Llewellyn's Little Book of the Day of the Dead

By Jaime Gironés

Celebrate the revered Mexican holiday of Día de los Muertos with this beautiful little book. Packed with activities, recipes, spells, and rituals, this pocket-sized guide is a must-have tool for honoring the sacred dead. Author Jaime Gironés shares authentic ways to respectfully enjoy this holiday, from creating an altar to baking pan de muerto (bread of the dead).

Sharing his personal experiences and recommendations, Jaime guides you through the Day of the Dead's origins, history, and modern celebrations. Discover how to build an altar, set out your ancestors' favorite foods, and invite the spirits to a feast. Explore the significance of marigolds, sugar skulls, and monarch butterflies. You'll also learn how to say goodbye when celebrations are over. This book provides everything needed to honor the dead and share your love and abundance with them.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Llewellyn Worldwide
• Release date: Sep 8, 2021
• ISBN: 9780738762852

Jaime Gironés

Jaime Gironés (Mexico City) was born in 1989 and has followed the Wiccan path since he was 13 years old. He writes about spirituality, magic, minority religions, myths, and Witchcraft, focusing in Mexico and Latin America. He's also an international columnist of The Wild Hunt, a daily news site for Pagans, Heathens, Wiccans, Witches, and Polytheists.

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About

Jaime Gironés (Mexico City) was born in 1989. He has followed the Wiccan path since he was thirteen years old. He writes about spirituality, magic, minority religions, myths, and Witchcraft, focusing on Mexico and Latin America. He works in customer service and social media. He has collaborated as an international columnist for The Wild Hunt , a daily news site for Pagans, Heathens, Wiccans, Witches, and polytheists.

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Llewellyn Publications

Woodbury, Minnesota

Copyright Information

Llewellyn’s Little Book of the Day of the Dead © 2021 by Jaime Gironés.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any matter whatsoever, including Internet usage, without written permission from Llewellyn Publications, except in the form of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

As the purchaser of this e-book, you are granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on screen. The text may not be otherwise reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, or recorded on any other storage device in any form or by any means.

Any unauthorized usage of the text without express written permission of the publisher is a violation of the author’s copyright and is illegal and punishable by law.

First e-book edition © 2021

E-book ISBN: 9780738762852

Cover cartouche by Freepik

Cover design by Shira Atakpu

Interior art elements designed by the Llewellyn Art Department

Interior illustrations by Sara Koncilja

Llewellyn Publications is an imprint of Llewellyn Worldwide Ltd.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Gironés, Jaime, author. Title: Llewellyn's little book of the Day of the Dead / Jaime Gironés. Other titles: Little book of the Day of the Dead Description: First edition. | Woodbury, Minnesota : Llewellyn Publications, 2021. | Series: Llewellyn's little books; 15 | Includes bibliographical references. | Summary: A pocket-size guide to the history, customs, activities, crafts, and recipes of the Mexican holiday Día de los Muertos— Provided by publisher. Identifiers: LCCN 2021015227 (print) | LCCN 2021015228 (ebook) | ISBN 9780738762487 (hardcover) | ISBN 9780738762852 (ebook) Subjects: LCSH: All Souls' Day. | Mexico—Social life and customs. | Mexico—Religious life and customs. | Memorial rites and ceremonies. Classification: LCC GT4995.A4 G52 2021 (print) | LCC GT4995.A4 (ebook) | DDC 394.266--dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021015227 LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021015228

Llewellyn Publications does not participate in, endorse, or have any authority or responsibility concerning private business arrangements between our authors and the public.

Any Internet references contained in this work are current at publication time, but the publisher cannot guarantee that a specific reference will continue or be maintained. Please refer to the publisher’s website for links to current author websites.

Llewellyn Publications

Llewellyn Worldwide Ltd.

2143 Wooddale Drive

Woodbury, MN 55125

www.llewellyn.com

Manufactured in the United States of America

To Miss Meche, who taught me

to appreciate the Day of the Dead.

To my grandmothers, Yolanda and Raquel, who shared with me their love when they were alive and still do so in spirit.

To all my ancestors, to the lives they lived, and to their legacy.

May we meet again.

