Male Halloween Day Of The Dead? The 139 Latest Answer

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The Day of the Dead, also known as Dia de Muertos, is a cultural celebration focused on prayer and commemoration of friends and family members who have passed away.

The festival is particularly celebrated in Mexico, where the day is a public holiday.

Traditions associated with Dia de Muertos include the building of private altars called ofrendas, honoring the deceased with calaveras (a representation of a human skull), and the deceased’s favorite foods and drinks.

People who celebrate the festival will visit the graves of the deceased with these items as gifts.

In recent years there has been a misconception about Día de los Muertos or Day of the Dead being referred to as “Mexican Halloween”. While Halloween and the Day of the Dead share roots and characteristics, and are close together on the calendar, they are distinct holidays. Halloween is seen as a night of horror and mischief, while the Day of the Dead celebrations are filled with color and joy. We explored the common theme of death through contrasting perspectives.

The story behind Halloween

This old-fashioned holiday dates back thousands of years. We all know that Halloween takes place on the last day of October. The word itself means “Christmas Eve” and is known to early European revelers as All Hallows’ Eve, in homage to the saints. Eventually, it was shortened to “Halloween.” The earliest known root of Halloween is the ancient Gaelic festival of Samhain. Adherents believed that the changing of the seasons signified a connection between this world and the next.

The Samhain holiday included several ritual ceremonies used to connect with spirits, including bonfires, jack-o’-lanterns, and wearing costumes to disguise oneself from spirits. This origin, rooted in the regions of Ireland, Britain and France, spread quickly, with immigrants bringing many of their traditions to the rest of the world.

The earliest known American colonial Halloween celebrations in the early 1900s consisted of large parties to honor the harvest, share ghost stories, sing and dance. Many of Halloween’s original customs have morphed over the years from saints and angels to superheroes, characters, doctors and everything in between. Trick-or-treating has evolved from children going door to door asking for “soul cakes” (cookies) to go with candy.

Celebration of the Day of the Dead

The Day of the Dead originated thousands of years ago with the Aztecs and Nahua. Mourning the dead was considered disrespectful because in these cultures the dead are still viewed as members of the community. It is up to their families to keep their memories alive. Día de los Muertos is when the dead temporarily return to earth to be by our side. The celebrations take place on the first and second days of November.

Sofia Chaparro, an assistant professor at the School of Education and Human Development, grew up on the border between Ciudad Juárez and El Paso, Texas. She attended elementary school in Juarez, where she learned about the traditions of Día de los Muertos. “This is how we recognize death,” she said. “It’s not a gloomy day. It’s full of life and color.”

There are countless communities in Mexico and other parts of Latin America that celebrate the Day of the Dead. Customs and traditions differ by region, but some symbols are common to these celebrations.

Ofrendas (offerings) are the altars and focal points of the celebration. They are installed in houses, shops, cemeteries and other important places. They are said to welcome spirits to earth. They are decorated with offerings such as water, food, family photos and candles. If the spirit is a child, small toys can be used to fill the altar. The main reason behind the food and water is to feed the dead after their tiring journey back to earth.

Cempasuchitl (marigolds) are the main flowers used to decorate altars. They are scattered across tombs to guide wandering souls back to their stones.

Calaveras (skulls) are one of the most ubiquitous symbols of the holiday. The most popular and remarkably elegant is the Catrina skull. They can be made of wood, papier-mâché or sugarpaste and are decorated with bright colors and sequins.

The Splitting Paths of Halloween and Dia de los Muertos

Although both holidays are within a few days, they are not the same. Halloween is celebrated on the last day of October. Día de los Muertos is mainly observed during the first two or three days of November. On the first day, the spirits of the children can visit their families. The second day is intended for adults and the elderly.

Adriana Alvarez, PhD, an assistant professor at the School of Education & Human Development, also grew up in Juarez. After her father’s death, she felt the need to build an altar in his honor. “My mother died four years ago, so I bought an altar,” she said. “I put her wedding picture at the top. It definitely took the loss of loved ones to rekindle that tradition.” The Disney animated film Coco is another example of a message encouraging people like Alvarez to rediscover their roots, she said. After all, there is no one size fits all when it comes to embracing culture and traditions.

Biculturalism is the ability to participate in multiple holidays and traditions. While you might not have celebrated it as a kid, that doesn’t mean the door is closed forever. Jazmin Teran, a third-year student, and her family enjoy celebrating Halloween and the Day of the Dead. They love to dress up and go trick-or-treating, and then have their own celebrations to commemorate loved ones.

While both holidays can be considered “spooky,” Halloween is all about darkness, death, ghosts, witches, candy, and costumes. On the other hand, Day of the Dead is explicitly about life after death and memory. The skulls symbolize the continuation of memories and life. It is a sacred time for families as it gives them peace and security.

Skull and skeleton costumes are common during Dia de los Muertos.

The Day of the Dead, or Dia de los Muertos, is a Mexican holiday that coincides with All Souls’ Day, two days after Halloween. In the United States, the Day of the Dead is often celebrated with ornate outdoor altars commemorating deceased loved ones — and often political victims as well — and a public procession. People dress for the procession in costumes honoring their loved ones who died.

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video of the day

complexion

The easiest Day of the Dead costume to assemble is to dress in black and paint your face like a skull, or use skull face paint as an element in a larger costume scheme. Black and white bold paint is all you need. Paint your nose and the area around your eyes black. Paint a big grin on your mouth and cheeks in black, then paint the rest of your face white. If you want a more elaborate look, you can paint your face like a sugar skull. If you’re allergic to face paint or just want a little change, wear a skull mask. Like face paint, the mask can be incorporated into a more elaborate costume design or worn alone with black clothing.

