Día de Muertos – Dani Francuz Rose

Unfortunately for me, it’s almost summer, which is my absolute least favorite time of the year…but instead of counting down the days until Christmas (and the start of my favorite time of year, aka winter), I thought I’d share a bit about all the other holidays we tend to celebrate in our diversified household. Having lived in so many places, we seem to have collected quite a few holidays over the years, and honestly, once you start celebrating them, it’s really hard to stop! So here are a few of our favorite international holidays/traditions that we’ve picked up along the way:

Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day / Fête Nationale

Since it’s coming up on June 23^rd /24^th, and it’s a major holiday in our current home, I think it’s only right to start with Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day also known as La Fête Nationale! This holiday is celebrated in the province of Quebec and in other Francophone communities around Canada. Originally, it was a religious feast day honoring John the Baptist, but over the years it has morphed into a celebration of all things Québécois and Francophone. Here in Québec City, there is a huge concert every year in the park and lots of free workshops and activities around the city showcasing the region’s traditional music, the French language, and other cultural cornerstones. It’s also the unofficial start of summer, so pretty much everyone will be outside in one way or another, enjoying the festivities, a freshly grilled meal, and/or a cold boisson or two out on a patio. Any way you look at it, c’est une bonne fête!

Día de la Independencia

As Americans, we often celebrate Cinco de Mayo, which irritates a lot of Mexicans because the 5^th of May is NOT Mexican Independence Day! It’s actually not much of a holiday there at all, so stopping tagging your Mexican friends when you’re eating tacos on what is basically just another US holiday. Instead, you should tag them on September 15^th/16^th, which is Mexico’s actual Día de la Independencia. Okay, so I know this is the second holiday in a row where I’ve included two dates of celebration, and that’s actually more common than you might think. In Mexico’s case, it’s because the celebrations actually start at night with the Grito de Dolores, which commemorates the historic call to arms that began the Mexican War of Independence. Of course, after the historic speech, patriotic chants, and some bell ringing, modern celebrations generally conclude with a fireworks show and a big fiesta! ¡Viva México!

(Canadian) Thanksgiving

Okay, back to Canada for the next one because the second Monday of October is Thanksgiving here. Did you know Canada celebrated Thanksgiving? And that it takes place over a month earlier than in the US? Well, this was news to us when we first moved here, but since this is one of my favorite holidays, we happily celebrate both every year! Feasts associated with giving thanks were quite common in both Europe and the New World, and because different groups were thankful for different things that happened on different days, the continent actually ended up with a few such holidays. In Canada, Thanksgiving was officially declared a national holiday in 1879, but the fixed date we have now wasn’t actually standardized until 1957. These days, Canadian Thanksgiving tends to lean heavily into the harvest festival vibes. For example, this is when we start seeing a lot more pumpkins, both for decoration and for the big meal that usually takes place the weekend before the day off. But to me, the best thing about celebrating Thanksgiving in October is the fact that there’s absolutely no interference with Christmas decorations!

Día de Muertos

Easily one of the most unique holidays we get to celebrate every year, Día de Muertos is so much more than the brief glimpse you get in the movie Coco. It’s celebrated on November 1^st and 2^nd, but much like Christmas, there’s a long period of preparation and decoration beforehand. In short, these festive days are a celebration of the spirits of people who have passed away (the first is specifically for children, and the second for adults). As part of the celebration, you’ll see millions of cempasúchil (marigolds), papel picado (colorful banners), and ofrendas (altars) all meant to guide, welcome, and celebrate those not with us anymore. Unlike most remembrance holidays though, Día de Muertos isn’t a somber event at all – it’s another fiesta! It’s a time for family and friends to come together and celebrate life with all the classics: music, games, and plenty of food and drink!

Double 11

Going in a wildly different direction, on November 11^th each year, we also get to take part in Double 11. Sometimes referred to as Singles Day, Double 11 is a holiday (of sorts) that’s celebrated in China and now, beyond. It originated as a sort of anti-Valentine’s Day, a day in which you treated yourself to something special regardless of your relationship status. A common, funny treat would often be Pocky as they resemble the date: 11/11, but eventually, other companies caught on to the trend, and now Double 11 is the largest online shopping “holiday” in the world. You can find deals on just about every major online retailer, and much like on Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and Boxing Day, every year, companies try to outdo themselves, essentially creating an entire month of shopping frenzy!

