What is Día de Los Muertos?

Miguel Pimentel’s family altarDía de los Muertos, also known as Day of the Dead, is a Latin American holiday that lasts from November 1st to November 2nd. The 1st of November at midnight is for the Spirits of the Children. All the deceased children come to reunite with their families. The 2nd of November at midnight is for the Spirits of Adults which honor the lives of adults, and at noon that same day is for the Spirits of all the deceased. 

The holiday came from the Aztec empire about 3,000 years ago, and was colonized by the Spaniards. It was meant to be celebrated in the summertime, but was changed to coincide with the Catholic holidays “All-saints’ Day” and “All-souls Day”, which are at the beginning of October. 

A typical way to celebrate Día De los Muertos is to set up an altar with the pictures of deceased loved ones. Altars usually have many different things decorating it, such as food, drinks, paper, and candles. Each thing represents an element of nature. Food for earth, drinks for water, papel picado for wind, and candles for fire. 

But altars also have different significance when it comes to the way that they are set up. Some altars may have three different levels: The top one symbolizing heaven, the middle one earth, and the bottom one the underworld. Some altars may even reach up to 7 levels.

The Cempasuchil flower, also known as the Marigold flower, is used to guide loved ones as a pathway to their ofrendas that are made by their families. The flowers’ colors and scent is what attracts the departed souls where they come to eat their favorite foods that their families place on the ofrendas. The “Flor de Muerte” symbolizes the beauty and fragility of life. 

The skulls/calaveras that many people use to decorate their ofrendas often have a smile drawn on them as to laugh at death itself. They are decorated and put on ofrendas of their loved ones for when they come to visit. 

Día de los Muertos has also become a significant holiday in the United States, with many students celebrating the holiday. 

Josiah Herrera is from San Francisco, but mom is from Mexico and his dad is Samoan. To celebrate Día de los Muertos, his family has a dinner and they have an ofrenda with the pictures of those that have passed. They go to festivals that are held in San Francisco, mainly the one in the Mission, and embrace the holiday. 

Lisette Lopez is from San Francisco and was born here. Her mom’s parents are from Mexico but her mom was born here and her dad is from El Salvador. By celebrating Día de los Muertos their family sets up an ofrenda a week before Halloween and decorating their house. A few days before Día de los Muertos they set up a memorial at a spot on Shotwell with their family decorating it as an ofrenda.  

Brianna Rodriguez has roots in El Salvador and for Día de los Muertos, she creates a little mural with her grandpa’s and cat’s ashes. She decorates it with the Cempasuchil flower all around and pictures of them and looks at pictures reminiscing about them.

Even Mission High school celebrates Dia de los Muertos. Every year, an altar is set up in the school’s lobby with pictures and decorations coming from everyone in the community. Anyone who wants to add something or simply wants to see the altar for themselves can go to the front of the school to get in the spirit of Dia de los Muertos.