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Vintage and historical costumes

If you like period costumes, this is a good time to pursue your interest. Victorian style dresses, parasols, bosoms and gloves all have strong potential for Day of the Dead costumes. A wide-brimmed hat, perhaps trimmed with a veil, is a good accessory. If you can find a vintage black lace dress, go for it. Your costume can be flawless or you can distress it for an added dramatic effect. Snip the tips and rip the hems, add powder to look like grave dust, and curl the brim of your hat. You could also wear a black tuxedo. Black tie adds a formal vibe to Day of the Dead celebrations. Top hats, canes, and even short capes add to the effect. For women, a long, dark-colored wool coat is a good choice, especially on cool October nights. A distressed wedding dress is a popular costume choice for Dia de los Muertos.

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skeleton

If you want to wear more than just simple black clothing, but vintage clothing or formal wear seems out of your reach, you can create a simple skeleton costume. Reflective tape on a black tee and leggings creates an illusion of glowing bones. An even easier choice is to buy a t-shirt with a bone rib cage design already on it.

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Costume ideas to avoid

Avoid stereotypical costume elements like sombreros, ponchos, and bullfighting costumes. Avoid adopting someone else’s culture when putting together your costume. This means that Mexican traditional elements such as multicolored tiered skirts are problematic. It’s more respectful to stick to your own cultural background when constructing your costume; after all, one honors one’s own beloved dead by celebrating the Dia de los Muertos.

One search for “sugar skull makeup” on YouTube and you’ll get thousands of tutorials on the look and the millions of views solidifies interest in this skull art. Michelle Phan’s tutorial has garnered over 5 million views while Kat Sketch’s has over 3 million. And it only became more popular after the 2017 award-winning animated film Coco, in which a young character is transported to the land of the dead. “It started to become popular about 15 years ago, but it was particularly sparked by the immense popularity of Coco, which broke box office records around the world,” says Andrew Chesnut, PhD, professor of religious studies at the University of California Virginia Commonwealth University and author from Devoted to Death: Santa Muerte, The Skeleton Saint. He even says the Disney film inspired some of his Mexican relatives to start creating altars.

A great way to start decorating your Sugar Skulls is to start with the eyes and then decorate the nose and teeth. This way you set a focal point by creating the main features of the skull that you can then decorate around.

If you’re decorating more than one sugar skull, it can be handy to set up an assembly line of sorts. First make the eyes on a bunch of skulls, then set them aside to dry. So when you finish the eyes on the last skull, the eyes on the first skull might be dry. This makes it easy to add decorations around the eyes without worrying about smearing the glaze.

In addition, if you plan to decorate a lot of skulls, take several hours to decorate them. If you get really detailed (which is part of the fun!), it can take a lot longer than you might think to complete the skulls. Also, after mixing, the icing will gradually start to harden, so the bags of icing are only usable for a certain amount of time, probably just a day.

Now I will show you many photos and ideas on how to decorate sugar skulls. That’s the fun part!

Día de los Muertos, also known as the Day of the Dead, is a two-day Mexican holiday that honors families’ deceased ancestors through various traditions. Usually, family members erect an altar with photos of the deceased with ofrendas (offerings), which are gifts for the deceased. “We set up an altar with the pictures of our departed loved ones and add a few of their favorite things like baked goods, their favorite beverages or treats, and marigold flowers,” says Yasmin Maya, founder of Birdy Lashes and Beauty. “We usually come together for prayer, eat pan de muerto and light candles that same evening to guide the souls of our loved ones for their visit.”

In addition to the ofrendas, people in all cities in Mexico will paint their faces with sugar skull makeup and dress in colorful dresses with floral prints and designs during the parades. Between the dressing up, face painting, and proximity to America’s Halloween date, many people from other countries refer to Día de los Muertos as the “Mexican Halloween” and have adopted sugar skull makeup as a popular Halloween costume.

However, the holiday is furthest away from Halloween. The sugar skull makeup worn on Día de los Muertos is a time honored symbol representing and celebrating the departed. Unlike Halloween, a holiday where you can dress up in spooky costumes, Día de los Muertos is a colorful celebration of loved ones who have passed away. It’s these critical differences that make us question whether putting on sugar skulls for Halloween is appropriate or problematic. To answer that, it’s important to understand the history of skull makeup and the culture that started it all.

What is sugar skull makeup?

Sugar skull makeup comes from a famous drawing known as La Catrina. La Catrina is a female skeleton wearing a fancy plumed hat similar to those worn by wealthy Europeans in the 1900s – it was created by political cartoonist and artist José Guadalupe Posada. Posada originally drew La Catrina as a satirical message stating that we will all die one day, regardless of race, class, or background. Since the creation of the drawing, La Catrina has become one of the most recognizable symbols of Día de los Muertos.

As previously mentioned, many people dress up in colorful robes and make-up during the holidays as a nod to the famous drawing and to celebrate departed ancestors. Regina Merson, the founder of Reina Rebelde, looks forward to applying her Catrina makeup every year. “I find the ritual of building my Día de los Muertos altar very therapeutic, if a bit sad, so I love balancing that ritual with the ritual of my Catrina makeup, which is part of the more festive aspect of the holiday is.”

These traditions are growing in popularity and knowledge of these traditions, especially after the release of the animated film Coco, which came out in 2017. With this popularity, sugar skull makeup has become a “trendy” Halloween costume created by non-Mexicans. A search for #sugarskullmakeup on Instagram returns hundreds of thousands of results and the makeup video tutorials on YouTube are endless. But does the sugar skull makeup on Halloween dilute the importance and importance of makeup and the holiday?

la-catrina Credit: The Grace Museum, Jose Guadalupe Posada

Is Sugar Skull Makeup Cultural Appropriation?

It doesn’t have to be, but the answer depends on who you ask. Both Merson and Maya ultimately agree that recreating skull makeup isn’t necessarily something for Mexicans, but both agree that there’s a fine line between appropriation and appreciation.

“One of the most offensive things is when people draw a Catrina and overlay the look with something spooky and gory,” says Merson. “Remember, La Catrina represents your dead relative, not a spooky Halloween character.” She explains that intention is key with this makeup. “Anyone can relate to the experience of losing someone and trying to connect with them in the afterlife. So as long as people take the time to understand their rituals and what they mean, I think it’s great for everyone to participate in.”

