Dia de los muertos

On November 1st and 2nd Mexico celebrates Dia De Los Muertos (day of the dead).   According to tradition this is when dead relatives both young and old are allowed to return to the mortal world for two days to visit loved ones.  Spirits come down and walk along the living, sampling treats and join in the festival.  The people in Mexico welcome the spirits with open arms.  They cook delicious foods that were the favorites of the people who have passed away, decorate with sugar skulls, make tasty sweats and light candles to guide the spirits home again.  Gravestones are decorated and the whole family will gather in the graveyard to await and pay respects for the deceased.  In very early October, all over the country, bakeries start offering Pan de Muerto, a Day of the Dead bread, made with flour, butter, sugar, eggs, orange peel, anise and yeast.  The bread is adorned with strips of dough simulating bones and at the top a small round piece of dough that symbolizes teardrops.  These breads are placed on the alters and are also taken to the tombs in the graveyard.  Another tradition is to bake Calabaza en Tacha, Sweet Pumpkin, a desert prepared with pumpkin, cinnamon, and piloncillo, dark sugar cones. 
In the town of Patzcuaro on the Lago de Patzcuaro in Michocan, the tradition is different if the deceased is a child rather than an adult.  On November 1st of the year after a child's death, the godparents set a table in the parents home with sweets, fruits, pan de muerto, a cross, a rosary and candles.  This is meant to celebrate the child's life, in respect and appreciation for the parents.  There is also dancing and colorful costumes, often with skull shaped masks and devil masks in the plaza or garden of the town.  At midnight on November 2nd, the people light candles and ride winged boats to Janitzio, an island in the middle of the lake where there is a cemetery, to honor and celebrate the lives of the dead there.
The town of Ocotepec opens it's doors to visitors in exchange for veladoras which are small wax candles.  These show respect for the recently deceased.  In return the visitors receive tamales and atole.  This is only done by the owners of the house where someone in the household had died the previous year.  Many people in surrounding areas arrive early to eat for free and enjoy the elaborate altars. 
As you can tell traditions can vary on how people celebrate Dia De Los Muertos, but the significance behind this holiday is felt all over Mexico.  The importance of honoring the dead is something that will never be forgotten and this holiday will be celebrated for centuries. 

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