DAY OF DEAD: MEXICAN TRADITION WITH MUCH LIFE
 "Woman of sad glance: tell me, ¿what do you see in the candles, are they spectrums of the night or flowers from the earth?... On your illuminated face life rejuvenate, gold night on your glance for ones who love death. For ones who love life is night of confusion, the wax kisses the flowers and the flame the feeling ".
These fragments of the poem from the Spanish Julie Sopetrán offer an emotive description of the magic that surrounds one of the most important celebrations of Mexico. In this, life and death, such as inevitable extremes of our way on earth, are melted and complemented through ceremonies, rituals, flavors, colors and memories: the celebration Day of Dead, another great value of the Mexican traditions.

The Mexican archaeologist, Eduardo Merlo Juárez, comments about the Day of Dead in a text titled "Through the eyes": "According to the belief of the old Mexican civilization, when the individual dies it spirit continues living in Mictlán, place of residence of souls that have left the earthly life. Benevolent Gods created this ideal enclosure that has nothing of tenebrous and is rather calm and pleasant, where the souls rest placidly until the day, designated by the custom, in which they return to its old homes to visit its relatives. Although during that visit they are not seen to each other, mutually they feel ".
Certainly is that in Mexico the Day of Dead, beyond being a date of sadness or pain, is an event in which the joy and the good moments become presents in each home. The Mexican hospitality, well-known around the world, delights in the same way to passed away relatives, who receive like small tribute an altar on which they place offerings, memories, personal objects and food.
This celebration has variants according to the region, but it is clear that all takes the same line of origin. From remote times there are been present the "mortuary banquets" on the field dwellings, landed properties or palaces. Without doubt an old celebration as man is who has existed permanently asking himself where he comes from and where he goes to.
Two weeks before the Day of Dead a joy atmosphere is lived on in the markets: the "marchantes" buy by dozens the flowers of cempazúchitl, distinguishing yellow flower of this celebration, as well as the material which they have to decorate the altars of each home or the food ingredients to cook for the deceased. On November 1st is carried out the "Vigil of the Angels", day in which the souls of the children return to their families to be fed and to enjoy their company. Even there are some regions of Mexico in which the children take the leaders roll in the matutinal vigil, honoring to their passed away little brothers. And when the night falls, the adults maintain the guard in the cemetery remembering the memories of their dear relatives. On November 2nd the "Vigil for Adults" is carried out, time in which the “old souls” besides “tasting” those that were their favorite food in their lifetime, they feel accompanied by the incense aroma, the affection of their loved ones, the music of their affability and the offerings of the altar that has been dedicated to them with so much care.  In some occasions prayers and orations can be listened, mainly at night of vigil in the pantheons of Mexico.

The Day of Dead represents a mixture of the Christian devotion with the customs and pre-Hispanic beliefs, materializing both through the altars and offerings: a respectful rite to the memory of dead, whose unique intention is to attract its spirits. In these offerings, or altars, the four fundamental elements of the nature have their due representation: the Earth, represented by the fruits that they feed the souls by its aroma; the wind, represented by perforated paper or Chinese paper, same that by its lightness, it moves in passing of the breeze; the water, placed in a container so that the souls that visit us calm their thirst after the long way that they cross to arrive until his altar and finally, the fire in candles and candlesticks, lighting one for each remembered soul, and one more for each forgotten soul.

Other items that we observed in the offerings are the salt that purifies; copal so that the souls arrive with their sense of smell up to the altar that is dedicated to them; flower of cempazúchitl scattered on the ground, from the door to the altar, in order to indicate the way. And finally, the presence of the alive relatives, who waiting for their arrival render respect and demonstrate their loyalty and company, even though they are no longer here.
 
And who does not remember and savors with so much taste the"calaveritas" of sugar or the delicious dead bread! Michoacán, Oaxaca, the Huasteca Potosina... so many magical places in where the tradition of the Day of Dead stays alive! Past and present conjugated in one of the most peculiar dates that we can find in the culture of a hospitable country, friendly also with the dead and always ready to face the difficulties of life with courage, even further on. In Mexico the death is received with joy! Because it is never good crying or suffering, being that powerful moment the only guarantee on which all the living we counted on: the moment on which we will leave that world. Let us celebrate the Day of Dead! 

DEAD BREAD RECIPE
By Mary J. Andrade.
 
 Ingredients:
 -5 flour cups.
-8 tablespoon of crumbled compressed yeast
-5 yolks.
 -5 eggs.
-2 bars of margarine.
 -1 sugar cup.
–3 tablespoon of orange blossom water.
-1 tablespoon of grated orange peel.
 -2 eggs to glaze.
 -1 pinch of salt.
 -Sugar to sprinkle
 
Instructions:
 dissolve in lukewarm water four tablespoon of yeast; add cup and a half of flour and form a small ball of smooth dough. Leave it to rest 15 minutes in a lukewarm place until it puffs up to the double of its size. Sift the flour along with the salt and the sugar; put eggs in the middle (including the yolks), the margarine, the grated orange peel and the orange blossom water; knead well. Later add the small dough ball, knead again and let it rest in a lukewarm place during one hour. Knead again and form breads to the wished size. Put them on greased trays and glaze with the egg yolks. Adorn the bread with "tears" done of the same dough and stick them with beaten egg, glaze the bread with the egg and sprinkle with sugar. Finally, place the bread in the oven preheated at 350Û during 40 or 50minutes.