DIA DE LOS MUERTOS

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Abq Arts October 2005 pg 19

'Day Of the Dead' Celebrates Tradition with lively food.
By Kelly Koepke

As October closes we bid farewell to the harvest and look forward to a winter menu of steamy soups, hearty stews and holiday goodies. One of the first fall holidays we celebrate is Dia De Los Muertos, a traditional time when Mexican families honor their deceased loved ones with flowers. Candy and baked treats, favorite drinks (and other vices), Incense and music. Albuquerque’s South Valley has an annual celebration and parade, complete with Aztec dancers in their feathered finery. Dia de los muertos, celebrated between October 31 and November2, corresponds to the catholic celebrations of All Saints day and All Souls Day and the secular Halloween. It also takes place around the time of ancient Aztec corn festivals, When the abundant harvest was shared with the deceased. Preparations for Dia de los Muertos begin weeks beforehand with creation of athe altar. Known as an Ofrenda. Familes ensure their continued good relationship with their continued good relationship with their dead relatives so that good fortune comes to the living. When the souls return each year, they want to partake in the pleasures they enjoyed in life. Elaborate food and drink- Usually the favorites of the Deceased—candles, marigolds and copal incense ( The Aztecs believed that strong scents could bring the sprits back), help their souls return.
As the symbol of death, the skull and skeleton aren’t used in a morbid way, but as a fun loving expression of the circle of life. Skulls molded from sugar are brightly decorated. One of the most common offerings to the dead is the traditional Pan de muertos (bread of the dead), a sweetened bread baked in round loves or skull shapes, usually flavored with anise or orange. Good luck is said to come to the one who bites into the plastic toy skeleton hidden by the baker in each loaf. Other candies in the shape of skeletons and coffins are abundant during the celebration and can be found in stores and shops around Albuquerque.
Many area Mexican panaderias, including Golden Crown Bakery on mountain and 12th specialize in traditional Mexican pan de muertos, also called pan dulce. Every year they bake skull bread and other treats to celebrate the return of the dead and their time among the living. To ensure that your ofrenda has skull bread to honor and appease the spirits, call Golden Crown Bakery at 243-2424