Maya feels similarly, and says it didn’t start rubbing her the wrong way until she realized people forget or don’t mention why sugar skull makeup is done in the first place. “It seemed to me that it wasn’t being respected or honored like it should be,” she says. She noted that people did not give credit to the holiday or use it to their advantage for monetary purposes. “I think anyone can do sugar skull makeup, but they have to honor the holiday and understand the meaning behind it,” she says.

Should you do sugar skull makeup for Halloween?

If you’re thinking of doing this makeup for Halloween this year, make sure you’re familiar with the origins of the ritual. “I always love that people from all cultures participate in this ritual, as long as its history is understood and the process is respected,” says Merson. Another appropriate way to do this makeup look is if you use it as an opportunity to educate others about the history of sugar skulls and Día de los Muertos, Maya says.

Ofrenda Checklist & Day of the Dead Fact Sheet

We offer free downloadable fact sheets on the Day of the Dead and how to make a home altar (ofrenda). Feel free to print them out and distribute them to your school, restaurant, class, museum event, party or church. The Day of the Dead is often misunderstood and we want everyone to know what a meaningful and beautiful holiday this is.

Day of the Dead fact sheet PDF

How to create an Ofrenda Fact Sheet in PDF format

The Day of the Dead is an interesting holiday celebrated in central and southern Mexico on the cool days of November 1st and 2nd. Although this coincides with the Catholic holiday called All Souls’ Day and All Saints’ Day, the indigenous people combined this with their own ancient belief in honoring their departed loved ones.

They believe that the gates of heaven will be opened at midnight on October 31st and the spirits of all deceased children (angelitos) will be allowed to reunite with their families for 24 hours. On November 2nd, the spirits of adults descend to enjoy the festivities prepared for them.

In most Indian villages, beautiful altars (ofrendas) are made in every house. They are adorned with candles, buckets of flowers (wild marigolds called cempasuchil and bright red cockscombs), mounds of fruit, peanuts, plates of turkey moles, stacks of tortillas, and large Day of the Dead loaves called pan demuerto. The altar must have plenty of food, bottles of soda, hot cocoa, and water for the weary spirits. Toys and sweets are left to the Angelitos, and on November 2nd, cigarettes and mezcal shots are offered to the adult spirits. Little folksy skeletons and sugar skulls bought from open-air markets add the finishing touches.

The Day of the Dead is a very expensive holiday for these self-sufficient, rural, indigenous families. Many spend more than two months’ income to honor their deceased relatives. They believe that happy spirits bring protection, happiness, and wisdom to their families. The Ofrenda building keeps the family close together.

On the afternoon of November 2, the celebrations are brought to the cemetery. People clean graves, play cards, listen to the village band and reminisce about their loved ones. Tradition keeps the village close. Day of the Dead is becoming increasingly popular in the US – perhaps because we don’t have a way to celebrate and honor our dead, or perhaps it’s because of our fascination with its mysticism.

Day of the Dead – The Catholic & Pagan World

The Day of the Dead is celebrated throughout Mexico and the Catholic world… Italy, Spain, South America and the Philippines celebrate All Souls’ Day and All Saints’ Day on November 1st and 2nd. Special masses and perhaps the cleaning of cemetery graves are among the traditional activities… only in central and southern Mexico do colorful parties take place in the cemeteries and elaborate ofrenda altars are erected in the homes to honor certain deceased family members.

Day of the Dead celebrations are diverse

In Mexico, the colourful, much-anticipated Day of the Dead celebrations are generally celebrated in the states south of Mexico City. These include Michoacan, Mexico, Puebla, Oaxaca, Veracruz, Guerrero, Guanajuato, Chiapas and Yucatan. Northern Mexico, with its less indigenous and more European roots, spends the day scrubbing graves and going to mass… with no music, drinks, and parties in the cemeteries.

People in parts of Italy, Spain, Central and South America, and the Philippines celebrate All Souls’ Day and All Saints’ Day on November 1st and 2nd. Church services and perhaps the cleaning of the cemetery graves are among the traditional activities…

These sculpted sugar coffins are actually toys to delight the returning children’s spirits on November 1st. Pull the cord and a smiling Calavera skeleton will jump out of its coffin!

Sugar skull makeup

Elizabeth Fernández, Getty Images

Día de los Muertos, also known as the Day of the Dead, is a two-day Mexican holiday that honors families’ deceased ancestors through various traditions. Usually, family members erect an altar with photos of the deceased with ofrendas (offerings), which are gifts for the deceased. “We set up an altar with the pictures of our departed loved ones and add a few of their favorite things like baked goods, their favorite beverages or treats, and marigold flowers,” says Yasmin Maya, founder of Birdy Lashes and Beauty. “We usually come together for prayer, eat pan de muerto and light candles that same evening to guide the souls of our loved ones for their visit.”

In addition to the ofrendas, people in all cities in Mexico will paint their faces with sugar skull makeup and dress in colorful dresses with floral prints and designs during the parades. Between the dressing up, face painting, and proximity to America’s Halloween date, many people from other countries refer to Día de los Muertos as the “Mexican Halloween” and have adopted sugar skull makeup as a popular Halloween costume.

However, the holiday is furthest away from Halloween. The sugar skull makeup worn on Día de los Muertos is a time honored symbol representing and celebrating the departed. Unlike Halloween, a holiday where you can dress up in spooky costumes, Día de los Muertos is a colorful celebration of loved ones who have passed away. It’s these critical differences that make us question whether putting on sugar skulls for Halloween is appropriate or problematic. To answer that, it’s important to understand the history of skull makeup and the culture that started it all.

What is sugar skull makeup?

Sugar skull makeup comes from a famous drawing known as La Catrina. La Catrina is a female skeleton wearing a fancy plumed hat similar to those worn by wealthy Europeans in the 1900s – it was created by political cartoonist and artist José Guadalupe Posada. Posada originally drew La Catrina as a satirical message stating that we will all die one day, regardless of race, class, or background. Since the creation of the drawing, La Catrina has become one of the most recognizable symbols of Día de los Muertos.

