Well, the simple answer to this question is no.
What is the day of the dead and where does it come from?
There is a connection between the Triduum of Allhallowtide (All Hallows´Eve, All Saints Day and All souls´Day) and the three days of “el Día de los Muertos”. This is believed where the confusion comes from. “Día de los Muertos” has roots in the Mesoamerican culture and it was only after the colonization of the Spanish that “el Día de los Muertos” eventually adopted All Saints and All Souls Day as part if the overall celebration. The roots of “el Día de los Muertos” are traced back to the early indigenous and Aztec festivals dedicated to the goddess “Mictecacihuatl” or also known as “La Santa Muerte “(the Lady of Holy Death). She is the Queen of the underworld and ruler of the afterlife who watches over the bones of the deceased.
La Santa Muerte – Mictecacihuatl (the Lady of Holy Death)
In 2022, when will “Día de los Muertos” be celebrated?
This year, “el Día de los Muertos” starts on Tuesday November 1, and ends on Wednesday, November 2
What does “El día de los Muertos” mean and how is it celebrated?
“El Día de los Muertos” litteraly translates to “The Day of the Dead”, however despite its name, this holiday is all about celebrating life! Even though death is the focal point of this festivity, it is not sad nor scary. Traditionally, family and friends reunite to merrily remember their deceased loved ones. To honour these loved ones, people erect beautiful altars called “ofrendas” (offerings) often decorated with images together with some of their favourite food and drinks as a way to respect their legacy.
On the streets the fesitvities are splashed with colour where its likely that you will see many skeletons, skulls and people with face paintings.
Day of Dead – Altar
What is the tradicional food during these festivities?
El Pan de Muerto
Without a doubt “El Pan de Muerto” is the most captivating recipe of “EL Día de los Muertos”. Its origin is of pre-hispanic inspiration, it is round and has a decoration that represents a skeleton skull and four cross-shaped bones which symbolize the four directions of the universe.
Day of Dead – Pan de Muertos
Calaveras de Azúcar (Sweet Skulls)
These are the sweet elements of the festivities and serve both to decorate and for the sweet craving. These “Calaveras” are made in the shape if a skull, like the name indicates, and have a bitumen on the top which is brightly colored with colored sugar. Aluminum foil or colored strips are placed on top as well, which is where you write the name of the person to whom it is given or that of the deceased to whom the offering is made.
Besides these you can also find tipical Mexican foods such as “Mole, Tamales, Empanadas de calabaza, Dulce de calabaza” and the tipical beverages such as “Tequila, Atole, and coffee”.
How can I experience “El Día de los Muertos” in Cancun and the Riviera Maya?
- Xcaret
Each year the Xcaret park holds a vibrant day of the dead festival. “Festival de Tradiciones de Vida y Muerte”.This colourfull festival showcases the best of the day of the dead and Hanal Pixan., the Mayan version of this celebration. You will get to experience theater, dances, expositions, a mass, exhibits, altars, music and food, lots of food..
- Alltournative
Alltournative is know for being a company that offers “sustainable and cultural tours” in the Cancun and Riviera Maya area. It offers every year the authentic Hanal Pixan (Mayan Day of the Dead) experience. This program invites participants to share this traditional celebration with local Mayan communities.
Does JSAV offer an experience theme of the “Day of the Dead” for our event?
Yes, JSAV México has a whole theme and a nice collection of props build for the Day of the Dead celebration. You can follow this link that will take you to our “Experience Theme” catalog which will show you examples of various montages we have done together with some renders of ideas on how this theme can be implemented for your next event. As well below you will find a video of our Day of the Dead setup.
Link to our online Day of the Dead catalogue: https://online.fliphtml5.com/hvejj/pnni/
If you have any questions regarding our experience theme´s please follow this link to fill out the RFP and an Account Executive will get back to you as soon as possible.
