Dia de los Muertos

Today I wanted to share my mom's "Altar de Muertos" which means altar to the dead. In Mexico, every November 2nd we celebrate "El dia de los Muertos" which is the day we celebrate our loved ones that have passed away. The belief is that our loved ones raise from the dead to visit us living souls and in Mexico it would be rude not to welcome them with food and some of their favorite treats from their previous life. 

Most families go and decorate the actual tombstones at the cemetery where their family members rest. They decorate and make altars with "flores de cempasuchil" (giant marigold flowers), "papel picado" (cutout decorative paper), sugar skulls, candles, food, and some of the favorite items/artifacts of their loved one. Some families even bring live music (mariachi band) to make it more festive. Basically the cemetery turns into a big block party and a celebration of life instead of mourning. 

For those of us who live far away from our buried loved ones, we create an altar to still remember them and make a place for them to visit us. My mom dedicates hers mainly to her dad and as you can see she fills it up with some of the things he loved (cigarettes, Coca-Cola, brandy).

I hope he enjoys his treats when he comes to visit. 

Happy Friday and have a wonderful weekend!