Attending Dia de Los Muertos or Day of the Dead in Oaxaca has been on my bucket list for at least five years, so I was thrilled to finally turn the dream into a reality. Of course travelling in Mexico is not without it’s challenges. Two days before we were to fly from Guanajuato to Oaxaca, 4 out of the 5 of our group were notified by Expedia that their flight had been cancelled. One of our party was on the phone until 2 a.m. to try to resolve the issue but was unsuccessful at rescheduling the entire group so a plan B was quickly thrown into action. We travelled by bus from Guanajuato to Mexico City where we hired a private car and driver (my lovely driver from my previous stay in Mexico City) to drive us the six hours from Mexico City to Oaxaca.
After a long day that included 12 hours of travel by bus and car and a very exciting spin out by a car travelling way too fast and almost skidding into a tanker at the rest stop where we were grabbing a coffee, we arrived at our destination in Oaxaca. We had booked the very lovely Bed and Breakfast, El Secreto a part of the larger Casa de Las Bugambilias, where we were treated like royalty http://lasbugambilias.com/who/ by the lovelies Juanita and Paula (who should really be running her own restaurant). Breakfast every morning was a feast for the senses from the beautiful table settings to the delicious food.
In preparation for Dia de Los Muertos I had done tons of research on what they symbolism was and exactly what the different parts of the celebration meant. I had also watched the animated movie Coco several times. However, nothing can quite prepare you for the reality of the three days that constitute the Dia de Los Muertos celebration. There are parades full of noise and music with adults and children wearing beautiful costumes dancing through the streets constantly. Every restaurant, public space, square and business are decorated with gaily dressed skeletons (Catrina’s) and offrenda’s. Fireworks go off constantly (after awhile we quit jumping to the loud bangs). And the cemeteries at night are full of flowers, candles, people selling food, people playing music, whole families sharing a meal giving them an incredible party atmosphere. Not wanting to be a mere observer, I managed to find a full day immersion experience, lasting over 16 hours, that allowed to to become involved as participants in celebrating the return of the dead to the world of the living.
3 days of celebration
So what is Day of the Dead, aside from an excuse for a big party. Day of the Dead (Dia de Los Muertos) is a holiday celebrated in Mexico, in particular the south and central regions of Mexico, and, by those of Mexican heritage elsewhere. It is traditionally held October 31, November 1 and November 2. At midnight, on October 31, the veil between the living and dead thins, and loved ones who have passed away awaken and return to celebrate for 48 hours with family and friends.
October 31
On October 31, family members build alters holding offerings for their family members. The offrenda’s include scented flowers, primarily marigolds, to help guide the deceased home and photos of their lost loved ones along with those things they loved when alive. The offrendas could be seen on grave sites, in peoples homes, in businesses and any other place where the deceased frequented. Each offrenda is unique to the person or persons that it celebrates. They will also decorate the graves of deceased family and friends and include offerings at the grave site.
Through Airbnb experiences we connected with a young man who invited a small group to experience a full immersion day of preparation for the return of deceased family members. We began the day by visiting the flower sellers where we purchases armloads of fragrant flowers. We then proceeded to the xoxocotlan cemetary in Santa Cruz (one of the locations featured in the animated film Coco) where our hosts grandfather was buried. At the cemetary spent a couple of hours decorating the grave site with flowers, candles, paper flags and offerings for the return of his grandfather. Included in the offerings was a bottle of good mezcal. We each had a shot to toast the deceased, but first we shared a bit with him by pouring a bit into the earth of the grave. We would return later, and our host, like so many others, would spend the night at the grave site to share a drink and some food with his deceased grandfather. In fact there was a bench tucked in above the grave for just that purpose.
Following the decoration of the grave we joined our host at his home where we built the offrenda. Again we included fragrant flowers and candles and this time fruit and other food offerings were added. The offrenda took several hours to complete and the final step was to add a path of marigold petals to lead the deceased home. The scent of the marigolds help the dead find their way back, lit candles light their paths and their own photographs guide them to the correct place in case they lose their way.
Once the offrenda finished we joined the family in a meal and the children of the family joined us in full costume and make-up, chanting “We want Muertos”. We had been warned to bring candy for the children and were told that they would dance for us, which they did, beautifully. Later they invited their visitors to join, which they did, engaging in a hearty macarena and finishing with a very enthusiastic conga line. We also enjoyed a mezcal tasting, learned to make tamales, shared another meal, and had our make-up done in preparation to return to the cemetery.