The story goes on

As previously mentioned, many people dress up in colorful robes and make-up during the holidays as a nod to the famous drawing and to celebrate departed ancestors. Regina Merson, the founder of Reina Rebelde, looks forward to applying her Catrina makeup every year. “I find the ritual of building my Día de los Muertos altar very therapeutic, if a bit sad, so I love balancing that ritual with the ritual of my Catrina makeup, which is part of the more festive aspect of the holiday is.”

These traditions are growing in popularity and knowledge of these traditions, especially after the release of the animated film Coco, which came out in 2017. With this popularity, sugar skull makeup has become a “trendy” Halloween costume created by non-Mexicans. A search for #sugarskullmakeup on Instagram returns hundreds of thousands of results and the makeup video tutorials on YouTube are endless. But does the sugar skull makeup on Halloween dilute the importance and importance of makeup and the holiday?

la-catrina

The Grace Museum, Jose Guadalupe Posada

Is Sugar Skull Makeup Cultural Appropriation?

It doesn’t have to be, but the answer depends on who you ask. Both Merson and Maya ultimately agree that recreating skull makeup isn’t necessarily something for Mexicans, but both agree that there’s a fine line between appropriation and appreciation.

“One of the most offensive things is when people draw a Catrina and overlay the look with something spooky and gory,” says Merson. “Remember, La Catrina represents your dead relative, not a spooky Halloween character.” She explains that intention is key with this makeup. “Anyone can relate to the experience of losing someone and trying to connect with them in the afterlife. So as long as people take the time to understand their rituals and what they mean, I think it’s great for everyone to participate in.”

Maya feels similarly, and says it didn’t start rubbing her the wrong way until she realized people forget or don’t mention why sugar skull makeup is done in the first place. “It seemed to me that it wasn’t being respected or honored like it should be,” she says. She noted that people did not give credit to the holiday or use it to their advantage for monetary purposes. “I think anyone can do sugar skull makeup, but they have to honor the holiday and understand the meaning behind it,” she says.

Should you do sugar skull makeup for Halloween?

If you’re thinking of doing this makeup for Halloween this year, make sure you’re familiar with the origins of the ritual. “I always love that people from all cultures participate in this ritual, as long as its history is understood and the process is respected,” says Merson. Another appropriate way to do this makeup look is if you use it as an opportunity to educate others about the history of sugar skulls and Día de los Muertos, Maya says.

Ultimately, respectful sugar skull makeup requires a true understanding and appreciation of the holiday and the culture. Merson says, “The sugar skull is meant to be the physical representation of the human world that connects to the spiritual world, so you want to give it the care, love, and attention because it represents the souls of our loved ones.”

That’s why we don’t belong on this list (much less deserve to be the face of it) — we’re Andrea Ortega Costigan and Mariana McGrath, two Mexican-American makeup artists based in San Francisco and the founders of Salt Spell Beauty are. Makeup is our medium and faces are our canvas. Our work does not belong in a summary of “culturally objectionable” Halloween costumes. We understand why a Canadian university and UK media outlet might be missing the nuance of why that is, so we’ve broken it down for you:

Sugar skulls are a hallmark of Día De Los Muertos, a Mexican holiday celebrated on November 2, not Halloween.

The purpose of Día de los Muertos is to celebrate and honor departed friends and family; It is a holiday whose roots go back to the Aztec Empire.

The holiday is marked by families erecting altars, or ofrendas, in their homes for the deceased and surrounding their photograph with flowers, their favorite food, and calaveras (aka sugar skulls).

This Mexican national holiday is a holiday of reverence, commemoration and ritual; It’s a day of the year when family gathers to look back on those who enriched our lives and left us for the next.

Cultural appropriation seems to be the buzzword of the past few years, and with good reason. There are a lot of people who do obnoxious things, who pick the “cool” parts of a particular minority culture and adopt them for the night, only to throw that culture back onto the fringes of society the next day. This is 100% wrong.

Don’t wear a Day of the Dead costume on Halloween. Here’s why

Halloween is a time of year when the old phrase “be yourself” doesn’t apply. Holidays are a lot more fun when you can dress up as something that totally contradicts your actual personality. Some people love to pretend to be vampires, killer clowns and zombies, while others like to pretend they are characters from their favorite movies and TV shows. Get political in a Donald Trump mask or Ruth Bader Ginsburg judge’s robes. Or go silly, like the Breadwinner and Green with Envy costumes featured here at Good Housekeeping. Couples can pair up as peanut butter and jelly, salt and pepper, bacon and eggs, or other fun food combos. And of course, dozens of tiny princesses and superheroes roam the streets on the 31st before turning back into tired, sugar-filled preschoolers.

In recent years it has become increasingly common to see Day of the Dead decorations and accessories in stores, along with Halloween pumpkins and giant spiders. Thanks in large part to the 2017 Pixar film Coco, the holiday also gained interest and popularity outside of the Mexican/Latin American community, according to Decider. But if you’re thinking of celebrating All Hallow’s Eve by painting your face as a colorful sugar skull – or dressing up as a skeleton clad in lace and flowers – please think twice. Confusing Halloween with El Día de los Muertes is wrong for a number of reasons.

It’s a connection as much as the food and drink on offer and the memories you have of preparing them. You can prepare a special meal and listen to the music that will remind you of them.

Born in Tequisquiapan, Querétaro, my grandmother was an indigenous Otomi who spoke very little Spanish. She was an artisan who made baskets with my grandfather to make a living. As a result, my father and uncles also learned and were all craftsmen. I remember her best because she taught me what it means to be an honest person, a hard worker and take pride in who you are and what you do.

The Day of the Dead is almost here and one of its most popular symbols is the sugar skull. These colorful designs feature in everything from candy and jewelry to tattoos and face paint.

The roots of Dia de los Muertos go back about 3,000 years. This Mexican holiday, observed November 1-2, is a joyful celebration of the lives of family members and friends who have passed away. Traditions such as traveling to burial sites, cooking food, decorating graves, and holding gatherings are among the many ways people honor Dia de los Muertos.

