Monday, October 19, 2015

Día de los Muertos - a celebration of life

Often referred to as the Mexican version of Halloween, Día de los Muertos or Day of the Dead is anything but scary or morose. It is instead a lively and festive occasion, one in which families and friends celebrate the lives of their loved ones who have passed and help support their spiritual journey.




While researching for an article that I wrote about the holiday for a local community newspaper, I learned about the many traditions of Día de los Muertos and some of the wonderful foods which are sometimes prepared for the celebration.




Tres Leches Cake
  


Pan de Muerto is a slightly sweet loaf bread shaped into a round usually decorated with more dough in the shape of bones.

Sugar Skull Cookies are simple cut-out cookies often decorated with colorful frosting by children.

Tres Leches Cake is an incredibly moist and delicious cake made with three milks for many celebrations, including birthdays.

Here is a simple Tres Leches Cake recipe that I used for the photos.

    

Fanciful Sugar Skull Cookies



Those who celebrate Día de los Muertos believe that death is not the end but a beginning of a journey to a final resting place. 


The holiday is sacred and very personal, but it’s kept light and jovial with images of happy and fanciful skulls (calaveras) and skeletons (calacas) as if to tell death, I'm not afraid of you.




Buenos Días!

No comments:

Post a Comment