Today I want to share a Holiday that is very dear to my heart, Dia de Los Muertos. A time to reflect on the loved ones we have lost, celebrate their lives and rejoice in knowing their legacy will be carried on with our children. Sugar skulls and Cempasúchil (marigolds) are a placed on the Altar to honor the dead. With my familia being in town for an extended Halloween Fiesta we took the chance to explain this Holiday to the children. As the kids worked on making papel picado and handmade marigolds my mom spoke of this Holiday’s rich history. To end the evening on a sweet note instead of sugar skulls I baked one of my favorite chocolate cakes in shape of a skull.
Dia de Los Muertos is an ancient Aztec celebration of death, the bittersweet companion to life. All life must come to an end, so why not celebrate death as we do life? As the Europeans arrived in Mexico, both the Catholic religion and the Aztec celebration intertwined. Dia de Los Muertos is celebrated on from October 31 to November 2. In these days the lives of our dead are celebrated. These celebrations include festivities, food, a family altar, sharing favorite stories of the deceased and joyful visits to the grave sites. In the United States families of Mexican descent are celebrating Dia de Los Muertos more and more each year, making for Dia de Los Muertos in becoming a widely popular holiday.
A Glossary for Dia de los Muertos
Altar – A display honoring departed love one, built in homes throughout Mexico each year during Day of the Dead celebrations. Offerings are placed on the altars.
La Noche de Duelo – The Night of Mourning, the beginning of Dia de los Muertos in Mexico. On this night, friends and relatives bring food, flowers, and decorations to the cemetery in a candlelight procession.
Los Angelitos – Children who have died, remembered on All Saints’ Day Nov. 1st
Ofrenda – Offerings placed on the altar, sometimes representing the four elements of earth, air, fire, and water. Earth is represented by food placed at the altar; air is symbolized by papel picado, elaborate paper cutouts that flutter on the breeze. fire is represented in scented candles that decorate the altar, and water is often left in a bowl. Other offerings include personal mementos of the deceased.
Our family celebrates this yearly tradition with a week long celebration of honoring our loved ones with a family altar. In our altar we showcase favorite family photos of our departed, papel picado, candy skulls, flowers and personal mementos. Tiny sculptures of their favorite food or beverage made of Alfeniquen are also placed on the altar. During this festive week we as a family recreate their favorite meals to enjoy as we share their lives with our children. This week long celebration fills my heart with great joy as I honor my departed all while introducing my children to loved ones they were not fortunate to meet. As my children grow they will in turn gain knowledge of their heritage and begin learning how to cope with future loss as our altar continues the addition of family members. I hope when they are adults they will learn to celebrate death as part of life, knowing that each year on Dia de Los Muertos our departed with return to shower us with love.
Chocolate Cake
from MI Chita’sMexican Chocolate Dessert Recipes
by Teresa Cordero Cordell and Robert Cordell
cake
6 eggs separated
2 cups light brown sugar
2 cups flour
1/2 cup cocoa
2 tsp baking powder
2/3 cups milk
2 tsp vanilla
Preheat oven to 350
lightly grease and dust with cocoa powder 2 cake pans (9inch). (skull pan)
combine flour, cocoa, baking powder in a large bowl.
In a separate bowl combine milk and vanilla.
Beat the 6 eggs whites until stiff.
Reduce speed and gradually ad the brown sugar to beaten egg whites.
After sugar dissolves add yolks and beat for three minutes.
On medium low speed, alternate flour and milk mixture to eggs until blended.
Pour equally into prepared cakes pans.
bake 30 to 35 minutes.
Serve with sweet whipped topping or ice cream.
Source: Amazon for skull pan
Awesome post about the Dia de Los Muertos traditions. I love your chocolate skull cake and the way you displayed it so gorgeously with the tissue paper flowers! Pinned it for next year. Now I’ve gotta track down one of those pans.
Jenn
Thanks Jennifer for stopping by!! here’s the link to the pan
http://www.amazon.com/Wilton-Dimensions-Nonstick-Skull-Pan/dp/B003XKZSDI
Have a great week!!
