NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at for further information. The book she co-authored with her husband, Ian McEnroe, "Dining With The Dead: A Feast For The Souls On Day Of The Dead," is out now.Ĭopyright © 2021 NPR. Their scent is said to help lead the spirits from their burial places back to their family homes. The bright orange and yellow flowers are everywhere during Day of the Dead. MARTIN: She and her husband will also be making a marigold flan. And then they have a little tomato sauce on the - with cinnamon on the top. So we have decided to make these Swiss chard tamales, which are very, very delicious, and they're filled with queso fresco or vanilla. NUNO-RUIZ MCENROE: We are making just, like, one dish for everyone on our altar. MARTIN: And what is she making for her beloved grandmother this Day of the Dead? NUNO-RUIZ MCENROE: She was one - the first person that I saw watching how to cook in the kitchen, and it was her who inspired me and who made me, you know, awaken the curiosity in the kitchen. MARTIN: McEnroe says this year she'll be cooking to honor the memory of her grandmother, Margarita (ph). NUNO-RUIZ MCENROE: Through the food and through the elements that are in the altar, it becomes celebrating life the way through memories. And yes, despite its name, this holiday is meant to be a happy one. MARTIN: She says hot drinks like atole, a sweet, corn-based beverage, are also a must for family members holding vigils and celebrating their ancestors through chilly fall evenings. So today, eating pan de muerto and placing it on the ofrenda and at the altar, it represents how we commune with our departed. And they found this bread to be the best substitution for the real skulls that were part of the native rituals in Mexico. NUNO-RUIZ MCENROE: This bread is thought to have been prepared to resemble a skull and bones soon after the Spanish friars came to Mexico. Tamales are always a big hit, but one offering is a must - pan de muertos, or bread of the dead. McEnroe says your altar can have whatever edible offerings you like. And, of course, the dishes can also be enjoyed by family members who gather to remember them. Ancestors' favorite foods are prepared and left on a family's altar as ofrendas, offerings meant to help entice the spirits of the deceased back for a visit on the first two days of November. MARTIN: That's also true for the Day of the Dead. NUNO-RUIZ MCENROE: Cooking for us is an act that shows appreciation for family and for our friends. Mariana and her husband, Ian McEnroe, co-authored a new cookbook called, "Dining With The Dead: A Feast For The Souls On Day Of The Dead." She says cooking and eating are always a big part of any traditional Mexican family celebration. She is originally from Guadalajara, Mexico, now living in Austin, Texas. MARTIN: That's Mariana Nuno-Ruiz McEnroe. We make the foods that they enjoy the most in life. MARIANA NUNO-RUIZ MCENROE: So Dia de Muertos is a way that we pamper and receive of our departed. And while traditions vary, food and drink are some of the most important Day of the Dead offerings. The following examples are not obligatory, but are commonly used in the construction of an ofrenda.How do you honor the memory of your ancestors, elders or loved ones who've recently passed away? For those who celebrate Dia de Muertos, or Day of the Dead, it probably involves an altar with family pictures, flowers and a variety of offerings. Water to satisfy the thirst of the dead who visit Fire burning in candles Earth in food and other items for the departed and Wind, which is represented by the papel picado, paper flowers and other paper elements that move with the wind.Īn altar for Day of the Dead may contain various items. The individual elements can be grouped into four categories that correspond with natural elements of water, fire, earth and wind. Dia de los Muertos – Elements of Day of the Dead Altars in Sonora, MexicoĮl Día de Muertos, the Day of the Dead, is a Mexican tradition that interweaves ancient aspects of pre-Hispanic culture with Christian beliefs to create a unique annual event of remembrance for the departed.ĭay of the Dead altars, also known as ofrendas (offerings), are constructed and adorned to remember, honor and please the dead, are a central symbol of the Dia de los Muertos.Īn altar may include a variety of symbols and items that are reminders of the deceased, or that were favorites of the honoree of the altar, but the following 12 items are considered to be fundamental requirements for an ofrenda.
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