¡Feliz Día de Los Muertos!
Today is a day to celebrate the lives of our deceased loved ones. We keep the tradition alive in our house by constructing an altar to honor them, and leaving ofrendas—offerings—to entice the souls home.
This holiday goes back more than 3,000 years to the time of the Aztecs. Originally, it was celebrated in the ninth month of the Aztec calendar (what is now August). When the conquistadores arrived from Spain and felt the month-long celebrations of Día de Los Muertos mocked death, and being that they wanted to convert the native people to honor their own religion, they tried to put a stop to the ritual. But they were met with resistance and instead, the ritual was moved to coincide with the Christian calendar's All Saints Day (Nov. 1) and All Souls Day (Nov. 2).
Today, many who celebrate this holiday use el Día de Todos los Santos to honor deceased children and Día de Los Muertos for honoring adults. There is no wrong way to do it, though, and you can honor whomever you like on both days if you wish. In some places in Mexico, families visit cemeteries, clean and decorate grave sites and leave their ofrendas there. Many families, like ours, build an altar in their home.
There's also no wrong way to make an altar—there are common methods (constructing three levels) and typical ofrendas (offerings that represent earth, wind, water and fire), but the point is that you make the altar personal and meaningful to you to honor your deceased loved ones.
I haven't talked about it here on the blog, but in September, José's last living grandparent, my suegro's mother, passed away in Aguascalientes. Abuelita Ana was 91 years old, and we flew to Mexico to be there with family for the velatorio and entierro. It has been a sad time for our family, but being together with everyone in Mexico made it a little easier. This year our altar is especially dedicated to her memory.
It was difficult when I was going through photos trying to decide which photo of her to use, but definitely therapeutic in a way once I was finished. This year, I even purchased special sugar skulls for my ofrenda from the famous Mondragon family of Toluca; they are one of less than a dozen families in Mexico still dedicated to the art form of alfeñique, and you can read more about them on my post from the other day.
To me, el Día de Los Muertos is one of the most beautiful and meaningful holidays not only in Mexico, but in the world. Tomorrow, I'll share more about the individual elements on my altar and what they mean, but for today, just a few photos and a short video so you can check it out.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=loSmJckBfYc[/youtube]
- What do you leave as ofrendas on your altar de muertos?
Ericka says
Very nice!
Lisa Quinones Fontanez says
Beautiful alter! Thank you for sharing and thanking for creating a space for others to share their tributes!
Eliana Tardio says
yes, a very traditional picture of our celebration del Día de los muertos! very nice post!
Justice Jonesie says
Loved your video and the song! What a lovely way to celebrate your Abuelita and other family that have passed.
TravelDesigned says
Thank you Maura, for helping me understand this special day of celebration.
Unknown Mami says
Beautiful altar and loving tribute.
vianney says
lovely altar Maura, thank you for sharing this special Celebration with us.
Eva Smith says
Just beautiful! I appreciate the lesson in the altar and have a great respect for Dias de Los Muertos.
Mercedes @BeChicMag says
Hi Maura! How long did it take you to make that beautiful altar?
Bren says
all so colorful. i'm sorry for your hubz lost earlier in the year. i remember when you shared that with us.
Morena says
I loooooove your altar Maura, makes me wanna celebrate Dia de los Muertos too! It really is such a cool celebration, makes all the sense in the world, to celebrate the dead!
Angelica Perez says
Maura! I love, love your altar! And the video was AMAZING...
You know what? My parents are Dominican, so I never grew up celebrating El Dia de Los Muertos. However, my grandmother did have altares for loved ones that had passed away. Looking at those black and white photos on your altar brought back SO many memories....Wow!
Thank you for sharing your ofrenda with us.
Angelica