Latineos - Latin America, Caribbean, arts, culture

The Day of the Dead actually lasts two days. 1st November, is devoted to honouring angelitos (little angels), the souls of children who Mexicans believe bypass hell and go straight to heaven. 2nd November is generally reserved for the souls of departed adults. On both nights a family’s loved ones are tempted back to the land of the living. (i)

Although undoubtedly a mortuary ritual, the tone is jocular. This light-heartedness is expressed through the sale of sugar skulls, sweet breads and skeletal figurines. A table of ofrendas (offerings) is prepared and a carnivalesque atmosphere prevails. All the senses are assailed. Aromatic copal is burned, candles are lit, and the vibrant marigold flowers, known here as cempasúchil, decorate and brighten their way. On the table itself are The aroma attracts their spiritual presenceset various objects, sweets, and drinks that were enjoyed by the departed souls when alive. Their favourite food is lovingly prepared and laid out each night. Religious images are placed alongside tequila and sugared skulls. A poem or hymn may be composed and left for their perusal. Even a particular pan de muerto (sweet bread) is baked to commemorate the departed. It is best described as a sugary bun adorned with a cross, representing skeletal fingers seeking earthly sustenance. Following the nightly ritual the living eat the food. Mexicans do not believe that the departed souls will consume what they have prepared; merely that the aroma will attract their spiritual presence and serve to remind them that they are not forgotten.

Children are initiated early on into this cult of death. In fact it often seems that the variety of sweets, toy skeletons and the humorous images used in the ritual are directed specifically at them. This familiarity with death when still young removes all sense of fear and prepares them for what will become their own duties to the dead later in life. Even the paraphernalia of the ritual - the candles, flowers, sweets, paper decorations - are all temporary. They are made to celebrate the moment, to be consumed and then forgotten until the following year.(i) The graveyards also take on a carnivaleseque quality at this time – the uninitiated may be forgiven for thinking that a macabre theatre show is taking place, lit by candle-light and staged around the headstones. From 31st October to 2nd November, Mexicans visit their relatives’ graves for a nightly vigil, bringing with them food and drink and decorating them with flowers. They may even be accompanied by live music or even a mariachi band.

At the same time, sweet calaveras (sugar or chocolate skulls) with names inscribed on the front are presented to friends and relatives together with hand written satirical epitaphs known as calaveritas. Newspapers join in the fun by printing satirical images of Hand written satirical epitaphs known as calaveritaspoliticians and celebrities, drawn as skeletons, carrying on a tradition begun in the 1890s by Jose Guadalupe Posada. An engraver, based in the old heart of Mexico City, behind the National Palace, Posada started his career as a political cartoonist before becoming a commercial illustrator, drawing sensational events for broadsheets as well as depicting the daily horrors, murders, and tragedies of city life. But he is best known for drawing dancing skeletons and grinning skulls that lampooned the rich and famous, reminding Mexicans that death is the great leveller: however rich and successful you are, death comes to us all.  La Catrina, his upper-class, elegantly attired calvera, was to become one of the most popular figures of the Day of the Dead celebrations.

The playfulness of this annual ritual hits home. Death is celebrated! Surrounded by all the colour and vitality of the occasion, there is nothing left to fear. Here death is seen merely as an extension of life and part of its immutable cycle. The writer who has come closest to explaining this is Octavio Paz: to the Life, death and resurrection were stages of a cosmic process which repeated itself continuouslyancient Mexicans, “Life, death and resurrection were stages of a cosmic process which repeated itself continuously.” Today, an innate love of ritual encourages Mexicans to continue in their celebration of death and, for many, it still “defines,” “reflects” and “illuminates” their existence. He concludes: “Ritual death promotes a Rebirth.”

Despite the crime, a crumbling economy, and the well-publicised violence of the drug cartels, Mexicans keep smiling. A large part of this admirable stoicism must be down to their almost ritualistic ability to mark an occasion. When Mexicans throw open their doors, all are welcome to the party. Laughing in the face of death proves a valuable lesson. When fear is absent, so too is loneliness.