As Montiel matured, however, sugar skulls took on a stronger meaning. It was just another way to eat candies,” Montiel says. “When I was a kid, I remember playing and eating those sugar skulls thinking they were for all the kids. Sugar skulls will also appear at private Día de los Muertos celebrations. In keeping with long-standing tradition, sugar skulls will be present at the biggest Día de los Muertos celebrations in Mexico San Antonio, Texas and other regions with a large Mexican population. Death can be a stigma for many cultures, but I love that in Mexico there is a day where we can remember our loved ones in a very positive and lively way - honoring life and death at the same time.” “I think your curiosity to understand more about death might start when you’re a child. “Sugar skulls are a tradition that brings great memories from my childhood,” Villasana says. The sugar skulls, like modern Día de los Muertos celebrations, are an amalgamation of traditions and cultures from around the world. The recipe likely originates from the Arabic Muslim community, who ruled the Iberian Peninsula from around the year 700 until the late 1400s. The practices of the Day of the Dead have also been misunderstood to be a kind of witchcraft.”Ĭalatayud adds that the sugar paste, alfeñique, was originally brought to Mexico by the Spaniards. “I believe foreigners often see this practice almost as an adoration or idolization of death. Maria Calatayud, an associate professor of Spanish at the University of North Georgia. “We learn about their significance when we are babies,” says Dr. The skulls can be found at celebrations around the world, but are mostly present in central Mexico and certain regions of the country like Michoacan, explains May Larios Garcia, a travel expert at Spanish And Go from Colima, Mexico. Día de los Muertos is an uplifting holiday, not a sullen one.”Īlong with sugar, you’ll find skulls made from chocolate or amaranth, which is a grain native to Central and South America. “They are purposely bright and colorful to celebrate the lives of the departed. “It is a misconception that sugar skulls are morbid,” says Christine Sloan Stoddard, the founder of Quail Bell Magazine and author of Hispanic and Latino Heritage in Virginia. In contrast to many other cultures around the world, skulls aren’t representative of the sadder side of death. The skull represents the person who passed away, while the colors celebrate their life, says Saul Montiel, who grew up in Atotonilco el Grande, Mexico, and is now the executive chef at Cantina Rooftop in New York City. Small skulls represent children who have passed away, while larger ones are for adults. The skulls are decorated with colorful designs and adornments, and the name of a deceased loved one is often written on the forehead. Sugar skulls ( calaveras de azúcar) are made from a white sugar mixture that’s shaped with a skull mold.
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