Dia de los Muertos
Day of the Dead
Día de los Muertos, celebrated in Mexico is a holiday that focuses on celebrating and remembering deceased friends and family members. Despite the sombre subject, the day is a festive and colourful occasion featuring bright flowers, decorated sugar skulls and vibrant parades.
It is a day to remember and honor deceased loved ones. Mexicans visit cemeteries, decorate the graves and spend time there - in the presence of their deceased friends and family members. They also make elaborately altars in their homes to welcome the spirits.
They believe that on this day the spirits comes to visit and are greeted with offerings of food and things that the person enjoyed in life. These are laid out on the Day of the Dead altar in the family home. It is believed that the spirits consume the essence and the aroma of the foods that are offered. When the spirits depart, the living consume the food and share it with their family, friends and neighbours.
Other items that are placed on the altar include sugar skulls, often with the person's name inscribed on the top, pan de muertos, a special bread that is made especially for the season, and marigolds which bloom at this time of year and lend a special fragrance to the altar.
As with any great party, food, alcohol and dancing are an intrinsic part of the Day of the Dead festivities. A fireworks display also takes place at night in an attempt to "wake the dead."
In creating your altar, try to touch on the four main elements of nature – earth, wind, water, and fire. It is believed that souls are fed by the aroma of food, and the crops that go into making these dishes represent earth. Papel picados, colorful strings of tissue paper cutouts, represent wind. A glass of water to quench the soul’s thirst represents just that, water. And, candles (usually one per soul, with an extra one placed for any forgotten souls) represent fire. Altars are covered with orange marigold, whose scent is used to guide the souls back.
You can get the following from HADEDA to complete the look:
Papel Picado Strings from R65
Fabrics R195 per meter
Niches and more......
“Don’t just cry mournfully over the individuals, dreams and influences that have helped make you what you are. Dance for them; sing for them; honor them; leap into the air and kiss the sky for them”.
We will have awesome skull cupcakes in the store tomorrow. So come pop in!
Look forward to seeing you
Las Senoritas
021 465 8620