Over the years, the rituals have been adopted and adapted by cultures around the world. Here’s everything you need to know about what sugar skulls mean and how to make your own.

Dia de los Muertos: When is Day of the Dead, what is celebrated and what is an ofrenda?

What is a sugar skull?

According to https://mexicansugarskull.com, a website that sells handmade Day of the Dead crafts and promotes the holiday’s rituals, sugar skulls — calaveras de azucar in Spanish — are traditional folk art from southern Mexico.

They are used as symbols to commemorate a deceased person. Sugar skulls are made from a granulated white sugar mixture that is pressed into skull-shaped shapes and then decorated.

More:After ‘so much loss’, Dia de los Muertos Ofrendas are a ‘must see’ for this Phoenix community

What is the meaning behind the sugar skull?

Each sugar skull represents a deceased loved one and is usually placed on an altar – an ofrenda – or even a tombstone as an offering to the spirit of the dead. Sugar skulls are often decorated with the person’s name.

“It’s the act of creating something dedicated to the memory of a person or even a pet, someone or something you love and miss that helps you revive their spirit,” said Michele Delgado, computer science teacher at the Carl Hayden Community High School in Phoenix and Sugar Skull Maker. “When you lose people you love, the moments you have with them are when they were alive, so it’s important to enjoy those.”

Delgado, who teaches her students how to make sugar skulls to honor their heroes, family members, public figures and events, says making sugar skulls is a great way to bring people together.

“It’s a great community activity, family and friends coming together to dedicate (sugar skulls) to something they want to remember and honor,” she said.

More:Why my Día de los Muertos altars look the same — and different — this year

Can you eat sugar skulls?

While sugar skulls might seem enticing with their colorful designs, Delgado said they’re more folk art than a sweet treat.

“There’s nothing in there that could really hurt you,” Delgado said. “But it would give you a tummy ache if you eat them. It’s all sugar and meringue. These combinations are really hard to digest. Sugar skulls are only air dried and meringue is made from egg whites. They are more intended to decorate ofrendas.”

And not everything on a sugar skull is edible. MexicanSugarSkull.com notes that sugar skulls are commonly decorated with sequins, colored foil, feathers, beads, and glitter.

Dia de los Muertos Barbie: This is what she looks like and how to buy her

How to make a sugar skull

Detailed instructions can be found on many websites including https://www.art-is-fun.com. This website states that there is one crucial measure to mixing sugar skull ingredients: use one teaspoon of meringue powder and one teaspoon of water for every cup of sugar. You will need about 2 cups of sugar to make a large skull and about 1 cup to make a medium skull.

What will you need:

Fine granulated sugar

Powdered sugar (to make the royal icing to glue and decorate the skull)

Food coloring for designs

water

Meringue powder (available at grocery stores, large stores like Target or Walmart, online retailers, and craft stores like Michaels)

Sugar skull molds (available at grocers, wholesalers, online retailers, and craft stores)

parchment paper

pieces of cardboard

Here are instructions from www.art-is-fun.com for making sugar skulls:

Mix the sugar, meringue powder, and water until the mixture is moist and compact.

Fill your skull mold tightly with the mixture and press firmly. Fill in both the front and back of the skull shapes. Make sure the sugar mixture is flat and you remove any excess sugar that will crowd the mold.

Place the filled ramekins on the parchment paper and cardboard and carefully remove the ramekins. Any mold should come off immediately.

If the sugar sticks to the mold, your mixture is too wet. If this happens, start again by removing the sugar from the mold and adding more dry granulated sugar.

Allow the skulls to dry on the parchment and cardboard for at least 12 hours. Halfway through the drying process, turn each piece over to allow the reverse side to dry.

Make a batch of royal icing. Spruce Eats has a handy recipe.

Once your sugar skull is dry, apply a thin layer of royal icing to the flat parts of the skull, pinch the front and back halves together and let the whole skull dry for an hour. When the skull is completely dry, it can be decorated with royal icing and any decorations you like.

Here are other sources for instructions on how to make sugar skulls:

Day of the Dead Shopping Guide: Groceries, Crafts, Face Painting in Phoenix

How to draw a sugar skull

Want to draw a sugar skull instead? Visit https://design.tutsplus.com for a full tutorial on how to draw a sugar skull from scratch.

You can reach out to Shanti Lerner, Arizona Republic’s Culture and Outdoors Reporter, by email at [email protected] or follow her on Twitter.

Support local journalism like this story by subscribing today.

Don’t wear a Day of the Dead costume on Halloween. Here’s why

Halloween is a time of year when the old phrase “be yourself” doesn’t apply. Holidays are a lot more fun when you can dress up as something that totally contradicts your actual personality. Some people love to pretend to be vampires, killer clowns and zombies, while others like to pretend they are characters from their favorite movies and TV shows. Get political in a Donald Trump mask or Ruth Bader Ginsburg judge’s robes. Or go silly, like the Breadwinner and Green with Envy costumes featured here at Good Housekeeping. Couples can pair up as peanut butter and jelly, salt and pepper, bacon and eggs, or other fun food combos. And of course, dozens of tiny princesses and superheroes roam the streets on the 31st before turning back into tired, sugar-filled preschoolers.

In recent years it has become increasingly common to see Day of the Dead decorations and accessories in stores, along with Halloween pumpkins and giant spiders. Thanks in large part to the 2017 Pixar film Coco, the holiday also gained interest and popularity outside of the Mexican/Latin American community, according to Decider. But if you’re thinking of celebrating All Hallow’s Eve by painting your face as a colorful sugar skull – or dressing up as a skeleton clad in lace and flowers – please think twice. Confusing Halloween with El Día de los Muertes is wrong for a number of reasons.

