Day of the Dead is an event in the country of Mexico. It is celebrated from October 31 to November 2 and has its origins in the Mayan festivities, which worshiped death.
The goal is to honor the dead with beautiful flower-decorated altars. In the town of Pomuch, in Campeche, a very peculiar ritual is performed.
On the third anniversary of a person’s death, their bones are removed from the coffin, cleaned, and washed with lime. They are then wrapped in an embroidered cloak and kept in an ossuary. The reason is to give air to the deceased and allow them to return to visit the living.
Curiosities of the Day of the Dead
The lord of death was Mictlantecuhtli and the underworld was called Mictlán. This place was traversed by the deceased for four years. To do this, they had to overcome different levels of difficulty. In the latter, they were reunited with their emotions and thus ended the purification process.
On the Day of the Dead there was the possibility of opening a passage between both worlds and contacting loved ones.
Day of the Dead Offerings
Offerings are made and distributed on an altar. It is a banquet to celebrate the visitation of the dead and houses the deceased’s favorite food and drink. A plate with salt, incense, sweet skulls, flowers, a cross and candles are also placed.
All members of the family participate in this offering and at the end of the offering they begin to eat the offering because it is understood that the dead have already tasted it.
The Catrina
The most representative character is the Catrina, who was born as a work of the engraver José Guadalupe Posada. It was a cartoon of a skull wearing an ostrich feather hat that I call the Garbancera Skull.
Over time it became a symbol of the Day of the Dead and it is very common to see it embodied in figures and images. In addition, many are those who dress like her on those dates and paint their faces with decorated skulls.