Andrzejki Day

Andrzejki Day (or Saint Andrew’s Day) is a curious little holiday that we first celebrated in Poland. It takes place on the evening of November 29^th, and is one of the witchiest holidays I’ve ever celebrated, which makes sense because its origins date back to medieval Europe when fortune telling was all the rage. Essentially, Andrzejki Day is a time for young people to conduct a series of activities meant to give them a glimpse into their future. One of the most common methods is pouring hot wax through an old key into cold water and interpreting the shapes that form, but my favorite is peeling an apple, throwing the peel over your shoulder, and deciphering the letter it most resembles (which is naturally going to be the first letter of your future spouse’s name). These days, it’s not taken very seriously, but what a great excuse to gather and do something fun and unique! Even though it’s been more than a decade since my first Andrzejki Day, I still like to peel an apple every once and a while because somehow, I have yet to get a W or a T!

Chinese New Year

Skipping over all the holidays that take place in December (since I’ve already written about Christmastime in Poland, China, and Mexico), we’ll jump right into Chinese New Year. Chinese New Year, which is China’s celebration of the Lunar New Year, starts on the first day of the first month of the lunar calendar (generally in late January/early February). When people say this is the biggest and most important holiday in China, they absolutely mean it because the celebrations are multi-faceted, and they last for weeks! There’s the annual cleaning to start the year off right; the colorful decorations (like the fu symbols, couplets, lanterns, etc.) which bring good luck and fortune; the televised gala that everyone watches; the red packets full of money that you get and give all week long; the acrobatic lion dances that seem impossible but also so fun, and, of course, tons of incredible holiday food. The more I write here, the more I want to write an entire post about Chinese New Year! Maybe next year, which is the Year of the Sheep by the way.

Pączki Day

I promise Poland has a lot of serious holidays too, but those are not the ones I chose for this particular list lol! The last holiday I want to shed some light on here is one that I think we can all get behind, and that is Pączki Day. Pączki are Polish donuts, and they enjoy a special day on what a lot of people call Fat Tuesday (of course, in Poland they actually celebrate it on the Thursday, but if you want to eat donuts all week, I won’t judge). Like Fat Tuesday (or Mardi Gras or Shrove Tuesday or whatever you want to call it), Pączki Day falls before the traditional fasting season of Lent; therefore, historically, this was the day to eat all sorts of fatty, sugary treats before being good for the next forty days. Of course, there’s no rule that says you have to fast in order to enjoy a pączek on this day, and thanks to Poland’s wide diaspora, you might even be able to find pączki in your city. We’ve found them in Chicago, Orlando, and Ottawa, but in the spirit of international holiday celebration, I think any donut will do!

So happy holidays everyone!

Another spooky season is upon us, which, of course, has me reflecting on last year’s festivities, and since last year was our first full year in Mexico, I remember having a lot of questions regarding two very colorful (yet slightly morbid) holidays that happen to take place in the same fun-filled week. Thankfully, we had a brilliant education last year, and now I’m ready to share all that I learned! So, if you’ve ever found yourself wondering how Halloween and Día de Muertos are celebrated south of the border, well, you’re in for a treat (see what I did there?) because this post is about to get frightening(ly in-depth). Mwahaha!

Halloween in Mexico

So, first off, whenever we would ask locals about Halloween in Mexico, they’d typically tell us that it’s not really celebrated…but I beg to disagree. Grocery stores start selling costumes and decorations in September, many restaurants have jack-o-lanterns and spiders welcoming their guests, and last year on Halloween (and several days on either side of it) I witnessed creepy clowns, Squid Game contestants, and many other characters walking down the street. There are also Halloween-themed events advertised for both kids and adults all month long, so whether it’s gimmicky or not, I sense a bit of a celebration. Of course, we’ve also been told that the closer you get to the US border, the more Halloween-y it will feel. Places like Monterrey, Ciudad Juarez, and Tijuana have the most going on, but even down here in GDL, the global holiday influence is still felt. However, I also can’t deny that there is a lot more buzz around the infamous Day of the Dead, and rightly so.

