When is Day of the Dead Celebrated?
With origins dating back to pre-Hispanic times, Day of the Dead-Día de Muertos (also called Día de Los Muertos) is a Mexican holiday that is celebrated from October 31st to November 2nd. During this time, families honor those who have passed away by gathering at their gravesite or by building private altars at home.
Sugar skulls usually have the name of the deceased and placed on the Day of the Dead Altar.
As the holiday season approaches, I am glad to be able to partner with Tequila Cazadores to promote this very special Mexican tradition, and to share the pictures of the altar I built in my home.
What are the most common Day of the Dead Decorations?
Traditional decorations for the altars on the Day of the Dead include candles, marigold flowers, sugar skulls, and sheets of decorative tissue paper called papel picado. The altars are topped with the pictures of passed family members and friends.
During Día de Muertos, the spirits of the dead are believed to return to the land of the living to enjoy fellowship with their loved ones. Additionally, they come to enjoy the offerings that their families have left for them. This is an important part of what Día de Muertos means, and it is why we fill our altars with offerings (we call these ofrendas) of food and drink.
The traditional offerings consist of water, fruit, and the famous Pan de Muerto (“Bread of the Dead”), but it is common to also include the foods and beverages that the person enjoyed when they were alive. Tamales are the most popular food offering, and common drink offerings include atole and alcoholic drinks. Pulque used to be the alcoholic drink of choice, but nowadays people use any spirit the deceased like, be it rum, whiskey, or tequila.
Recipes for the day of the dead celebration:
To commemorate Día de Los Muertos, Tequila Cazadores Tequila Cazadores has partnered with Mexican artist Victoria Villasana to create a special edition bottle of their Tequila Blanco. Decorated with traditional colors and Mexican skulls, the wonderful art on this bottle perfectly complements all the other components of the altar. Tequila Cazadores is an authentic Mexican tequila brand, and I didn’t expect anything less from them!
This is my Day of the Dead Altar this year. It is dedicated to my dad, my grandma, and my dog who passed away a couple of months ago.
PS. I would love to hear all about your Day of the Dead Altar! Comment below to tell our Mexico in My Kitchen community all about it, how you decorate it and what foods do you prepare for this day, then go the Atoles section to warm up …
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Steve Snow
Your ofrenda is beautiful. Thank you for sharing. Where did you get your candles?
Mely Martínez
Hello Steve,
Thank you for your comment. Do you mean the 2 short and thick candles? If you are talking about those, I got them at Hobby Lobby. The one candle in a glass with a cactus drawing was a gift that someone gave me. Not sure where they find it.
Joy Garner
Thanks so much for sharing this. Saw it while searching out a recipe for caldo de mariscos. Before the next dia de muertos I am re-purposing an old piece of furniture to assume the role of a ofrenda.
Errol
This was my first year celebrating Day of the Dead with my husband who is from Mexico. I wanted to start this tradition because we're raising our son bilingual and I want him to expose him to my husband's culture even though we don't live in Mexico. These pictures are absolutely stunning and inspiring. While our altar was last minute and improvised, I'm excited to carry this tradition on for years to come. Thanks for sharing your experience and your culture!