Wow, I cannot believe that I’ve been reading your blog for over a year—I remember reading your post about Dia De Los Muertos last year. Anywho,I really like hearing about it because it sounds like a great time of gathering: celebrating life :] That’s a spooky looking cake.
I love your guava bars!
Such a beautiful written post. I’ve heard from this Mexican holiday only from other bloggers and movies. I wish one I get to visit Mexico around this holiday and enjoy all the celebrations.
The cake looks great, you did such an amazing job! Congrats!
I loved reading about this!
Although my family is not Latino, my grandparents are buried in a cemetary that is predominantly Latino, and we always LOVE to watch the joyful celebrations at the cemetary this time of year! We’ve alway said “hey, they have it figured out! we should celebrate life and be happy, not be tearful at the graves.” I think we shall take part this year!
Thanks for sharing part of your history and heritage 🙂
I really love this holiday and I wish it were celebrated more throughout the US! There’s such a great message behind it! (And such delicious cake to be eaten!)
Aww, how beautiful. I was looking forward to your post on Dia de los Muertos this year. I hadn’t heard about the marigolds before, but it seems so nice. Such a vibrant flower to celebrate the life once lived. I also love the sugar on that skull!
xx
What a fascinating holiday. I’d love to see it being celebrated. Beautiful chocolate cake and awesome presentation. I just love all that colour.
*kisses* HH
What a celebration though I feel a little scared of the skull cake 😛 Thanks very much for sharing! It’s always lovely to know of what other cultures do. Thanks very much for dropping by my blog. I know, I really have to get back to more blogging. The days just pass by too fast. Hope you have a great day today and great weekend. Mary
I wish my family celebrated this holiday…Happy Dia De Los Muertos! This skull cake looks just beautiful. Almost too pretty too eat. Thank you for sharing it with me!
Love the cake mold! Such a great idea. My chocolate loving kids would love this!!!
What a beautiful way to celebrate Dia de los Muertos. Thanks for sharing your recipe and story. And I LOVE the photos!
What a beautiful way to celebrate Día de los Muertos. Thanks for sharing the story and the recipe. and I LOVE your photos!
This is such a great holiday. I think it makes all the sense to try be at peace with death, and celebrate it! After all, dying is the most natural thing there is! The cake looks kinda creepy, haha, but hey, I would never say no to a piece of chocolate cake! And it’s perfect for the ocassion.
What a beautiful cake! Feliz día de los muertos! Any suggestions on where to buy a cake mold like that? I’m not a big cake-making person but I definitely want to try this one.
It really is edible art.
This cake is a work of art! Love how you also described the history behind the holiday. Thanks for sharing!
It looks amazingly well done! delicious! y felíz día de los muertos, porque sí, la muerte es parte de la vida!
I love reading all these posts about Dia De Los Muertos. It’s such a wonderful time of reflection and family.
The cake looks good too 🙂
Love this! I’m definitely getting the pan!
“celebrate death as part of life” — that is important to do. i especially love the last photo.
Great to learn more about Dia de los Muertos. The skull shaped chocolate cake looks very neat!
That cake looks delicious. Never seen a skull pan before- very cool
wow What a surprising treat!
How creative and fun! Great looking cake!
That is beautiful, I think I need to get one of those molds. Lovely post, as well 🙂
What an awesome cake!!
What an endearing family tradition.
Your cake and its surroundings are unique and quite elegantly scary at the same time. Well done Bonnie.
Skulls are not my favourites…but chocolate is sure dear to my heart ;o)
Have a great celebratory week ahead ;o)
Flavourful wishes,
Claudia
Its amazing how some cultures are so similar because I’m portuguese and in Portugal we celebrate “O dia dos mortos” more or less in the some way as you just describe yours.
The cake must be a very enjoyable treat after such an emotional day :))) – and it looks spooky and delicious…!!
Cheers,
Lia.
Lovely! Happy Dia De Los Muertos.
Cheers,
Rosa