Día de los Muertos (The Day of the Dead) is Mexico’s traditional celebration of the cycle of life and an opportunity to remember the lives of departed loved ones.

 

 

Like most celebrations, Día de los Muertos is filled with food, music, dancing, and of course drinks! The holiday has always been a national symbol and holds incredible historical and cultural significance.

We ask Xaime Niembro, Gracias a Dios Mezcal Partner and Director, how to celebrate Mexican tradition, Día de los Muertos.

 

How does mezcal play a role in Mexico’s Día de Muertos Celebrations?

Día de Muertos and mezcal are strongly linked because we are talking about celebrating the dead in Oaxaca; a land totally immersed in mezcal and where Día de Muertos is extremely honorable. In Oaxaca, people visit the pantheon and the houses of their relatives and friends (compadres) to bring flowers, a bread of the dead (pan de muerto), and mezcal. Mezcal in Oaxaca is the drink we all have in common to pay homage to the deceased. And above all, mezcal is the spirit that the living and dead both like. It is during this kind of event or celebration when we realize that mezcal is there in the good and bad times.

 

How do you and your family typically honor loved ones on the Day of the Dead? 

It is important to understand that Día de Muertos is a great event at the national level, where customs change depending on the state of the Republic. It is tradition in Oaxaca to place an altar in each house remembering the deceased of each family. On the altar we put a photograph of the relative, friend or those whom we want to remember (in some houses even pets), along with their favorite food and drink, flowers, candles, and objects that are representative of that person. The altar of the dead is a fundamental element in this celebration. It is believed that the spirit of our deceased returns from the world of the dead to live with the family that day and taste the food of the offering. The beauty and greatness of this celebration is that we’re remembering the ones who shared so many things with us. Even though we’re celebrating death, we’re honoring life and all the joy and incredible things that a person fills into their life and of those around them. We tried to honor our dead by preparing their favorite food, drinking what they used to drink, listening and dancing to the music they heard. We also gather around the altar to talk anecdotes and remember good moments (funny and sad ones) with that person. The idea is to bring back the very best of the people who are no longer with us. This is a festivity! We’re happy and grateful for all that our friends and family left behind, that’s the reason we dance, we make toasts on their behalf, we visit the pantheon to decorate and leave flowers, we sing there and meet other people that are also bringing back, in some way, their dead.

 

What is your favorite way to drink Gracias a Dios on the Day of the Dead?

This date is our favorite to prepare our mezcal de Pechuga, a ritual that we usually do in celebrations with the family. Our most significant celebration, besides the altar, is our mezcal of Pechuga. That mezcal is very important this time of the year because it is reflective of how we commemorate our death and how we celebrate life. As part of the temporality, we drink this mezcal and we recommend drinking it without mixing it with other drinks. It is a great mezcal to accompany with chocolate from La Jefa or with any food served that day.

 

 

Gracias a Dios Mezcal created a Prayer Candle and Flower Crowns to help consumers enhance their Dia de los Muertos celebrations.