The problem is that the path from the netherworld to the land of the living is a long and treacherous one. But don't worry, gringo - this isn't a zombie-apocalypse scenario, but more of a bittersweet family reunion. At the core of the tradition is the idea that the dead are allowed to return to Earth once a year. One of the results of that mixing is the Day of the Dead. The original inhabitants of Mexico adopted the faith of the king, but they retained many of their old beliefs. That process, though, was not a one-way street. When the Spaniards colonized Mexico in the 16h century - yeah, that horrible incident - they began converting indigenous people to Catholicism.
The Day of the Dead is the product of a unique mixture of worldviews. This is simply the way my mom does it and the way her mom did it, which I wanted to share.īut why the hell do you need an altar, you ask? Every family in Mexico has their own traditions. Your humble correspondent did some research – i.e., called his mom (which you should do more often, by the way, your mom misses you) - to write an easy step-by-step guide to creating your very own Day of the Dead altar.īefore we go ahead, though, it's important to emphasize that what I'm about to describe is not the only way to do it. In that case you've come to the right place, friend. in particular have found a myriad of ways to reinvent the celebration, incorporating new practices like parades and costumes to the age-old custom of visiting cemeteries and decorating graves with orange marigolds.īut maybe you want to be a bit more elaborate and do it like we do in the old country. Traditions change all the time, and this one has evolved immensely since its birth in the early days of colonial Mexico. There are many ways of doing it and - with the exception of a horrible pseudo-fiesta in which you put on a racist-ass costume and get crunk on bad mezcal - none of them are wrong. So, you want to celebrate the Day of the Dead, huh?
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