Q: The calaveras, or skulls, and calacas, or skeletons, have become icons of Día de los Muertos. But because they start conflating the two, you see people not only dressing up as "Día de los Muertos" for Halloween, but you also see Halloween parties with altars. It would be different to dress up as a catrin or a catrina, which is an embodiment of a calaca, or a skeleton.
I started seeing people dress up and they would say, "I'm Día de los Muertos for Halloween," and it would be so clear to me that they had no idea what they were talking about. Why do you think that happens, and why can it be problematic to associate the two?Ī: I think it's just because of the time of year – they're both in the fall. Q: Día de los Muertos is often conflated with Halloween, despite having no connection to that holiday. You take the time to close the ceremony or that moment of engagement with your memories and those ancestors who are no longer with us. And you don't leave the altar up for days, because it's sacred. In those two days, you spend time with those memories. But, because of migration, sometimes we're not in the places where our loved ones are buried, so you make the altars in your home.īut many people do it differently: Some people have full-on parties, and some people have a velación, or observance, which means you just honor your loved ones not necessarily with prayer, but in a solemn space. Some people, depending on where you are in the world, go to the cemetery to build their altars. You can also include a representation of the four elements, so a candle or copal – incense – for fire, a cup of water, and then the wind and earth might be represented by papel picado. The altars can be made in so many ways, but some of the core elements would be a photo of the deceased, their favorite foods, flowers. Many argue that if you remember them, they never cease to exist. Q: What traditions do Día de los Muertos observers practice?Ī: Día de los Muertos is an opportunity for families to create altars for their loved ones. So, Día de los Muertos today is the bringing together of All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day with this traditional honoring of our ancestors. They had their own celebrations that they tried to syncretize with traditional Indigenous ceremonies. Then you have the Spanish arrival to the Americas, bringing with them Christianity and Catholicism.
It was this moment for recognizing a seasonal change from light to dark as we're transitioning into the fall. It emerged from an Aztec ritual known as Miccaihuitl, and Miccaihuitl was an honoring of the dead, but it was also the time for harvesting. 1 and 2 is a moment in time to honor your ancestors and those in your family and community who have gone into the spirit world.
Q: What is Día de los Muertos, and how and when did its traditions and rituals originate?Ī: Día de los Muertos, the way we celebrate it here in the United States, emerged in Mexico, and it has had many evolutions over the course of 3,000 years in terms of what we understand it to be today. Téllez, who is also the department's director of graduate studies, discussed the history, traditions and imagery of Día de los Muertos, how the holiday has changed over millennia, and how those interested can participate. Téllez's research focuses on transnational community formations, Chicana mothering, gendered migration and more. 1 and 2 – Día de los Muertos is a time for people to mourn the loss of family members and friends, and to ensure they're never forgotten, said Michelle Téllez, an associate professor in the Department of Mexican American Studies in the University of Arizona's College of Social and Behavioral Sciences.
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