What is the Day of the Dead?

The Day of the Dead, as its name indicates, commemorates and celebrates the deceased Saints. This celebration happens every year on November 2. And in Mexico, we find different expressions and representations of the party, in different areas, such as:

In their house, an altar is placed to pay tribute and remember the deceased, which has the image of the departed, who will be remembered. The shrine is embellished with decorated paper, flowers of cempasúchil, typical food of the region and of the likes from the deceased, candles, sweets, among many other things.

What are the Day of the Dead Offerings?

The offering consists of a series of elements usually present. These are flowers (especially cempasúchil), bread, candles, drinks, religious images, fruits, food, tobacco, decorated paper, sweets, and copal. In some cases, pictures of the dead, toys, clothes, work instruments, musical instruments and other objects that were appreciated by them during their life are placed in the offering.

All Mexicans know that the altars are traditional by in the end of October and the beginning of November

• Crushed purple paper (Christian mourning)
• Orange chopped paper (Aztec mourning)
• Flowers of cempasúchil (from Náhuatl: cempoalxóchitl = flower of 20 or more petals)
• Four candles (indicate the four cardinal points)
• Incense (to ward off evil spirits and to purify the environment)
• Cross made of Ash (to cleanse the soul of the deceased)
• Jug of water (in case you get tired of the road)
• Container to wash hands (ewer) and towel
• Photo of the deceased
  
• Food that the person in life liked
• Belongings estimated by the deceased one
• Tequila or favorite drink of the dead
• Four chopped paper flags tucked into oranges
• "Pan de muerto"
• Fruit
• Skulls made of Sugar

The process, from going to a market to buy flowers, bread, paper and skulls, more than a religious celebration, is a way to approach an ancient custom of our country and allow us to live with the concept of death.

In addition to the altar in the house, the family visits the grave where their loved one rests.
There, too, food, flowers, and candles are lit. Masses are offered for all the saints and for the deceased. Likewise, visits are made to the tombs of the dead, where they are given respect and a time of silence to remember them on this particular date. The Mexican people to celebrate this date cheerfully also draw many cartoons related to death, which are known as the "Calacas.".

The 1st of November is dedicated to the souls of the deceased children and the 2nd to the souls of the adults that have passed away. The offering that is presented to them in the altars and in their tombs are placed with the objective of attracting their spirits so that, for a few hours, they can live with their family again and enjoy what they liked to eat in life and spend some time in the world of the living with their loved ones.

Family Ties

The Day of the Dead can be an opportunity for parents and children to get together and have a nice time working and be able to put the altar next to the offering to remember those special people who went to heaven.
It is also a good experience to teach the youngest and to be able to tell them about the traditional culture so rooted in Mexico that is now internationally recognized.

It is essential to teach children dates and show them the high value of the traditions from their roots so they can keep them alive.

The History of this Day

This celebration conserves much of the prehispanic influence of the cult to the dead, we find them in Tláhuac, Xochimilco, and Mixquic places near the city of Mexico. In the state of Michoacán, the most important ceremonies are those of the Purépecha Indians of the famous Pátzcuaro lake, especially on the island of Janitzio. Equally important are the celebrations that are held in towns of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, Oaxaca and in Cuetzalan, Puebla.
On their altars, they light wax candles, burn incense in baked clay pots, place Christian images: a crucifix and the Virgin of Guadalupe.

They put pictures of their dead. In terracotta dishes the food is set, these are products that are generally consumed there, dishes typical of the region. alcoholic drinks or glasses with water, fruit juices, Pan de Muerto, decorated with red sugar that simulates blood. Cookies, baked fruit, and sweets made with pumpkin.

La Catrina alludes to a lady of the upper class who liked to walk around the Mexican capital. In the image, you see a lady with her typical elegant hat and an umbrella to protect herself from the sun, which is a traditional symbol of the Day of the Dead.

This day has become more known in other countries, as the Mexicans travel and follow their traditions and remember those who have past away, this has also motivated more people into coming to Mexico themselves, to be part of this beautiful day were we celebrate life and take a moment to appreciate and honor those who are not with us anymore

The Day of the Dead at Royal Solaris Los Cabos

This day, where we remember the deceased and celebrate life, is one of the traditional Mexican dates that has become more and more popular in the world, and people from other parts of the world, want to be part of it. In Royal Solaris Los Cabos, we want everyone to be able to participate in this Mexican Tradition, so they can get more connected and can feel like home.

That is why in Los Cabos we celebrated this day in the best way, since we started with a traditional "procession" around the pool area, where with the help of the resort staff, we made a tour with the catrinas, with a coffin, which traditionally ends upon reaching the cemetery, where the deceased is later honored.

After this, we had an activity with the help of the Kids Club staff, Face Painting where painting the Members and Guests with the traditional "Calacas," as well the women as catrinas.

In the same way, we had for the little ones a Crafts activities, where the children made their own skull mask, so they joined the festival, also some parents decided to participate and create their own masks.

In the Lobby area, a traditional altar was set up, paying homage to famous Mexican figures, which in this case were: Pedro Infante and Juan Gabriel, where it was decorated with sugar skulls, photos, flowers, different bottles of wine and tequila, Pan de muerto, among many other things as described above.

At nightfall, in our Tehuacan theater, we had a Premier event, which was inspired by the recent Disney / Pixar movie: Coco, where a story is presented on the Day of the Dead, which undoubtedly gives a good representation of the traditions that are held on this special day.

We also had a themed buffet, with traditional Mexican food, like churros, tamales, tacos, salads, beef stews and more.
All this prepared for the main event of this day.

It's Showtime!

The main event started, and it was a spectacular show based on the film Coco as mentioned earlier, where our entertainment team represented with dance, lights, and music, this beautiful film, while still having tons of surprises for the whole family.

The Mariachi San Lucas accompanied us in this production, and with the help of his youngest member, Luis.
Who played the main role, acting as "Miguel" of the Coco film, did not only came dressed like him but also interpreted different songs representative of the movie, at his young age he made a big surprise with his performance

Without a doubt, this was a night that nobody will forget.

If you want to be part of our traditions, events, shows and more, do not hesitate to visit us at Royal Solaris Los Cabos.

The Day of the Dead at Royal Solaris Cancun

In GR Solaris in a joint activity between the entertainment team and the bakery area, a Family activity was carried out, where children and adults enjoyed Decorating Cookies, with frosting in the traditional colors of the day of the dead, and with figures and designs allusive to the day.
And of course a contest was held, where everyone won, because they had as a reward: eat their own cookies!

During the Night, like year after year, our emblematic Altars Contest was held between departments, where 5 beautiful altars participated, honoring different characters of the Mexican culture, a great opening for the nightly spectacle prepared for our guests.

In GR Caribe the kids club team, gave free rein to their imagination, painting people like Catrinas and Calaveras. Also, the same paintings were used to decorate some Skulls in ceramics, letting the Artist flow of each of our partners and guests.

Everyone was able to experience and be part of this Mexican tradition, while having fun and a great time, thanks to our lovely Staff and Animation team, this was a day everyone will remember, as from small kids to adults, everyone could participate and learn from this Mexican Celebration.

Without any doubt, Solaris Hotels are the best option to vacation in national and international holidays, as it provides fun and family gathering to all, in conjunction with the cultural heritage they provide on each of the dates. Do not hesitate any more.