The Day of the Dead
By LindaAnn LoSchiavo for Behind the Pages
All Hallows' Eve, a three-day holiday spanning Hallowe’en, All Saints’ Day, and All Souls’ Day (a.k.a. the Day of the Dead), contrasts Samhain's playful spookiness with a more reverent celebration in Latinx cultures. El Día de los Muertos honors deceased loved ones with food, special beverages, and joyful recollections.
But leave it to a poet’s pen to conjure up and feed the hungriest ghosts. Here are a few lines from two poems written in the 1990s and bearing the same title, "El Día de los Muertos."
In Rafael Campo’s poem [published in The Threepenny Review], he recounts a vivid out-of-body experience on November 2nd and, ultimately, his death:
As water filled my eyes,
I sang a song in honor of the dead.
They came for me…
The sun, awakened from its dream,
Rose suddenly I watched it as I died,
And felt the heaviness of all its gold…
In Robert Vasquez’s fanciful poem [published in New England Review] about the holiday, he imagines himself as one of the returning dead:
… And I’m the neighbor
gone loveless for years
and walled off by eucalyptus
and brick. I’m the silent one
drawn the bonfires, those in alleyways and sky…
In my Allhallowtide haibun from "Always Haunted: Hallowe’en Poems," one line from "Santissima Muerte" spotlights the calaveras or calaveritas (mini skulls), often brightly colored and decorated, a key part of the Day of the Dead festivities:
Devotees nibble tiny chocolate skulls on her feast day, hoping mortality can
be as sweet.
Dating back over 3,000 years to the Aztecs and other indigenous peoples, the Day of the Dead blended with Catholic traditions after Spanish colonization. From October 31 to November 2, families gather to remember their ancestors, keeping their memory alive.
Traditions vary, but key elements include decorating graves and creating ofrendas (altars) with offerings like marigolds, favorite foods, and drinks. It’s a lively celebration, where the living share meals, stories, and gifts in honor of the deceased. A typical dessert, pan de muerto (bread of the dead), is a round sweet bread often flavored with anise or citrus. It’s molded with strips of dough to resemble human bones and served with hot chocolate. By honoring their dead relatives, Hispanic people believe happy spirits will provide protection, good luck, and wisdom to the entire family.
Not all the spirits are ghosts, however. Mezcal and other inebriants play a central role in the festivities, with toasts made in remembrance and bottles placed at graves as offerings. Drinking, far from somber, is a joyful way to celebrate life and honor ancestors.
So, raise a glass to loved ones with these four Day of the Dead cocktails!
Death's Kiss:
Ingredients:
1 1/2 oz mezcal
1/2 oz elderflower liqueur
1/2 oz lime juice
1/4 oz agave syrup
Jalapeño slice for garnish
Instructions:
Fill a shaker with ice.
Add mezcal, elderflower liqueur, lime juice, and agave syrup to the shaker.
Shake well and strain into a glass filled with ice.
Garnish with a slice of jalapeño for a spicy kick.
Sangre Santa:
Ingredients:
2 oz red wine
1 oz rum
1/2 oz simple syrup
Splash of club soda
Orange slice for garnish
Instructions:
Fill a glass with ice.
Add red wine, rum, and simple syrup to the glass.
Stir well.
Top with a splash of club soda.
Garnish with an orange slice.
Divine Devotion:
Ingredients:
1 1/2 oz vodka
1/2 oz blue curaçao
1/2 oz lemon juice
1/4 oz simple syrup
Lemon twist for garnish
Instructions:
Fill a shaker with ice.
Add vodka, blue curaçao, lemon juice, and simple syrup to the shaker.
Shake well and strain into a glass filled with ice.
Garnish with a lemon twist.
Altar Offering:
Ingredients:
1 1/2 oz spiced rum
1/2 oz amaretto
1/2 oz pineapple juice
1/4 oz lime juice
Pineapple wedge for garnish
Instructions:
Fill a shaker with ice.
Add spiced rum, amaretto, pineapple juice, and lime juice to the shaker.
Shake well and strain into a glass filled with ice.
Garnish with a pineapple wedge.
These four cocktails can be served at themed events or gatherings honoring Santa Muerte, incorporating elements of Mexican culture and spirituality. Adjust the ingredients and proportions according to your taste preferences. Cheers!
BIO
Native New Yorker and Elgin Award winner, LindaAnn LoSchiavo is a member of the British Fantasy Society, HWA, SFPA, and The Dramatists Guild — and a spooky Scorpio who loves Hallowe'en.
Current books: "Messengers of the Macabre: Hallowe'en Poems," "Vampire Ventures," "Always Haunted: Hallowe’en Poems" [Wild Ink, October 1, 2024], "Apprenticed to the Night" [UniVerse Press, 2024], and "Felones de Se: Poems about Suicide" [Ukiyoto Publishing, 2024].* "Always Haunted: Hallowe’en Poems" won The Chrysalis BREW Project’s Award for Exellence on July 23, 2024. * Book Review + Award LINK: https://thechrysalisbrewproject.com/2024/07/23/book-review-always-haunted-halloween-poems-by-lindaann-loschiavo/
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