Skeletons are scary, right? Maybe on Halloween (if you want them to be), but absolutely, positively not on Día de Los Muertos, a joyful day when, according to 3,000-year-old Aztec tradition, the gates of the mythological Land of the Dead are opened to allow the ancestors to cross over for a big family reunion of sorts. That day is usually November 2. The living are the hosts, and the ancestors, dressed in their finery, are the guests of honor. The most symbolic depiction of the ancestors is La Catrina, a fashionable-to-the-max skeleton – her jiggly white bones clad in ornate dresses, her head adorned in masses of feathers and flowers, and her smiling face a makeup artist's dream in red lipstick and dramatic eye shadow highlighting her long, fluttery lashes.
The strong scents of incense and marigolds, and illumination from candles (or more recently, strings of twinkling lights) will help guide the ancestors home, where lively musicians and dancers await in plazas and public gathering places to entertain them.
At home, the family will have prepared an altar, or offrenda, with candles, papel picado (colorful paper flags as delicate as snowflakes), pictures of the departed, and representative things they enjoyed in their earthly lives. There will also be offerings of a special bread called pan de muertos, chips, water, fruits, and and some of their other favorite foods. Special highlights are artful cardboard or papier-mâché skulls, or even sweet meringue delicacies called sugar skulls. Private family traditions may include storytelling, songs, and poetry.
It's only the fragrance of the food that lures the ancestors – because, technically, skeletons can't eat, you know. Some say that the next day the food has no taste because the essence was already enjoyed by the spirits.
Local Experience
Naples Botanical Garden
La Catrina herself will make an appearance in the form of four spectacular sculptures throughout Naples Botanical Garden during its weekend-long Día de Los Muertos fiesta on Saturday, Nov. 2, 10 a.m.to 7 p.m., and Sunday, Nov. 3, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. There also will be live and DJ music by David Munoz and DJ Vamanos, respectively, plus folkloric dance performances, arts and crafts stations, and family-themed activities on the Performance Lawn. For adults and younger foodies, there's a drop-in program called "The Spice is Right: Spices of Mexico" in the Scott Florida Garden. Inside Kapnick Hall are several offrendas created by members of the community, and a memory wall where guests may post their own tributes using materials provided.
Taco Tummy Food Truck will be on hand with authentic Mexican fare, and the garden's Fogg Café will offer a special chicken flautas dish created from a family recipe of two café staff members.
naplesgarden.org/series/dia-de-los-muertos-celebration
Full Immersion
Fort Lauderdale
Grab your skeleton costume and head to Fort Lauderdale for one of the biggest and most joyful Día de Los Muertos fiestas outside of Mexico. Day of the Dead, now in its 15th year, is a free day-long family festival attended by thousands. More than 100 performers will entertain on the Folklorico Stage, showcasing indigenous and traditional folk dance and music from Mexico and throughout Latin America. There will be food trucks, street performers, sugar skull face painting, mask painting, puppet-making and other traditional Mexican craft booths, and other kids’ activities.
The evening begins with the spectacular Skeleton Processional through downtown Fort Lauderdale. Young mariachi musicians lead dozens of skeletal puppets up to 18 feet tall animated by professional puppeteers from Puppet Network and the Puppet Guild of South Florida. After the Skeleton Processional, the all-ages street party continues with more entertainment, vendors and food.
Karen T. Bartlett
The skeletal form of La Catrina was inspired by late 1800s political printmaker José Guadalupe Posada, who used skulls and animated skeletons (calaveras) to poke fun at Mexican market vendors who put on airs in the feathers, flowers, and finery of high European fashion, and white makeup to make their skin look pale. La Catrina gained new fame from a 1940s painting by Diego Rivera. Ever since, modern celebrations of Día de Los Muertos feature lots of elegant Catrinas, in parades, festivals, and public art.
Travel Editor Karen T. Bartlett loves a backstory. She believes that immersing in history and authentic cultural traditions enriches the travel experience, and that exploring the world changes life perspective. Sometimes that world is just upriver (watch for her Fossil Quest in next month's issue), and occasionally, she confesses, the immersion starts with an excellent animated movie. (See: Coco).
Go to our calendar of events for additional Dia de Los Muertos events