Exploring the traditions of Mexico’s Day of the Dead

Day of the Dead, Oaxaca, Mexico | Anna Bruce / © Culture Trip

Lauren Cocking Northern England Writer June 12th 2018 View

The Day of the Dead, also known as Día de los Muertos, is deceptively not a one-day but a multi-day holiday celebrated annually in Mexico on the first two days of November. Primarily a celebration of life and death where families commemorate their departed loved ones, it finds its roots in Mesoamerican culture, although its popularity is widespread these days. Not surprisingly, more than a few traditions and customs are associated with this event. Here are the top ten.

build altars

The building of altars is perhaps the most important custom of this long-standing celebration. Often decorated in bright shades of orange and purple before being piled high with ofrendas (offerings) such as candles, flowers and personal belongings, these altars (altars) are generally more private affairs built at home. However, in many communities such as Pátzcuaro, they are erected by families directly at the grave of the deceased and are nowadays also prepared by most public buildings. The planning can often take months, but the results are admittedly spectacular.

Traditional Day of the Dead Altar | © sunsinger/Shutterstock

Offering ofrendas (offerings) to the dead

This custom goes hand-in-hand with the building of the emblematic altars, as families select a variety of ofrendas (offerings) said to encourage the deceased to return home and hear the prayers of their loved ones. On November 1 (Día de los Inocentes), toys and sweets are offered to deceased children, while on November 2 ofrendas for deceased adults, such as liquor, cigarettes, and football shirts, as well as the more common candles, Mexican cempasúchiles (marigolds), and pan de muerto ( sweet bread).

Traditional Day of the Dead Altar with Pan de Muerto and Candles | © AGCuesta/Shutterstock

Using Cempasúchiles (Mexican Marigolds)

Although this flower – the tongue twister called cempasúchil, also known as flor de muerto – also falls under the ofrenda category, it is worth mentioning. Mexicans believe that this flower helps guide the soul of their loved one back to the world of the living and since it only blooms during the rainy season that precedes the Day of the Dead, now it becomes strong and mainly associated with the celebrations brought.

Day of the Dead, Oaxaca, Mexico | Anna Bruce / © Culture Trip

Creation or purchase of sugar skulls

The term “sugar skull” actually comes from the Day of the Dead celebrations and is perhaps the world’s most emblematic symbol of both the celebrations and Mexico in general. Sugar skulls are either purchased or made by families to add to their altar, and the name of the deceased is often written on the forehead in icing. Along with the traditional sugar versions, you can also get chocolate and biscuit sugar skulls during this time.

Day of the Dead, Oaxaca, Mexico | Anna Bruce / © Culture Trip

hold grave guards

Although many choose to stay home during the night of November 1st and the early hours of November 2nd, holding vigils is still common in many Mexican communities and is definitely one of the most well-known rituals of this celebration. One particular area where this trend is still thriving is Pátzcuaro, Michoacán; On November 2, residents (along with hordes of curious tourists) take boats known colloquially as mariposas (butterflies) to Isla de Janitzio, where they honor their dead in the island’s cemeteries.

Day of the Dead, Oaxaca, Mexico | Anna Bruce / © Culture Trip

Eat pan de muerto

Another common tradition during the time of the Day of the Dead is the consumption of the so-called Pan de Muerto. Thankfully, this isn’t bread from the dead, no matter what the name might have you think. It’s actually a slightly orange-flavored sweet bread, topped with “bone-like” decorations and a healthy layer of sugar.

Pan de Muertos | © Leon Rafael/Shutterstock

Grave cleaning and decoration

While not all families choose to honor their loved ones at the cemetery itself, the tradition of cleaning graves is still respected by most. This task usually involves cleaning up the area around the tombstone, being careful not to leave the Cempasúchil flowers mentioned above. A complete altar is often set up there. Contrary to what one might expect, cemeteries do take on the atmosphere of (surprisingly festive) social gatherings during Day of the Dead celebrations.

Day of the Dead, Oaxaca, Mexico | Anna Bruce / © Culture Trip

View of Calacas

Calacas are clothed, decorated, and colorful skeletal figures that you’ve no doubt seen, but never know their names. Due to the association of sugar skulls and calacas (skeletons) with Mexico as a whole, many locations will display such iconography throughout the year; However, on the Day of the Dead, calacas are rolled out across the country. Dressed in long, sometimes majestic and traditional Mexican dresses and styles, they are exhibited in Guadalajara in the central avenue of Avenida Chapultepec.

Day of the Dead Skeleton Figures | © Jose de Jesus Churion Del/Shutterstock

Participation in the Catrina Parade

While this custom is more or less unique to Mexico City – although other places will likely have their own, albeit less grand, version – it’s worth mentioning. Every year, hundreds of people dress up as Catrinas and descend on the Zócalo to take part in the Catrina Parade. Participants paint their faces in signature Catrina skull style with accents of color around the eyes and cheeks, and dress in outfits appropriate to the occasion.

Day of the Dead, Oaxaca, Mexico | Anna Bruce / © Culture Trip

Sharing stories of the dead

Finally, one of the most impressive customs that takes place during the Day of the Dead celebrations is the sharing of amusing anecdotes and memories about the deceased. The penchant for funny storytelling ultimately stems from the fact that the deceased should not be remembered in a gloomy way, but in a cheerful way. This is a tradition that is often excluded from popular culture due to its very intimate nature, but it is representative of a broader respect for oral traditions in Mexican culture.

One thing we do know: Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is not a Mexican version of Halloween.

Although related, the two annual events differ greatly in tradition and tone. While Halloween is a dark night of horror and mischief, the Day of the Dead celebrations unfold over two days in an explosion of color and life-affirming joy. Sure, the theme is death, but it’s about demonstrating love and respect for family members who have passed away. In cities and towns across Mexico, revelers wear funky makeup and costumes, hold parades and parties, sing and dance, and make offerings for lost loved ones.

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The rituals are full of symbolic meaning. The more you understand about this feast for the senses, the more you will appreciate it. Here are 10 essential things to know about Mexico’s most colorful annual event. [Check out more stunning photos from the Day of the Dead celebrations.]

Recognition by UNESCO

Please respect the copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. Please respect the copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. Left: There are countless variations of the Catrina, sold in many forms during the holidays—and all year round in Mexico. Right: Participants walk down a street decorated with murals during Dia de los Muertos.