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Acknowledgments

I would like to first thank Heather Greene, for thinking of me for this project and her constant patience and guidance. I deeply appreciate that you believe in me, Heather; you have believed in me even during times when I am not able to believe in myself. You are a candle of light that illuminates my path. Thank you as well to Lauryn Heineman and all of Llewellyn’s team involved in this project; my eternal appreciation for helping me take this project from an idea to the reader’s hands. I would also like to thank Andrés, my life partner, for his love and support, and my sisters, my brother, and my parents, for sharing with me our love for the Day of the Dead.

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Contents

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Actividades (Activities and Exercises)

Author’s Note

Introduction

Chapter One: The History of the Day of the Dead

Chapter Two: Death

Chapter Three: The Day of the Dead Altar

Chapter Four: Celebrating the Day of the Dead

Chapter Five: Other Rituals and Activities

Chapter Six: Saying Goodbye to Visiting Spirits

Conclusion

Glossary

Bibliography

Actividades (Activities and Exercises)

1: Name Death

2: Draw Death

3: Creating a Family Tree

4: Choosing the Right Place

5: Making Calaveritas de Azúcar (Sugar Skulls)

6: Making Calabaza en Tacha

(Candied Pumpkin)

7: Making Paper Marigold Flowers

8: Collecting Pictures of Our Ancestors

9: Baking Pan de Muerto

10: Making Your Own Papel Picado

11: Creating and Flying a Kite

12: Catrina Face Painting

13: Setting Up the Day of the Dead Altar

14: Welcoming Your Ancestors and Loved Ones

15: Visiting Your Loved Ones’ Graves

16: A Meditation Ritual of the Dead

17: A Gratitude List Dedicated to Your Ancestors

18: Giving Your Ancestors a Feast

19: Share a Special Story

20: Honoring the Ancestors of the Land

21: Write a Literary Calavera,

a Satirical Poem to Death

22: Creating a Themed Day of the Dead Collage

23: Saying Goodbye

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author’s note

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As this is a book about a traditional Mexican holiday, Día de los Muertos , I find it necessary to mention the topic of cultural appropriation, its difference from cultural appreciation, and my opinion of these when celebrating the Day of the Dead if you are not of Mexican heritage.

Cultural appropriation is when some aspects of a culture are taken and then used for selfish or disrespectful purposes. Cultural appreciation is when a culture and its aspects are honored in a respectful way, by understanding the context. However, there is a fine line between these two concepts, and people may disagree on where the line exactly lies.

While reading this book and practicing the activities, I recommend taking the following questions into consideration:

your intention: Is your intention clear and do you try to make it clear when sharing it with other people? For example, if you are planning to set up a Day of the Dead altar, is this because you only want to post a picture to your social media or because you genuinely would like to honor your dead loved ones and ancestors? If you post pictures on social media without any context, it may be seen as disrespectful.

acknowledging context and history: When celebrating Día de los Muertos or using one of its symbols, do you understand and acknowledge its meaning and history? For example, if you decide to paint the face of your child as a Catrina, is this because it would look nice as a costume for Halloween, or is it because your child has been afraid of death and telling the history behind the Catrina and characterizing death might be a good way of helping your child overcome the fear? If the image of the Catrina is taken out of context and is used as a Mexican Halloween costume, some people may find it offensive.

congruence: Do you treat Mexican culture and the Day of the Dead with respect, and at the same time, do you treat Mexicans and Latin Americans with respect? For example, if there is a Mexican or Latino community in your area, it might be a good idea to first check if they have any activities open to the general public for Día de los Muertos and attend, as well as support the community in any way you are able to.

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Having said this, I would like to point out that I see the Day of the Dead as a living and diverse celebration. Syncretism is its origin. It developed from the pre-Hispanic world’s encounter with European colonialism, and this development continues to unfold across borders and intertwines with other cultures. If you find yourself in the middle of these encounters between cultures, acknowledge the background, the meaning, and the stories behind each symbol. Give respectful credit to the origin of each.

Honoring our dead loved ones and our ancestors is a universal spiritual activity. We all have dead loved ones. We all have ancestors. The ways we honor them may differ in some areas and may be similar in others, but we all may feel the need at some point in our lives to express our grief and our feelings toward the dead.

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If the Day of the Dead inspires you to celebrate your loved ones who have passed away, the most important thing is to do so from your heart. When working with the spirit world, it is crucial that what you are doing has meaning to you. If you are motivated to practice some of