Dias de Muertos 2017

In my last post I wrote about why I don't (can't?) celebrate Halloween. That doesn't mean I don't do anything this time of year, though. I observe a version of Días de Muertos, a tradition that originated in Mexico and is becoming more well-known around the world.

Each year, I set up an altar in my lounge room -- some years it has a specific theme and other times it's more general. This year's has a couple of themes. I suppose I could say that I'm very lucky in that I don't know many people who have died, so my altar doesn't have many photos of relatives. My Opa (grandfather) is always in the centre. In front, there is a space to add items such as a cup of coffee or fruit. The only fruit from my garden that's ripe this time of year is oranges, so they often feature.

I added a pair of cat figurines and an image of a ladybug to represent animals, and a small pewter dragon to represent the spirit world. I purchased a pair of skeletal musicians to decorate the altar. They don't represent anyone or anything specific, but I've become interested in learning to play music lately, so perhaps that influenced my purchase. Another new feature is the two skeleton candles which are just too cute to burn. Husband and I are both allergic to flowers, so I substituted with some yellow candy cane poles to decorate instead of the yellow marigolds that are common on Dias de Muertos altars. Then there are the standards like candles and a pinecone and a shell because I like to have things from nature.

In the Southern Hemisphere it's Spring at the moment. It's a time of expansion and joy, of energy moving faster as we anticipate Summer. It might seem like a strange time to commemorate the dead, but it feels natural to me. Días de Muertos in Mexico is a time of joy and celebration. The dead are invited back to spend time with the living, so it's a time of happiness and parties. Spring seems like the perfect time for that. According to the information I've read, the holiday was originally celebrated by the indigenous peoples of Mexico in August and was moved to the end of October by European missionaries to co-incide with All Soul's Day in the Catholic calendar. August is high Summer in the Northern Hemisphere, certainly a much warmer time of year than October, and so I wonder if my intuition fits in with the original intention behind the festival.

Last years' altar.

In Mexico as well as many other cultures, it's tradition to visit the graves of the deceased. I try to visit a cemetery if I can, but I haven't been able to in the last few years. Spring is always a busy time for me with lots of events happening, and I don't have any relatives buried in a cemetery. (My Opa was cremated.) I do enjoy going to feel the general energy, but I'm only visiting strangers, so I don't feel so bad about skipping it.
I also used to make Pan de Muertos (bread of the dead), but haven't attempted it since I became gluten-intolerant. Unfortunately I won't have time to do any baking this year.

The festival officially goes for 3 days (31st October to 2nd November) but I will probably leave my altar in place for at least a week. It's more convenient to set up and dismantle when I have time on the weekend. Also, I've been known to leave Christmas decorations up for the whole year before because I thought it was a shame not to be able to look at them. I tend to go with whatever takes my fancy at the time, even if it doesn't adhere strictly to what's in season.