Mexico is known worldwide for being a country full of traditions, culture, gastronomy, color, and joy among its inhabitants. One of the most popular and recognized traditions is the Day of the Dead, a celebration that is carried out in different ways in the different regions of the country.
In some parts, the celebration takes place from the last days of October to the first 2 days of November, however, the most popular days for this tradition are only the 1st and 2nd of November. According to the Catholic calendar, November 1st is “All Saints’ Day”, where all children’s souls are received, and November 2nd is “Day of the Faithful Departed” for adult souls.
What is the origin of this celebration?
This festivity has been celebrated since pre-Hispanic times when different civilizations symbolically worshipped death.
Years later and with the arrival of the Spaniards, a cultural crossbreeding took place in which the pre-Hispanic traditions would be mixed with the Catholic traditions of the Spaniards, transferring the veneration of the dead to the Christian calendar and resulting in the celebration we know today.
What does it consist of today?
Nowadays, the celebration of the Day of the Dead consists of the belief that the souls of people who have died return to the land of the living to live with their families and eat their favorite dishes.
Tradition says that to prepare the reception of all souls, each family should prepare an altar to commemorate the life of their ancestors.
The altar of the dead is prepared differently in each region, in some areas different levels are placed, they can be two (representing the earth and the sky) or 3 (representing the sky, the earth, and the underworld), however, certain elements should not be missing in an altar and that have a special meaning, as they are:
-Cempasúchil flowers: They must be placed scattered on the ground, representing the path that the souls must travel, and on the altar to cheer up the deceased with their smell.
-Candles: Like the cempasúchil flower, these must form a path that guides the anima throughout its journey.
-Water: It is to quench the thirst of the deceased in all its journey.
-Calaveritas: They represent death. In the past, a real skull was placed, but nowadays, little skulls are placed with sugar, chocolate, amaranth, among other flavors.
-Dead’s Bread: This type of bread is made only for these dates, and its shape represents the bones of the deceased.
-Photograph of the deceased: This element has several meanings, it is believed that it is for the anima to identify the offering that was made in his honor, it is also the representation of the memory in the life of the deceased.
-Salt: It helps the souls not to be corrupted in their path and to be able to return the following year.
-Papel picado (pecked paper): It is what gives color to the altar, it represents the joy of the festivity and in some regions, it represents the element of air.
Among other elements that belonged to the deceased, such as his favorite dish and drink, clothes, toys, among others.
A great festivity for Mexico and the world
In 2008, UNESCO declared this festival as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity, because it is a traditional celebration that has its origin from ancient times and because of the representation given to death and the memory of those who have died.
This festivity has become popular worldwide, and we can see it represented in stories, films, and novels that revolve around this joyful celebration, a well-known example is the film “Coco” (2017) by Pixar Animation Studios and Walt Disney, which managed to make a faithful representation of the Day of the Dead.
The “Day of the Dead” in the Yucatan Peninsula: A Mayan tradition
In the Yucatan Peninsula, the celebration of the dead is still a faithful Mayan tradition and is known as “Hanal Pixán”, which in the Mayan language means “food of the souls”.
Unlike the Day of the Dead (Catholic celebration), this festivity begins on October 31st and ends on November 2nd, and each day is dedicated to different souls:
October 31 is known as: “U hanal palal” and is dedicated to children.
On November 1st it is called “U Hanal Nucuch Uinicoob” and is dedicated to adult souls.
And on November 2nd it is called “U Hanal Pixanoob” which is dedicated to all the saints and is mainly celebrated in cemeteries.
Other differences between the Mayan Hanal Pixan and the Catholic Day of the Dead are found in the ways they represent their altars.
In the Mayan tradition 3 types of altars can be placed: The children’s altar, the adults’ altar, and the altar of the lonely souls (people who are not remembered, have no family to place an altar, or died without being recognized).
The materials that are usually present in these altars are mud, wood, clay, and containers made from the Jícara tree. And the tablecloths that dress them vary in color according to the anima that is being celebrated: the color of the tablecloth for adults is usually white, representing the Mayan sky, while for children they use tablecloths with colorful embroidery.
The traditional food for this Mayan celebration is very peculiar, unique in the region: the pib or mucbipollo. This dish is a corn tamale filled with meat and diverse spices, its cooking is very peculiar and this is because it is cooked in a hole in the ground, with a base made of limestone and firewood, once the tamale is placed, it is covered with banana leaves and covered again with earth until it is cooked.
In the following video, you can learn in detail how this particular dish is made:
In addition to this dish, jicamas, tangerines, oranges, marzipan, and regional sweets and sweet bread (not pan de muerto) and the traditional “Xec” which is the combination of orange, tangerine, and chili are placed. The cochinita pibil, the black stuffing, the puchero, and the bean with pork are traditional dishes of the region that cannot be missing from a Mayan altar.
At present, this celebration is still very present in diverse regions of the Yucatan Peninsula and forms part, along with other traditions, of the great cultural wealth of Mexico. Mexican traditions gather families and friends at different times of the year and proudly maintain the value of their ancestral roots.
Our traditions surprise and make everyone who comes from abroad fall in love with them. Experience everything that surrounds the Yucatan Peninsula, be part of this great culture, and fall in love with living here.
In Grupo DESUR we have developments in Merida and Playa del Carmen, where you can appreciate and live these wonderful traditions. Know the projects we have for you, here.
