As Día de los Muertos approaches, M-A’s community is preparing for beautiful celebrations and annual traditions. The Hispanic holiday is a day to celebrate and remember those who have passed in an uplifting way. It’s also a way to get rid of the negativity of death, an inevitable part of life.
If you want to partake in the holiday, here are five low-commitment and highly rewarding ways to celebrate.
Decorate Sugar Skulls
Decorating sugar skulls is one fun way to bring out your creative side. These iconic crafts are meant to be painted with bright, colorful frosting, but you can decorate them however you desire. You can also put the late person you’re celebrating name on the sugar skull.
You can find these sweet crafts locally at De La Rosa Latin American Imports in San José, Fiesta Mexxikana By Marleys in San José, and Guantanos Dulceria in Redwood City.
Put on Catrina Makeup
Another way to include yourself in Día de los Muertos celebrations is by doing Catrina makeup. Catrina, an elegant woman skeleton that symbolizes the Day of the Dead around the globe, was first created by a Mexican illustrator named Jose Guadalupe Posada.
A lot of Catrina makeup looks require complex skills, but most follow the same theme of a white base with black circles around the eyes, black bones under the cheekbones, and skeletal lines across the mouth. Adding creative and colorful florals, spirals, and shapes will get you to your own Catrina look.
Watch Coco
The simplest way to celebrate is by watching Pixar’s film Coco. A fun movie night is the perfect way to learn about Mexican culture, and Coco explores themes of family, accepting faults, how familial trauma shapes future generations, and how to break from that cycle.
The movie also includes lots of cultural traditions for Día de los Muertos. For example, the alebrije, which symbolizes the beauty of the afterlife, and the cempasúchil, which is a symbolic flower that guides the spirits of the dead home, are key elements of the theme. Coco is a must-watch—just beware of the inevitable tears.
Make an Ofrenda
Perhaps the most important part of Día de los Muertos is the ofrendas, or altars, made in honor of loved ones who have passed away.
You can set up an ofrenda on a table, shelf, or just about anywhere that fits a picture of the person being honored.
Some common items to put on ofrendas are candles and papel picado, a type of cut Chinese paper. Flowers in different colors are also often put on ofrendas, with white flowers representing the sky and purity, yellow symbolizing Earth, and purple representing mourning. You can also include some of the person’s favorite things: religious items, foods or drinks, tokens from a sport they played, or anything that represents them as a person.
Some other traditional items on ofrendas are plates of salt to purify the spirits and a glass of water to welcome the spirits and give them the strength to return.
Bake Pan de Muerto
For those who love to bake, one way to celebrate the Day of the Dead is by baking pan de muerto, or bread of the dead, a Mexican treat that represents a gift from Earth to the afterlife.
The significance of the cross on top of the bread is widely debated: some say it represents the dead’s bones while others say it represents the dead’s tears.
Pan de muerto is usually covered with sugar, sesame seeds, sprinkles, or just egg wash. If the bread makes you thirsty, it pairs perfectly with Nestle’s Abuelita’s hot chocolate.
You can make your own pan de muerto using this delicious recipe, or find some at a local Hispanic grocery store like Mi Tierra Linda in Menlo Park or Ruby’s Pan Dulce in Sunnyvale.
