In the late days of October and early November, many celebrations merge, combine or compete. Some are religious, others pagan, still others seem hard to pigeon-hole. None are just for children.

The roots of Halloween come from an ancient Celtic celebration called Samhain (when the veil between living and dead is believed to be at its thinnest). It may be the source of some Christian times of recognition, like All Saints Day (November 1) to honor saints and All Souls Day (November 2) a time to pray that all souls make it to heaven. The night before the duo-days is known as All Hallow’s Eve, a time when evil can manifest. Together, “Hallow” meaning holy and “een” an abbreviation for evening, they start to hint at the present (and clearly secular) Halloween. Long histories all.

Halloween and Beyond

There is one celebration with even older heritage than that above, namely, Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead. The name of this holiday can be off-putting and in the eyes of the “Early [Christian] Church” it was sacrilegious with its death masks, calacas and calaveras (skeletons and skulls), face-paintings, processions, graveyard parties and ofrendas (offerings left on altars for the deceased).

Long ago it was a summertime celebration (a real party), with origins back to the Aztecs more than 3000 years ago. As the church tried to quash such ‘pagan’ rituals, it attempted to merge the holidays (it didn’t work). Day of the Dead was moved to the same time frames as mentioned above, but all that was actually merged was the autumn scheduling. There it stays; this year recognized from October 31 – November 2. Yes, I know, that it is more than one ‘Day’ of the Dead.

Perhaps it was my many years living in Arizona, bordering Mexico, that has influenced my interest, but I believe it’s more the “reason for the season” to borrow a phrase from another holiday. Day of the Dead is a time (a joyous time) to remember loved ones no longer with us.

How to Celebrate Day of the Dead

Portrayed in Mexican folk art with singing, playful and joyful skeletons, it’s festive. Family and loved ones commemorate their already-departed with dance, music, food or activities. Often the goal is to choose activities that were beloved by the beloved dead. I once saw a napping Skelton and realized many of my family members would have enjoyed that. What’s better than celebrating with a nap?

On this day Mexicans, and others in Hispanic lands, would bring (and still bring) picnics to the graveyards, creating a party venue. Festooned in beautiful dresses or skeleton masks, entire families of mothers, fathers, children, brothers, sisters and grands, transform a place of death into one very much alive.

Unlike Halloween, despite the skeletons and ghoulish looking characters, Day of the Dead is not a time to enjoy being “scared to death.” Instead of being scared of death, this is a time to chuckle around the corners of it and celebrate life – yours and those who went before you.

My husband and I are not great ones for donning costumes and dressing up at Halloween; we’re just not very creative about it. We appreciate the fun others may have, but find the memorial nature of Day of the Dead more meaningful to us. Not being Latinx, nor living near the cemeteries of families past, we made our own tradition. We light a candle for the day, each with our own match and recite the names of those we are celebrating. As we spark the flame of our shared candle, we choose something fun to do in memory of those gone, but it’s always something we like as well.

At Halloween you end up with candy (maybe). When acknowledging Day of the Dead there’s more. There’s comfort with the sometimes-dreaded subject of lost loved-ones. You can make your own kind of ‘special’ gala (big or small, like ours).

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3 Benefits of Day of the Dead

Why do I and my husband relate more closely with Day of the Dead than Halloween? Three reasons.
We:

1. Gain more comfort, less fear, with the idea of death (although hopefully it should go without saying that none of us are rushing to the finish line to meet the grimmest of reapers);
2. Enjoy a fun activity (or food dish) for the day, making it a real celebration of life. [See Eating on Day of the Dead for ideas.]
3. Use a bittersweet time to develop a healthier attitude about lost ones; perhaps stress-reduction from grief, dealing with left-over guilt or anger, and revisiting memories.

Day of the Dead is a holiday that remains alive and well in many areas of the world, and is truly more beneficial for those of us still living. Contemporarily, Halloween is a great fun, secular event. Day of the Dead is also a time to celebrate.  More specifically, Day of the Dead is not just to celebrate the dead, but to celebrate our lives.

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Title Picture credit: Halloween Pumpkin with Day of Dead Skelton This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND

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