK LIKE A NATIVE HIDE THIS SPANISH BOOK LISTEN TO THE SOUNDS OF MEXICO LATIN PLAYGROUNDS MEXICO MUSIC FROM THE COFFEE LANDS courtesy of Mexican Tourism Board |
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Since prehispanic times, it is believed that on these days, the souls of the departed return to visit living relatives and eat and drink as they did when alive. Families gather to honor their ancestors through ofrendas (altars), typically decorated with cempasuchil (marigolds), candles, photographs of the departed and the deceased’s favorite foods and beverages, as well as many other small trinkets, including small coffins, often with pop-up skeletons. These altars range in size and are placed both in homes and at the gravesites. 
For one of Mexico’s most colorful and magical displays of Day of the Dead, visit Oaxaca City in Oaxaca. Local markets burst with preparatory activities, and playful skeleton imagery adorns storefronts and home windows. The festival formally begins on October 31st, where families pay honor to their ancestors or deceased loved ones with the careful and sometimes elaborate construction of an in-house altar. Over the years, the altars have evolved into objects of art, making this celebration a true exhibition. Typically, homes are open to those interested in paying homage to their dead.