Spookily, at exactly midnight, the wind picked up and the marigold petals were blown around adding to the belief the dead were returning. To be honest, it was a bit eerie. We then returned to the cemetery which now was bright with flowers and candles. There were crowds of people both family around grave sites and tourists and food vendors and mariachi’s wove through the crowd selling their services. Honestly, it felt like a celebration. There were pockets of sadness, most likely for someone recently departed, but for the most part it really did feel like a joyous reunion. We stumbled home at 2 a.m. – exhausted but contented. We had been welcomed with great hospitality to be part of a family on this most special of days (and nights)
November 1
Las Comparsas
For the second day of the Day of the Dead Celebration we went with an organization recommended by our Bed and Breakfast ( https://oaxacatours.mx/dia-muertos-oaxaca/ ) to the nearby valley of Etla. We had no idea what to expect based on the information sent us but it sounded interesting. We were picked up in near a popular hotel in the centre of Oaxaca. There were several large buses, so we already knew it would be a very different tour from that of the previous night. We arrived at a town in Etla and were taken to an enclosed space where a few men in macabre costumes were stomping around to the pronounced beat of a live band. The people from the tour were the only ones permitted inside the enclosure to observe but many other people had gathered outside the fence around the perimeter. For about the first 15 minutes very little happened other than half a dozen costumed men stomping lethargically around in the dirt to the beat of the music. However, soon more and more costumed participants started pouring in through the entrance. They were all dressed in nightmarish costumes and some even carried torches with live flames. As they consumed more and more mezcal, the pace of the dance became frenetic. Twice fires were lit, one in the grass and one that was a staff that was part of another dancer’s costume. Nobody took much notice. The grass fire was stamped out by the dancers and security took away the flaming bird cage and then returned to it’s owner once the fire was out. We were sitting near the tour organizer and he said that at some point, after enough mezcal was consumed, things would begin to get violent. Eventually the gates would be opened and the dancers would parade to the local church. Many would dance through the night until the dawn.
We later moved to another town in the valley where there were also costumed performers gathered at a church courtyard. Here a traditional play was performed. These participants were much less nightmarish and frenzied. Later there was dancing in the square and the onlookers joined in.
An altogether fascinating night. The earlier event was one of the most unique, disturbing and fascinating evenings I have spent. At the front line we were in danger of being lit on fire or crashed into at any moment. Indeed, a friend of mine was sitting beside a dancer who was swinging around a rubber chicken with one hand and a pot of smoldering coals with the other. Highly recommended but go with few expectations and an open mind.
November 2 – Actual Day of the Dead
November 2 is the actual Day of the Dead and the day that the spirits of loved ones return to the spirit world. For many it is a sad day because people will not connect with their relatives for another year. Although many of the cemeteries remain decorated with flowers and candles, most of the personal decorations are removed. However, there were still many offrenda’s around the city, people were still wearing make up and traditional clothing, around the cemeteries the food booths and, in some cases, fairground rides were still up and operating. We chose to walk to Panteon General – the large cemetery right in the city. We arrived at 9 but unfortunately the gates were closed for entrance. However, the fairground was still in full swing. We did go back next day to look at the cemetery and it was still beautifully decorated.
What to wear for Day of the Dead
In preparation for attending the Dia de Los Muertos celebrations I did a lot of research. I was left with much conflicting information. One site said dress in bright colors and traditional dress, another said it is disrespectful to wear make up and traditional dress to the cemeteries. We asked our guides and were basically told make up and Mexican Dress is ok anywhere but certainly not necessary. In fact it seems that anything goes. We saw both locals and tourists dressed in full make-up and traditional clothes and both locals and tourists wearing jeans and t-shirts. It is definitely fun to have your make up done and very easy to find someone to do it. Many people on the streets are set up to do the make-up, most salons offer make up and if you stay in a hotel or bed and breakfast it can usually be arranged. Do not bother to buy traditional clothing before you go. It is on sale everywhere. Prices vary but you can definitely find something appropriate at one of the many markets that are set up during the celebration.
Go Go Years 