Día De Los Muertos, or the Day of the Dead, is a holiday that originated in Mexico to celebrate Catholic religious rituals brought by the Spanish in the 16th century. It also commemorates the rituals that indigenous people performed for their ancestors since pre-Hispanic times.

Origin

Ancient Mexicans and communities such as the Mexica, Mixtec, and Zapotec, among other indigenous peoples of Mexico, incorporated these festivities into the Christian calendar in honor of the deceased, in connection with the agricultural cycle of corn — Mexico’s main food crop.

This tradition refers to pre-Hispanic and Catholic cultures, fusing the ancient rituals of indigenous peoples with those of the Spanish conquistadors. This celebration began as a commemoration of loved ones who have transcended Mictlán, the “place of the dead” according to Mexica mythology, a resting place for departed souls.

The Day of the Dead has become one of the most important celebrations in Central American countries, including Ecuador, Guatemala and El Salvador, as well as among the Latin American populations of North America.

This day represents a temporary return for souls to descend and be with mortals, eating the food offered to them on the altar.

The Day of the Dead in Mexico is meant to remind people that death is not the end, but rather a temporary passage to an infinite world that begins when our hearts stop beating, with our souls departing to a wonderful world. It is said that this path begins when we close our eyes forever and sink into eternal rest.

The altar

Altars represent the soul’s journey to the afterlife. A two-tiered altar represents a division between heaven and Earth. The three-tiered altar symbolizes heaven, earth, and the underworld. A seven-tiered altar symbolizes the steps the soul must take to reach eternal rest.

The altar represents this connection between the deceased and their family. Decorations of papel picado symbolize the welcome of souls. The movement of the wind is said to help guide spirits to the altar. Altars also often carry the favorite objects of the person being honored, as well as clothing or items meaningful to the deceased.

Nov. 1 is dedicated to the “little angels.” In the case of altars dedicated to children, their favorite toys are often placed on the altar so that they can play with them again when they reach the altar.

First-year San Francisco State University history student Jorge Nava is originally from Puebla, Mexico. Despite living in San Jose for eight years, he and his family still continue to celebrate this tradition as they did before moving to the United States.

“What I like about the altar most of all is being able to have it there, aside from the food they liked, the memories of the deceased,” Nava said.

Offerings for the dead

Celebrants commemorate the life of their loved ones with offerings. It is not just an altar, but a space filled with memories that mortals build to honor the person who ascended to another world, but whose essence remains present.

Each altar is filled with offerings as a reminder that no one dies when their memory lives on.

Traditions

The Day of the Dead is celebrated according to family tradition, but with the same purpose of being reunited with their loved ones once again.

Nov. 2 is celebrated with offerings and parades to honor this tradition and welcome the souls of the deceased.

Some families visit cemeteries to clean and decorate the graves of their loved ones. Sometimes others spend the night there to celebrate with mariachi music and remember the faithful departed.

“The most common tradition we have, more than anything, is that we also spend the Day of the Dead in a small town called Chinantla, basically to go to the cemetery where they are buried and also decorate their graves a little, to receive them with more affection,” Nava said.

How is Halloween different?

Halloween and the Day of the Dead have been intertwined due to their close proximity and the shared theme of death, leading to elements of the holidays being incorporated in both.

However, while Halloween has become a holiday focused on fear and fun, the Day of the Dead has remained true to its pre-Hispanic and Catholic roots, celebrated to remember deceased loved ones.

“We try to celebrate the Day of the Dead first, celebrate our dead, and then, so to speak, Halloween fades into the background for us,” Nava said.

For some, the combination of the Day of the Dead and Halloween is modern and fun, while others think that merging these two holidays loses the meaning of the Day of the Dead. 

“The truth is that these years that we’ve been living here in San Jose, we’ve been focusing a little more on Halloween because, as the years go by, these traditions sometimes get lost, or young people aren’t very interested in these types of traditions anymore,” Nava said.

Significance

Today, younger generations are incorporating new traditions, such as creating digital ofrendas or using social media to share photos of their altars. For some, this celebration is a way of continuing the cultural heritage their family has built.

“I would prefer to maintain this tradition, but honestly, not in the way it would be seen now, believing that the deceased come here to the earthly world,” Nava said. “I would consider it more than anything a day to remember the deceased. I would create an altar with the things my deceased loved, but it would simply be a way of remembering them.”

Traditions can also be adapted and improved, without distorting the true meaning of these cultural holidays.

“My perspective on this has changed to not only celebrate their arrival, but to remember them, to never forget who they were in life,” Nava said. “I don’t think this idea will ever go away, and I honestly don’t feel like I’ll ever lose this tradition, and it would be nicer to improve it.”

Where to celebrate at SFSU:

SFSU invites its students to celebrate this holiday together through various events throughout the week.

Thursday, Oct. 30

Students can visit Room 254 in the Health and Social Sciences Building for conchas and chocolate and a viewing of “Coco” through an event hosted by the SOAR TRIO from 1 to 3 p.m. 

Students can also decorate their own amaranth sugar skull with Latina/Latino studies alum Tere Almaguer and Nancy “Pili” Hernandez, along with Latina/Latino studies students and faculty, in the Cesar Chavez Student Center’s Rosa Parks Room from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m..

In the evening, students can participate in picture frame decorating and candle-making while watching a Dia De Los Muertos movie in Classroom 105 in the Mashouf Wellness Center from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

Monday, Nov. 3

The Day of the Dead celebration, presented by the Latinx Student Center, at Malcolm X Plaza from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Until Friday, Nov. 7

An altar inside the Mashouf Wellness Center’s MAC Gymnasium will be on display until Nov. 7. Students are invited to participate in this community offering.

This altar is now open and will remain on display until Friday, Nov. 7. There is also an online altar where people can submit photos and memories of their loved ones through a form.

Talía Guzmán-González, librarian at the J. Paul Leonard Library, invites students to visit the Day of the Dead altar on the first floor of the library. 

“The relationship with our loved ones transcends languages ​​and nationalities,” Gonzalez said. “We all have something to say and communicate. The altar is there for everyone.”