Spirituality is a Core Aspect of Day of the Dead

The beloved tradition of Día de los Muertos is fast approaching, making it a great time to learn more about what it means for our deceased loved ones in the afterlife and our community in regards to spirituality. Commonly celebrated on November 1st and 2nd, millions throughout Latin America and the U.S. take part in preparations awaiting the arrival of the souls of loved ones who’ve died to meet with them once again. Día de los Muertos can be traced back to Indigenous communities in the Americas over 3,000 years ago and is celebrated in Mexico as well as other parts of Latin America. The preparations for this beautiful tradition primarily take place through the making of an altar with offerings to welcome loved ones who’ve passed. 

These ofrendas—which represent the elements earth, wind, fire, and water—are filled with offerings made up of loved ones’ favorite foods, personal items, and pictures. Some of these altars may also be made specifically for certain groups on specific days: October 28 for those who passed in accidental or violent deaths, October 29 for those who drowned, October 30 for forgotten and lonely souls, October 31 for unborn children, November 1 for deceased children, and November 2 for all other adults who’ve passed. Bruja astrologer and decolonial healer, Esoteric Esa shares why the holiday is so significant in an email with HipLatina:

“Dia de los Muertos is a time when we call back our muertos ,deceased loved ones, from the afterlife and into our homes and altars as a way to not only reconnect with their spirits and our memories of them, but to let these spirits know that we haven’t forgotten about the impact they had within our lives. Hence why we build an altar and place food offerings and other trinkets to let the spirits know we still carry deep love and respect for our muertos.”

There are millions every year that take part in the celebration of Dia De Los Muertos through making their own ofrendas, attending community events, watching local parades, or by simply taking time to remember loved ones who have passed. This year there will likely be lots of Latinxs making their first ofrendas which can be difficult as a result of grief or from the desire to honor loved ones in the right way. Esa encourages those taking part for the first time to get excited about it and use what is most authentic to you and your family.

“Every altar is unique, and all the ancestors care about is the intention behind your altar, the love you put into it, and how authentic the offerings are to you, your family and seeing the items on your altar that best represent your ancestors to you,” she explains.

Spirituality is a significant aspect of Dia De Los Muertos that can be traced back to the tradition’s origin and practice. Esa shares that Dia De Los Muertos’ inherent connection to the afterlife is also subject to stigma within our community through the teachings of religion: “Particularly in Catholic Latine culture, there’s a negative stigma around connecting with the dead and there’s a heavy impression instilled by colonized religion around fearing dead spirits because we typecast all spirits as ‘bad’ or ‘evil'”.

However, as Esa puts it, our ancestors recognized death as a “beautiful ascension” including Indigenous rituals that support the spirit leaving the body and others with ancestral veneration practices to keep those who’ve passed alive. She says, “Just like the Egyptians who are known for having a sacred practice around death rituals, many of our Latine ancestors had particular practices that honored the spiritual process of the underworld. This is where the historical root of Dia de Muertos stems from, which was then used as a vehicle by the Catholic church to indoctrinate religious order.”

With millions of Mexicans and Latinxs celebrating Dia De Los Muertos each year, acknowledging how spirituality works through these practices is important. Dia De Los Muertos teaches and reminds us that our loved ones don’t disappear after they have passed. Esa echoes this sentiment, as she puts it, “physical incarnation isn’t the singular representation of our souls.” Their presence remains in our lives as long as we remember and partake in these practices to welcome them back and give back to those we loved in the earth realm and continue to love after they’ve ascended into the afterlife. 

Through her Mexican and Peruvian ancestry, Esa has a connection with the customs that honor the interconnectedness of the underworld and Earth: “After loved ones pass on, primarily in Mexican and Peruvian culture, we emphasize the burial process as a sacred ritual to help the spirit ascend out of the body and transfer into the afterlife. We can do this through prayer, despachos (offerings) and other private rituals customary to our individual immediate ancestral roots.”

These customs are a showing of mutual love and respect. As Esa shares, the act of assisting the dead to cross over helps our loved ones reach their place in the after life safely and in turn they support us in this realm. Esa explains:

“By assisting our deceased so they cross over ‘safely’ and don’t get lost or stuck in between realms, we have done our karmic due diligence as a good living ancestor, and in turn these ancestors in the afterlife look out for us and provide us with deeper spiritual protection and help us activate powerful ancestral abundance as we mutually continue the energetic exchange of honor, venerating and connecting with our ancestors not just on Dia de los Muertos, but everyday ingrained in our lifestyle.”

While Dia De Los Muertos is a tradition we look forward to each year, celebrating and honoring our loved ones can happen beyond this yearly tradition. We can continue to foster our spiritual connection beyond this time. Esa shares that giving offerings is a way we can continue these practices: “Give offerings not only when we need, desire or in times of despair, but by continuously giving physical offerings or symbolic offerings like breaking ancestral curses or healing ancestral trauma.”

Developing a mutual relationship with our deceased loved ones beyond Dia De Los Muertos will only make connections stronger as time passes. As you contemplate creating your first altar or have years of experience celebrating, this is a reminder that your connection with your loved ones exists beyond the death and you can work on that relationship year-round.