Día de Muertos

With such a sinister sounding name, it’s easy to connect the ghosts and ghouls of Halloween to this particular holiday, but in reality, Día de Muertos seems to have more in common with the All Saints’ Day we experienced in Poland or with China’s Tomb Sweeping Day. The holiday’s purpose is to honor family members who have since passed, much like other memorial holidays around the world. In fact, Día de Muertos is partially connected to Catholicism, thus the same date as All Saints’ Day; however, there’s also an indigenous twist in Mexico’s version of remembrance. Origins and comparisons aside, the first thing that really confused me was actually the name itself. I was constantly hearing and seeing both Día de Muertos and Día de los Muertos…so which should I be using?! Apparently, no importa, both are used, both are correct. It’s a pick your own poison sort of thing.

The next thing we learned was that Día de Muertos is actually días, plural. The holiday consists of two very important days/celebrations, one on November first and one on November second (of course, like other holidays, the celebrating really stretches throughout the whole week), but the significance of these two days is really interesting. November first is the day when the spirits and souls of innocents (or children) are remembered and honored. This day was a bit quieter and included a lot more white flowers (as opposed to the usual gold) and decorations especially for kids. For example, one of the tombs we saw had an array of toy cars and candy set out. The next day, November second, is the big day, the day when all the other ancestors are to be remembered and celebrated, with even more flowers and special treats, of course.

So how does one celebrate Día de Muertos?

Well, like every other major holiday, there are lots of regional differences and personal preferences at play, but a few of the more traditional elements include cleaning and decorating the tombs/graves of your ancestors, making an ofrenda (or alter) in your home for more recently lost family members, and having a party to celebrate the circle of life in general. Last year, Tucker and I visited two cemeteries to see some of the tomb cleaning and decorating for ourselves, and we were absolutely amazed! Even in a large, modern city (which usually has fewer traditionalists) and even with some of the oldest cemeteries (whose descendants might also be gone at this point), not to mention a pandemic to contend with, people really went all out! Famous Jaliscienses (people from Jalisco) had the most going on with elaborate flower carpets, rows and rows of candles, and a huge amount of papel picado (the colorful paper flags), but due to the ongoing Covid battle, former nurses and doctors were also highly celebrated, as were all the other lucky souls who still have devoted family members living in the city.

The tombs are often set up much the same as the alters at home. Flowers are a must, specifically cempasúchiles (marigolds) because their bright color and strong scent help guide spirits back for the night. This is the indigenous twist I was mentioning earlier: the ancient belief was that only on this night and only if your family put up an alter for you could your spirit come back to Earth and enjoy the party. This is also why the alters are often adorned with the favorite foods, drinks, and other preferences of those who have passed – something for them to enjoy on their journey. Sometimes it’s real food and drink left out (which is usually eaten by the living family members at some point), but sometimes the alters are decorated with figurines of all the ancestors’ favorites, which you can find at pop-up markets all month long: tiny plates of tacos el pastor, little bottles of tequila, itty-bitty cigarettes, etc. If someone loved it, you can find it in miniature. Sugar skulls with the names of those who have passed are also common for the ofrendas, but today, kids often want their own names put on them, further emphasizing that this celebration is for both those who are gone and those who remain.

While the decorations and alters might be the most eye-catching parts of Día de Muertos celebrations, the most memorable part, for me, was the party atmosphere. There is nothing creepy or sad about this particular holiday. It is all joy; music is everywhere, families hugging, kids playing, even in the cemeteries themselves. And once the alters and ancestors are taken care of, more partying takes place in the form of parades, mariachi performances, and snacks for all (including the infamous pan de muerto, a sweet bread in the shape of crossbones). Sometimes in pictures, Día de Muertos can look like an homage to death with all the skeletons and tombs, but in reality, it is a celebration of life and family, and it’s something I’m very much looking forward to celebrating in person once again.

Dani Francuz Rose

Tag: Día de Muertos

Día de Muertos (and Halloween)

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