Celebrating Día de Los Muertos
Wild River ofrenda on Día de Los Muertos
The fall season has always been a festival rich season throughout many cultures around the world. From Harvest Festivals to Lantern Walks, in Waldorf Education as well as many pagan cultures, the Autumn has often been seen as a time of new beginnings and completion of natural and life cycles. Our programs strive to bring meaning to and explain the origins of everything that we celebrate. Only by finding the roots and understanding the deeper meaning of events can we receive its offerings to enrich our lives and keep these traditions alive and evolving.
Our dear Spanish teacher Señor Gio has brought to us the celebration of el Día de los Muertos ( Day of the Dead) - a joyful Mexican holiday where families welcome back and celebrate the souls of their deceased relatives for a brief reunion that includes food, drinks, music, singing and dancing. Celebrated on Nov 1st and Nov 2nd, el Día de los Muertos is a blend of Mesoamerican ritual, Roman Catholic religion and Spanish culture. The origins of el Día de los Muertos date back to some 3000 years ago, to the rituals honoring the dead in pre-Columbian Mesoamerica. The Aztec and other Nahua people living in what is today central Mexico held a cyclical view of the universe, and saw death as an essential, ever-present part of life. As other cultures around the world the Aztec believed that the veil between human realm and the spirit realm is the thinnest during the Fall, allowing, for a brief moment, these two realms to unite.
Pagan celebrations of the dead also took place during the fall across ancient Europe, and consisted of bonfires, feasting and dancing. Some of these customs survived even after the rise of the Roman Catholic Church, which adopted them into their celebrations of two Catholic holidays, All Saints Day and All Souls Day, celebrated on the first two days of November.
In medieval Spain, people would bring wine and pan de ánimas (spirit bread) to the graves of their loved ones on All Souls Day. They would also cover graves with flowers and light candles to illuminate the dead souls’ way back to their homes on Earth. In the 16th century, Spanish conquistadors brought such traditions with them to the South American continent.
Today el Día de los Muertos is celebrated beyond Mexico’s borders and is a cheerful and festive observance of this national holiday.
At Wild River, our families and students, led by Señor Gio, create the traditional ofrenda, an altar, to place images of deceased family members and pets. The ofrenda is decorated with candles and yellow marigolds called cempasúchil - the Aztec name of the marigold flower native to Mexico. It’s believed that the marigolds guide the souls of the deceased loved ones back to their homes with their vibrant color and unmistakable scent. Every ofrenda also includes the four elements: water, wind, earth and fire. On the day of the celebration students would bring offerings such as food or favorite items of dead relatives or pets. Despite having the context of death, el Día de los Muertos, is a festive occasion accompanied by music, singing and dances.