Día de Muertos (Day of the Dead) has become the most famous Mexican celebration but also the most misunderstood.
We Mexicans love life more than anything and that is the reason why we embrace dead as an opportunity to celebrate our loved one’s lives. To us, death is not the end but the continuity of Life.
Every year we honour the sweet memories of "Todos los Santos" (dead children) on November 1st and "Fieles Difuntos" (dead adults) on November 2nd.. as we truly believe that one can only die if one gets forgotten.
This celebration is followed in many ways according to religious beliefs and family traditions but in general we like setting up "Ofrendas" at home.
Ofrendas are little spaces we create specially for our "Muertos" (dead ones) with their pictures, candles and their favourite drinks, food, desserts, fruit and sweets. We decorate them with colourful flowers and "Papel Picado" (paper) and everything we think they might like to see and taste when they come to visit us on the nights of the 1st and 2nd of November.
In many cities people make the Ofrendas at the cemetery around the tombs. Family gather around at night to eat, drink and pray for their Muertos... it is not a party, it is a ceremony.
We love and respect the life and memories of our love ones and Dia de Muertos is our opportunity to remember them and remind ourselves that Life is only the first part of the story...