Day Of The Death - Blog Posts
DAY OF THE DEATH OFFERINGS (ALTARS) IN MEXICO
The offering (altar) for the dead should have several essential elements, and each of them has their mysticism:
Water. The source of life is offered to the souls to quench their thirst after their long journey and to strengthen their return. In some cultures symbolizes the purity of the soul.
Salt. The element of purification, serves so that the body is not corrupted in its round trip for the following year.
Candles. Ancient Mexicans used ocote slices. Today the candle is used; the flame it produces means faith and hope. It is a guide for the souls so they can reach their old places and return to their home. In several indigenous communities, each candle represents a deceased, that is, the number of candles that the altar will have will depend on the souls that the family wants to receive. If the tapers or candlesticks are purple, it is a sign of mourning; and if four of these are placed on a cross, they represent the four cardinal points, so that the soul can orient itself until it finds its way and its home.
Copal and incense. The copal was offered by the natives to their gods since the incense was not yet known, it arrived with the Spanish. It is the element that sublimates prayer or praise. Fragrance of reverence. It is used to cleanse the place of evil spirits so that the soul can enter your home without any danger.
Flowers. They adorn and aromatize the place during the soul's stay, which will leave happy when it leaves, the wallflower and the nube cannot be absent because they mean purity and tenderness, and they accompany the souls of the children.
In many parts of the country it is customary to put petal paths that serve to guide the deceased from the holy field to the offering and vice versa. The leafless yellow flower of the cempasuchil (Zempoalxóchitl) is the path of color and smell that trace the routes to the souls.
Petate. Among the many uses of the petate are that of a bed, table or shroud. On this particular day it works for the souls to rest as well as a tablecloth to place the food of the offering.
Izcuintle. This one should not be missing in the altars for children, it serves as a toy so the souls of the little ones feel happy when they arrive at the banquet. The izcuintle dog is the one that helps souls cross the mighty Chiconauhuapan river, which is the last step to reach Mictlán.
Bread. Made in different ways, bread is one of the most precious items on the altar. The most common one is the “bread of the death”, a bread sprinkled with sugar that symbolizes the bones of the living.
Gollete y cañas. Related to the tzompantli. The golletes are loaves in the shape of a wheel and are placed in the offerings supported by pieces of cane. Depending on your upbringing, they may symbolize the skulls of the defeated enemies and the cañas the rods where they were threaded OR the roundness of the gollete may symbolize the circle of life and the cañas the life passing through towards dead.
Other objects to commemorate and offer to the faithful departed are:
The portrait of the person remembered, in more traditional offerings it must remain hidden, so that it can only be seen with a mirror, to imply that the loved one can be seen but no longer exists.
The image of the Souls of Purgatory, to obtain the freedom of the soul of the deceased, just in case it is found in that place, to help it get out.
Other images of saints can be placed, to serve as a means of interaction between the dead and the living, since on the altar they are synonymous with good social relations. In addition, they symbolize peace at home and the firm acceptance of sharing food, such as apples, which represents blood, and kindness through the pumpkin in tacha candy.
The mole with chicken, hen or turkey, is the favorite dish that many indigenous people from all over the country put on the altar, although they also add barbecue and consommé. These dishes are that trail of aromas, the kitchen banquet in honor of remembered beings. Good food is intended to delight the soul that visits us. It is most traditional to place foods that were the favorites of the deceased that are awaited for the night. If adult souls are expected, you may find wine on the altar.
Chocolate water. Pre-Hispanic tradition says that the guests drank chocolate prepared with the water that the deceased used to bathe, so that the visitors were impregnated with the essence of the deceased.
Another very common element are sugar skulls. Medium sugar skulls are allusion to the ever-present death. The small skulls are dedicated to the Holy Trinity and the big one to the Eternal Father.
A washbasin, soap and towel can also be placed in case the soul needs to wash its hands after the long journey.
This post follows what the INPI (National Institute of Indigenous People) says about the Mexican Day of the Dead on its official page.
