Halloween isn’t the only holiday celebrated in America this week.
As costumed visitors take to the streets of the Chicago area on Thursday, October 31, many prepare soon after to celebrate a rich cultural tradition native to Mexico: Día de los Muertos.
Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is a two-day celebration intended to reunite the living and the dead, and is often seen as a celebration of the lives of deceased loved ones.
Unlike most mourning gatherings around death, Día de los Muertos is considered an annual occasion where the dead join their families in celebration.
Among the most recognizable elements of Día de los Muertos celebrations are colorful skulls, often representing death in a light and humorous way.
From sugar candies and clay decorations to face paint, skulls or calaveras are the most ubiquitous element of the tradition.
The celebration begins on November 1 at midnight with “Día de los Angelitos” or “Day of the Little Angels”, during which loved ones who died in childhood would be reunited with their families for 24 hours.
During this time, an altar, known as an ofrenda, is accompanied by children’s favorite snacks, toys and photographs to encourage visits from their deceased children. Children’s names are often written on a sugar skull.
On November 2 at midnight, “Día de los Difuntos” is celebrated in memory of missing adults who are loved ones.
While the night is often also a light-hearted celebration, filled with laughter and memories, the ofrendas take on a decidedly more adult theme for Día de los Difuntos, with tequila, mezcal and pulque often included when playing together.
The culmination of the celebration then begins at noon on November 2, when Día de los Muertos is officially celebrated, remembering the spirits of all the departed.
This part of the celebration is public and often includes festivals in towns with parades and calavera painted faces in vibrant remembrance of loved ones.
Visits to the cemetery are also common during this part of the holiday, when marigold flowers, gifts, and sugar skulls bearing the deceased’s name are placed near the headstone.
At this time, it is also customary to clean the tombstone of the deceased and return it to its original color.
According to the National Museum of Mexican Art in Chicago, Día de los Muertos began over the past 500 years as a combination of ancient indigenous cosmology and Roman Catholic tradition.
This year’s Día de los Muertos exhibit at the museum, “Where the Past is the Present,” is dedicated to Ray Patlán, a Chicago muralist and painter who died last April, the museum said.
“Art is a reflection of society, and with this celebration, this exhibition pays tribute to all those who have died due to violence,” the museum said in a statement.
The museum is located at 1852 West 19th Street in the Pilsen neighborhood of Chicago.
