Halloween is celebrated differently in Mexico than in the United States. This is a revered day when families honor the return of ancestors’ spirits, a practice that has a 3000 year old history.
Skulls were important and the Aztecs kept skulls as trophies and displayed them during the ritual. The skulls were used to symbolize death and rebirth.
Unlike the Spaniards, who viewed death as the end of life, the natives viewed it as the continuation of life. Instead of fearing death, they embraced it. To them, life was a dream and only in death did they become truly awake. However, the Spaniards considered the ritual to be sacrilegious. They perceived the indigenous people to be barbaric and pagan.
In their attempts to convert them to Catholicism, the Spaniards tried to kill the ritual. But like the old Aztec spirits, the ritual refused to die.
To make the ritual more Christian, the Spaniards moved it so it coincided with All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day (Nov. 1 and 2), which is when it is celebrated today.
Previously it fell on the ninth month of the Aztec Solar Calendar, approximately the beginning of August, and was celebrated for the entire month. Today the celebration lasts about a week with dances, food and flowers as the most important ingredients. It is believed that on Nov 1 the souls of dead children return while those of the adults come back on the 2nd.
In rural Mexico, people visit the cemetery where their loved ones are buried. They decorate grave with marigold flowers and candles. They bring toys for dead children and bottles of tequila to adults. They sit on picnic blankets next to grave sites and eat the favorite food of their loved ones.
As one walks around a market near the time of Day of the Dead one sees skulls made out of all kinds of material. Wooden skulls are made into masks which are used in dances that honor the deceased relatives while smaller ones are placed on altars that are dedicated to the dead. Most popular are the sugar skulls with the name of the dead person written on the forehead. These are eaten by friends or relatives of the dead person in honor of their memory.
Altars are made in homes and through out the villages honoring the deceased. The altar is both an offering and remembrance. Food and beverages that the person liked, as well as objects that remind the living of the dead person and their photo will surround the altar. Seasonal flowers like marigolds and cockscombs are used in the altars with the petals of the marigolds often laid down in a winding path so that the departed can find his/her way home. Candles are lighted and placed next to the altar.
In this manner a room is transformed into an altar and the dead person is welcomed back into the fold of the family.