Please respect the copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. Please respect the copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. Left: Papel picado, or pierced papers, blow in the wind in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. Papel Picado can be found throughout Mexico year-round, but especially so on the Day of the Dead. Photo by Raul Touzon

Thanks to the efforts of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the term “cultural heritage” is not limited to monuments and collections of objects. It also includes living expressions of culture – traditions – passed down from generation to generation. In 2008, UNESCO recognized the importance of Día de los Muertos by including the holiday in its List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Today, Mexicans of all religious and ethnic backgrounds celebrate Día de los Muertos, but at its core, the holiday is an affirmation of indigenous life.

story

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The Day of the Dead originated thousands of years ago with the Aztec, Toltec, and other Nahua peoples who considered mourning the dead disrespectful. For these pre-Hispanic cultures, death was a natural stage in the long continuum of life. The dead were still members of the community kept alive in memory and spirit – and during Día de los Muertos they temporarily returned to Earth. Today’s celebration of Día de los Muertos is a mixture of pre-Hispanic religious rites and Christian festivals. It takes place on November 1st and 2nd – All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day in the Catholic calendar – around the time of the fall corn harvest.

altars

The centerpiece of the celebration is an altar, or ofrenda, which is erected in private homes and cemeteries. These are not altars for worship; Rather, they are meant to welcome the spirits back into the realm of the living. As such, they are laden with offerings – water to quench one’s thirst after the long journey, food, family photos and a candle for each relative who has died. If one of the spirits is a child, you may find small toys on the altar. Marigolds are the main flowers used to decorate the altar. Scattered from altar to tomb, marigold petals guide wandering souls back to their place of rest. The smoke of copal incense, made from tree resin, transmits praise and prayer and purifies the area around the altar.

Literary Calaveras

Calavera means “skull”. But during the late 18th and early 19th centuries, Calavera was used to describe short, humorous poems, which were often sarcastic epitaphs published in newspapers mocking the living. These literary calaveras eventually became a popular part of the Día de los Muertos celebrations. Today the practice is alive and well. You’ll find these smart, scathing poems in print, read aloud, and aired on television and radio programs.

The Calavera Catrina

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In the early 20th century, Mexican political cartoonist and lithographer José Guadalupe Posada created an etching to accompany a literary calavera. Posada dressed his personification of Death in a chic French robe and named it Calavera Garbancera, as a social commentary on Mexican society’s imitation of European sophistication. “Todos somos calaveras,” a quote commonly attributed to Posada, means “we are all skeletons.” Beneath all our artificial trappings, we are all the same.

In 1947, artist Diego Rivera featured Posada’s stylized skeleton in his masterpiece Dream of a Sunday Afternoon in Alameda Park. Posada’s skeletal bust was clad in a large female hat, and Rivera made his wife and named her Catrina, slang for “the rich”. Today, the Calavera Catrina, or elegant skull, is the most ubiquitous symbol of the Day of the Dead.

food of the dead

You gain a powerful hunger and thirst as you travel from the spirit world back to the realm of the living. At least that is the traditional belief in Mexico. Some families put the favorite food of their deceased loved ones on the altar. Other joint offers:

Pan de muerto, or bread of the dead, is a typical sweet bread (pan dulce), often with aniseed and decorated with bones and skulls made of dough. The bones could be arranged in a circle, like in the circle of life. Tiny drops of dough symbolize sorrow. [Read more about Pan de Muerto.]

Sugar skulls are part of a sugar art tradition introduced by 17th-century Italian missionaries. Pressed into molds and decorated with crystalline colors, they come in all sizes and levels of complexity.

Please respect the copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. Please respect the copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. Left: Marigolds and family photos decorate a Day of the Dead altar in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. Photo by Corbis Documentary/Getty Images

drinks including pulque, a sweet fermented drink made from agave juice; atole, a thin warm cornmeal mash with unrefined cane sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla; and hot chocolate.

costumes

The Day of the Dead is a highly social holiday that spreads to streets and public spaces at any time of the day or night. Dressing up as skeletons is part of the fun. People of all ages have their faces intricately painted to resemble skulls and wear suits and fancy dresses that mimic the Calavera Catrina. Many revelers carry shells or other noisemakers to add to the excitement — and possibly also to wake the dead and keep them close during the fun.

paper picado

Please respect the copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. Please respect the copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. Left: Likenesses of author Gabriel García Márquez line an altar in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. Photo by Craig Lovell, Eagle Visions Photography/Alamy

You’ve probably seen these beautiful Mexican paper crafts many times at Mexican restaurants across the United States. The literal translation, punctured paper, perfectly describes how it is made. Craftsmen stack colored tissue paper in dozens of layers, then use hammer and chisel points to perforate the layers. Papel Picado is not exclusively used on the Day of the Dead, but it plays an important role on holidays. Draped around altars and streets, the art represents the wind and the fragility of life.

day of the dead today

Thanks to UNESCO recognition and the worldwide exchange of information, Día de los Muertos is more popular than ever – in Mexico and increasingly abroad. For more than a dozen years, New York-based nonprofit cultural organization Mano a Mano: Mexican Culture Without Borders has hosted the city’s largest Day of the Dead celebration. But the most authentic celebrations take place in Mexico. If you find yourself in Mexico City the weekend before the Day of the Dead this year, be sure to stop by the grand parade, where you can take part in live music, bike rides, and other celebrations across the city.

Countless communities in Mexico celebrate the Day of the Dead, but styles and customs differ by region, depending on the region’s predominant pre-Hispanic culture. Here are some places that stand out for their colorful and moving celebrations:

Pátzcuaro: One of the most moving celebrations of the Day of the Dead takes place each year in Pátzcuaro, a municipality in the state of Michoacán, about 225 miles west of Mexico City. Indigenous rural people gather on the shores of Lake Pátzcuaro, where they pile into canoes, a single candle burning in each prow, and paddle across to a tiny island called Janitzio for an all-night vigil at an indigenous cemetery.

