For our latest gathering we were inspired by the Mexican festival of Dia de los Muertos. We had a quiz to test our knowledge of the festival and Mexican food.
The Day of the Dead is about honouring dead loved ones and making peace with the eventuality of death by treating it familiarly, without fear and dread. It is a big celebration in Mexico, also observed to a lesser extent in other areas of Latin America and in the United States. It is celebrated on November the 1st and the 2nd. In 2008, the Day of the Dead was declared a World Heritage by UNESCO because of its traditional relevance and representation of each Mexican region along with their own cultural variations.
The Day of the Dead originates in the Mayan tradition of Hanal Pixan, which is celebrated in the Yucatan Province in Mexico. Hanal Pixan originated in the old Mayan festivities dedicated to worshipping the goddess of death – Ixtab, and other ancestors. Mayans believed the soul was immortal and that deceased loved ones were present in their homes. The indigenous communities shifted their worship of the dead to the christian calendar, which coincides with the end of the corn harvest, the main food harvest in the country.
Many families build altars, called ofrendas, in their homes, using photos, candles, flowers, and food, with the aim of persuading their loved ones to return for a family reunion. Dishes such as tamales and mole are presented to honour loved ones. The aim is to delight the senses of the visiting souls with the trail of delicious aromas. El pan de muerto or bread of the dead is traditional from the pre-hispanic ceremonies. This bread is currently baked with wheat flour, sugar, egg and yeast, and it is decorated in the shape of crossed bones with a dusting of sugar. A portrait of the deceased loved one, which is often hidden, in a way that it can only be seen through a mirror, symbolises their presence as well as their absence. Candles represent the light of faith and hope, and they symbolise the connection between alive and dead. Their warm light illuminates the altar and guides the souls of the dead in their return to the living.
