Bring Day Of The Dead Festivities Into Your Home
Bienvenidos a Casa amigos, it’s Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) today! Unlike Halloween, this annual colourful festival in Mexico celebrates the gift of life. This November, we’re honouring special loved ones in our lives with a special menu at Lucha Loco and Super Loco, crafted as an ode to this beautiful celebration and elaborate festive decorations not unlike those seen in Mexico. Looking to recreate that joyous and celebratory mood of Día de los Muertos at home together with the family? Here are some ways you can celebrate this traditional holiday.
Build an Ofrenda
There’s no better way to honour the special memories shared with loved ones who have passed on than by building an ofrenda(altar). Dedicated to loved ones through the art of remembering, these elaborate home altars are adorned with portraits of the dearly departed, personal memorabilia, their favourite food, drinks and elements representing earth, wind, fire and water with salt, water, lit candles, vibrant Mexican marigold flowers and colourful sugar skulls.
Get started with these handy ofrenda-building tips from Adelante Mujeres.
Get Creative with Sugar Skulls
An iconic and festive symbol of Día de los Muertos, calaveras de azúcar (handmade sugar skulls) represent the souls of loved ones, and are often decorated with their name and in their likeness when placed on an ofrenda. Representing the sweetness of life, these sugar skulls are one of the elements on an ofrenda that represent ‘earth’, and are typically decorated with glitter sequins, beads, rhinestones, feathers and painted in bright colours.
Get crafty with your little ones using these silicone skull tray molds from Amazon, and tips from Muy Bueno Cookbook.
Put a Bun in the Oven
Baking Pan de Muerto (Bread of the Dead) as a food offering to the dearly departed is a key tradition during Día de los Muertos that is also popularly enjoyed as a special snack with family at the table over funny anecdotes of loved ones. While this fragrant, orange blossom-scented pillowy delight enjoys regional variations across Mexico, it is generally baked as a sweet round bun symbolising the continuity of life with a cross topped by a round knob in its centre, alluding to a skull and crossbones.
Bake away and enjoy this delicious sweet treat using this recipe from Mexico in My Kitchen.
A Sinfully Delicious Drink
Just like how eggnog goes hand in hand with Christmas, so does atole with Día de los Muertos. A sweet, hearty, traditional corn-based drink made from cinnamon, vanilla, masa harina, cane sugar and milk that is also savoured year-round at breakfast or as a family-friendly nightcap, this classic comfort drink is enjoyed in between bites of sugary Pan de Muerto, and often brought along to all-night veladas (vigils) with family and friends gathering at candlelit cemeteries.
Make this classic sipper using this recipe from Isabel Eats.
Feast with the Familia
There’s nothing like a homecoming reunion and being surrounded by the ones you love most. Lay out a spread and catch up over a delicious feast of hearty dinner dishes enjoyed across Mexico with these delicious recipes: Ceviche, Chorizo and Thyme Quesadillas, Camarones a la Diabla, Chicken Tinga, Sopa de Albóndigas and Chef Randy’s very own Sea Bass y Salsa Verde. Need a break from all the hustle and bustle of ofrenda-building and baking? Order your family’s feast favourites from Lucha Loco or Super Loco’s grill straight to your table.
Have a wonderful Día de los Muertos, amigos y amigas!
