DALLAS — Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, which spans Nov. 1 and 2, is a tradition that's been celebrated for thousands of years, tracing back to indigenous tribes in Mexico.
As the Latino population grows in Dallas and elsewhere, it's become more mainstream and is lumped in with Halloween festivities. But unlike Halloween with its costumes and candy, the belief behind Dia de los Muertos is that deceased loved ones are given an opportunity to be back with their families.
Major retailers have included Dia de los Muertos decor alongside their Halloween jack o'lanterns, and YouTube videos on how to do sugar skull makeup are uploaded by the dozens.
Here are 10 things to know about Dia de los Muertos — including some misconceptions.
1. It’s absolutely not a “Mexican” Halloween.
Yes, there are many Latinos who celebrate Halloween. But when it’s Nov. 1, the festivities that take place are not an extension of trick or treating from the day before.
2. It’s not even celebrated in all of Mexico.
Isabel Montemayor, assistant professor and research associate for the Center of Mexican American Studies at the University of Texas at Arlington, said it is not as common for places in northern Mexico to celebrate, compared with southern Mexico in states such as Michoacan, Oaxaca and Veracruz.
3. It’s not a depressing holiday.
Montemayor said it’s a misunderstanding that the tradition is somber because death is involved. It’s quite the opposite, actually.
“It’s a celebration of life. That’s why you see the bright colors and music. Yes, there’s some solemnity about it, but at the same time it’s a celebration of the individuals who lived,” Montemayor said.
4. There’s significance behind the calavera or sugar skull face painting.
It's beautiful face painting, but there's actually a reason why people paint their faces as skulls on Dia de los Muertos. Amparo de Jesús Rincón Pérez, anthropologist and expert at the National Museum of Popular Culture of Mexico City, said the calavera face paintings came about as a way for individuals to ward off death.
“To wear the face paint was a way to say ‘Don’t look at me. I’m already dead,’” Rincón said in Spanish.
5. It’s technically not just one day, but multiple days.
Yes, it is called Day of the Dead, but there's celebrations on both Nov. 1 and 2. Montemayor said the first day, which is All Saints Day is to honor the little angelitos, or little angels, who are the children who have died. The saints and those who never sinned also are honored.
All Souls Day is on Nov. 2 and is meant to invite all the adults who have passed away.
6. There’s a special flower for the holiday.
The cempoalxochitl (pronounced cem-pa-SU-chil) is known as the flor de los muertos (flower of the dead). It looks similar to a carnation, but is bright orange. Rincón said the flowers are used to guide the deceased back home. In pueblos where the cemetery was just a short walk from most homes, Rincón said, the flower petals were removed to create a trail from the loved one's tomb to their old house.
7. It’s not a shrine; it’s a very symbolic altar.
Shrines are usually sacred structures for a specific deity. Altars used for Dia de los Muertos are the centerpieces for the holiday. Rincón said the altars can vary in levels, but they are typically three-tiered to symbolize heaven, purgatory and earth.
8. The bread is round for a reason.
Pan de muerto, or bread of the dead, may sound off-putting. But it's a common treat made at panaderias, or Hispanic bakeries, for the holiday. The pastry is round to symbolize the circle of life, Rincón said.
9. What is la ofrenda?
You may see prepared meals, cigarettes or even a bottle of tequila on some altars. Those items are a part of la ofrenda, or the offering, which is a gift for the dead. It's usually items that the deceased enjoyed the most. During the holiday, it's believed the dead can savor their favorite things again.
10. As it becomes more mainstream, remember that it was an indigenous tradition.
The holiday coincides with the end of the agricultural cycle. Indigenous pueblos in Mexico saw it as a time to give thanks for the year’s harvest and honor their ancestors. Still, thousands of years later today, Montemayor said people in Mexico are spending two weeks’ wages honoring the dead because the presence of the loved ones is supposed to bring good luck and unify the family.
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