Papel Picado
Saturday, October 28
We spent a few weeks in Oaxaca in October and November and had planned our stay there around a specific date. The reason for this: on November 1st and 2nd, the most important Mexican holiday is celebrated in Mexico. The “Día de Muertos”, translated: “Day of the Dead”.
Since Oaxaca is particularly known for celebrating this holiday extensively, the entire city is decorated days beforehand in the typical colors of this holiday which are orange, pink and purple. Luckily, we had already arrived a few days earlier and therefore were able to see how the whole city was preparing for this special day. On the Day of the Dead in Mexico, people remember their loved ones who have passed away and who, according to traditional Mexican belief, are allowed to visit their families on earth for a limited time once a year (November 1st and 2nd). Surprisingly, the holiday is more of a celebration of the lives of those who have died than a sad, serious day.
Mexican families set up a small altar (called „ofrenda“) in their home or on the cemetery and put framed photos of their deceased on it. The altar is then decorated with the typical, bright orange flower “Cempasúchil” (in German: Upright Marigold (Tagetes erecta)). Walking through the streets of Oaxaca, you could see people busily decorating their homes, shops and restaurants. Door frames get decorated with the traditional flower for the Day of the Dead, wooden altars are set up and decorated in the market square and colorful garlands are put up between houses throughout the city center.
On November 1st and 2nd, the official Day of the Dead-holidays, there are concerts with cheerful music, dancing and various parades throughout the city. The whole city is celebrating and having fun while honoring their deceased loved ones. An important decorative element that can be found throughout the city are fake skulls and skeletons. Small sugar skulls are used to decorate the family’s altars, larger sized plastic skeletons are put on the houses walls and drawn skulls & skeletons are used as an illustrative element on leaflets, posters etc. to announce the Day of the Dead festivities in the city. However, the skulls and skeletons are not designed to be scary or bloody, but rather smile nicely, wear hats with colorful flowers and the skeletons are mostly shown in human clothing. The skeletons are not supposed to seem scary and threatening, but rather are portrayed as nice aunts and uncles who also would like to take part in the festivities even though they had died already. It is important to know that the Day of the Dead in Mexico has nothing to do with Halloween. The Day of the Dead is about celebrating your deceased family members, not about looking as gruesome and scary as possible. You’ll also notice this when you look at the typical color palette of the Día de Muertos holiday: all garlands, flowers and decorative items are either bright orange or pink. During the holidays the city shines in these bright colors and it’s a really special atmosphere.