Mixquic: In this Mexico City suburb, bells of the historic Augustinian monastery ring and parishioners carry candles and flowers to the local cemetery, where they clean and decorate the graves of their loved ones.

Tuxtepec: This small town in the northeastern part of the state of Oaxaca is best known for its sawdust carpets. For days, locals meticulously arrange colored sawdust, flower petals, rice, pine needles, and other organic materials in intricate, carpet-like patterns on city streets. Traditionally made for important processions, Tuxtepec sawdust carpets are judged in a competition held during Día de los Muertos.

Aguascalientes: Aguascalientes – the birthplace of engraver José Guadalupe Posada – is about 230km north of Guadalajara and extends its Day of the Dead celebrations to almost a week during its Festival de Calaveras (Skull Festival). The festival culminates in a grand skull parade along Avenida Madero.

Why marigolds or cempasúchil are the iconic flower of Día de los Muertos

Enlarge image Toggle caption Gabriel Perez/Getty Images Gabriel Perez/Getty Images

The musky smell of marigolds, or cempasúchil, was all over the Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Los Angeles on Saturday, and Angie Jimenez couldn’t wait.

“I love that smell and I love that it just hangs in the air,” she told NPR.

Jimenez is the altar coordinator for the annual festival Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead at the Cemetery, and oversees the installations of ofrendas put together by families to commemorate their departed loved ones.

This year, due to COVID-19, that means limiting the number of altars from over 100 to just 80. However, Jimenez expects this will include thousands of the bright orange blooms, whose pungent fragrance emanates from their leaves and stems.

“An altar just isn’t complete without them. And if you believe what the Aztecs believed, then your ancestors need the scent to find you back,” she said. She will add a few dozen flowers to a personal family altar for her father and sister who are buried in the cemetery.

“Our cempasúchil display will be small in comparison,” she said, noting that some of the larger altars may contain thick, carefully woven floral garlands measuring 50 feet or more, draped over ornate altar structures.

“I’m sure some will have thousands of flowers, and if you walk up to them, boom! The smell will hit you right in the face,” Jimenez said, laughing.

“You love it or hate it because it’s like nothing else. Luckily for me I love it.”

Enlarge image Toggle caption Gabriel Perez/Getty Images Gabriel Perez/Getty Images

The origins of Día de los Muertos, which begins on November 1 and ends on November 2, date back centuries in Mexico and to a lesser extent in some other Latin American countries.

It is deeply rooted in pre-Hispanic Aztec rituals associated with the goddess Mictecacihuatl, or the Lady of the Dead, who allowed spirits to return to earth to communicate with family members. This tradition was mixed with the Roman Catholic celebration of All Saints’ Day by the Spanish when they conquered Mexico.

The celebration includes the erection of an altar with offerings, including photos of the dead, candles, bottles of mezcal and tequila, as well as food, sugar skulls, and cempasúchil – the Aztec name of the marigold native to Mexico.

The scent of the bright orange and yellow flowers is believed to guide souls from their burial site to their family homes. The cheerful hues also add to the festive character of the holiday which, although cloaked in death, is not somber but festive.

Enlarge image Toggle caption Sergio Mendoza Hochmann/Getty Images Sergio Mendoza Hochmann/Getty Images

Over the years, the appeal of marigolds at this time of year has spread well beyond the Latino market.

“They’re definitely an item with increasing demand, that’s for sure,” Bob Mellano, vice president of wholesale at Mellano & Co., one of California’s largest flower farms, told NPR.

“And this is about the only time of year that marigolds are produced [in the US] because of Day of the Dead demand.”

He noted that the family business, which farms 450 hectares, has greatly increased its marigold production in recent years. “It has to do with the growing Hispanic and Mexican population here,” and he suspects the entry of Día de los Muertos into popular culture.

“I’m not sure where it started, but maybe there’s a correlation to the Disney movie from a few years ago,” he speculated, referring to Disney Pixar’s 2017 Coco. The animated film, set during Día de los Muertos in Mexico, was an international box office hit and introduced audiences around the world to the holiday and its customs.

“That could be why you see marigolds everywhere now. They used to be more of a specialty and you only saw them for a short time,” Mellano said. Once October 1 rolls around, he said, “they’re a must-have for wholesalers, flower shops, and even grocery stores.”

Mellano said it’s not unlike the poinsettia’s explosion in popularity at Christmas. “If you go back 50 years and see where poinsettia consumption was, that was nothing compared to what poinsettia consumption is today,” he said.

Enlarge image toggle caption Magally Miranda/Latinx with plants Magally Miranda/Latinx with plants

Andi Xoch, founder of Latinx With Plants in East Los Angeles, told NPR she’s concerned about the commercialization and borderline or sometimes downright cultural appropriation of what was once an Indigenous holiday. But there’s an upside, she said.

Because it’s become part of mainstream culture, “it’s become easier for young Latinx or first- or second-generation brown people to accept their heritage and be proud,” Xoch said.

While growing up she saw many of her peers rejecting more indigenous aspects of Latino culture in order to assimilate, she says, now embracing them.

“Just in the last few weeks, many of my customers who have come to get marigolds, mostly young Latinx women, have been telling me that this is their first time celebrating Día de los Muertos. So now they’re taking on that tradition and they’re right to own it and I’m going to take it any day,” Xoch said.

Enlarge image Toggle caption Damian Dovarganes/AP Damian Dovarganes/AP

Cempasúchil exhibitions are also a very non-offensive and appropriate way for everyone to participate in the celebrations, she added.

“You know, people who aren’t Latinx walk a fine line of cultural appropriation.” It’s tempting, she said, for white people to paint their faces Calavera-style or dress up in a Catrina costume.

“But that tradition doesn’t belong to them, no matter how cool or commercialized it gets. And once it becomes a trend, it’s no longer appreciated or respected,” Xoch said.

But flowers, especially those that resemble the golden hues of the sun, are always appropriate.

“They’re a beautiful way of remembering someone who’s gone and they’re cheerful, so it adds that element of beauty to death as well,” Xoch said.