Sayings like “Día de los Muertos is not Mexican Halloween” are common among Latinos. Even non-Latinos are repeating the statement more frequently.
A rhetorical device used to preserve the Day of the Dead’s authenticity as a Mexican cultural heritage and keep it apart from American popular culture is to draw a distinct boundary between the two celebrations. But as a Mexican-American who observes Día de los Muertos and as a cultural and performance historian, I think it’s time to fully recognize how the two celebrations are blending cultures.
Día de los Muertos is becoming a hybrid cultural ritual that commemorates the dead and celebrates the macabre, thanks in part to Halloween.
The history of the differentiation
On November 1st and 2, Mexico and other countries of Latin America celebrate Día de los Muertos, a traditional feast in honor of the deceased. The occasion is observed ritualistically by building altars to hold offerings to the dead and adorning family graves as a means of communicating with the beyond. Vibrant fiestas are another way that towns celebrate the Day of the Dead. They take place in town squares and community centers, where people dress up as dead people and dance, perform music, eat, and drink.
Day of the Dead is a commonly observed holiday among Latinos in the United States, despite being a long-standing custom in Mexico. That changed in the 1970s and 1980s when the Day of the Dead was presented to local communities by artists and activists as a component of the Chicano movement, the social and cultural movement for the empowerment of Mexican Americans. In addition to separating the festival from Halloween, Latinos in the United States started to celebrate it with pride and in public. This is due to the fact that many non-Latinos mistook the skull and skeleton imagery associated with the Day of the Dead for witchcraft. “Día de los Muertos is not Mexican Halloween” is a term used by Latinos to defend the festival from misinterpretation, inform the general public about the cultural practice, and protect themselves from discrimination.
When Mexico’s tourist sector started actively marketing the Day of the Dead as a cultural attraction abroad in the 1970s and 1980s, it also adopted this declaration. When visitors arrived in Mexico, they were told that Día de los Muertos was a real national celebration unrelated to Halloween.
The years 1990 and 2000
“Día de los Muertos is not Mexican Halloween” started to take on political significance in the 1990s. With the signing of the North American Free Trade Agreement in 1994, Mexico was inundated with American consumer products, media, and popular culture. Some Mexicans see the American adoption of Halloween as a symbol of “cultural imperialism,” or the way the US exploits Mexican culture to retain its dominance in politics and the economy.
However, Mexican, American, and British anthropologists noted that Halloween and Día de los Muertos were fascinatingly blending by the early 2000s. Halloween decorations, costumes, and candies started to show up in shops and street markets alongside Day of the Dead merchandise. Traditional altars set up for the deceased, known as ofrendas, were adorned with spiderweb and Jack-o’-lantern ornaments. Children costumed as witches, vampires, and monsters were trick-or-treating their way through the streets. Adult costume parties for the Day of the Dead and Halloween were held in bars and nightclubs throughout southern Mexico.
Halloween was criticized by some Mexicans as “an invasion.” Halloween has been called “cultural pollution” by some.
Fears like these prompted the UN to formally classify Día de los Muertos as a type of “intangible cultural heritage” in 2003. This category is meant for cultural practices including rituals, oral traditions, and performing arts that are at risk due to lack of support or globalization. In order to “protect and conserve” the Day of the Dead, the UN was granted the right to collaborate with the Mexican government. This would allegedly shield the celebration from influences such as Halloween. But the damage was done.
Hollywood’s impact
Halloween in Mexico haunts Día de Los Muertos like never before. During the entire week of the Day of the Dead celebration, kids dress up to trick or treat. They yell “Queremos Halloween!”—which translates to “We want Halloween!”—as they beg for candy from stores and eateries. On November 2, a graveyard ofrendas adorned with spider webs, vampires, witches, and pumpkins may be found in Panteón de Dolores, the biggest cemetery in the nation.
Hollywood has had a major role in the merging of Day of the Dead and Halloween. The ceremony in the renowned Panteón de San Fernando, a cemetery where the bones of several of Mexico’s most significant presidents and dignitaries are interred, serves as a prime example. The horror classic “Night of the Living Dead” is screened at the cemetery as part of the holiday celebrations. At President Benito Juárez’s grave, hundreds of people decked out in costume for the Day of the Dead congregate, munching on candy as they watch zombies threaten a little American town.
The most notable effect of Halloween’s horror movie influence is observed at the biggest Día de los Muertos festival in the nation. Every year, over a million people attend the Gran Desfile de Día de Muertos, also known as the Great Day of the Dead parade. Started in 2016 as a parody of the one portrayed in the James Bond film “Spectre,” it has grown in popularity.
Participants dress in skeleton clothes and sugar skull makeup, as well as Hollywood horror outfits that are usually saved for Halloween. There are people dressed as Pennywise from Stephen King’s “It,” Chucky from “Child’s Play,” Jigsaw from the “Saw” films, and Ghostface from the “Scream” series.
The most well-liked Halloween costume in 2022 was Michael Myers. It should come as no surprise. “Halloween Ends,” the most recent entry in the series, was a big hit in Mexico. The movie was among the highest-grossing releases in Mexico when it was released around Halloween and Day of the Dead. In actuality, Mexico had the third-highest ticket sales out of the 70 counties where the movie was released.
Disney characters at festivities
Disney, in particular, has had a significant impact on Día de los Muertos and Halloween. It’s mind-boggling how many people and kids dress up as Darth Vader, Spiderman, Jasmine, or Aladdin for Day of the Dead festivities.
Furthermore, they’re not limited to joyous occasions like the Gran Desfile de Muertos. They are also present at the ceremonial events. At the Panteón de Dolores, a variety of Avenger superheroes may be seen congregating by the graveyard and offering sacrifices to the deceased.
Then there is the conundrum presented by the well-known animated picture about Día de los Muertos, “Coco,” from Disney-Pixar. Like everything Disney, businesses license and produce Halloween costumes based on the film’s characters.
Nowadays, it’s common for people throughout Mexico to dress up as “Coco” characters. However, when they assume the personas of Miguel, Ernesto de la Cruz, or Mama Imelda, with their skull faces, it becomes difficult to distinguish between their Día de los Muertos and Halloween costumes. It’s possible that it’s both going on at the same time.
And therein is the identity dilemma that the Day of the Dead in Mexico is currently experiencing. It is getting harder and harder to argue with credibility that “Día de los Muertos is not a Mexican Halloween” due to Hollywood’s influence.
What occurs on the Day of the Dead next?
In Mexico’s borderlands and interior, as well as in rural and urban regions, the two celebrations are merging. It is changing the ceremonial practices and popular celebratory aspects of the Day of the Dead.
Undoubtedly, traditional culturalists will lament this as “pollution” of a hallowed heritage. However, they overlook the fact that change and adaptability are necessary for any tradition to endure. If Día de los Muertos survives forever, it will be because of Halloween’s vampire bite.