How is Día de los Muertos Celebrated With Family and Coworkers?

How is Día de los Muertos Celebrated With Family and Coworkers?

Each year on November 1 and 2, families across Mexico and many other Latin American countries come together to celebrate Día de los Muertos or the Day of the Dead. The spirit of Día de los Muertos is about joyful remembrance and connection, capturing the essence of honoring loved ones with both reverence and festivity. This holiday features lively festivities, with customs and traditions that honor deceased loved ones and remind us that death is a natural part of life.

Though deeply rooted in Mexican culture, Día de los Muertos has grown into a cherished tradition that invites everyone to reflect on family, community, and memory. It is a special day dedicated to honoring loved ones who have passed away, with rituals and offerings that make it truly unique.

Though its name may sound somber, Día de los Muertos is filled with vivid colors, music, traditional foods, and the togetherness of family. The day reminds us that love doesn’t end with death, but continues through memory, connection, and shared stories. Understanding how Día de los Muertos celebrates life and memory helps us appreciate to celebrate connection to those we love.

The Meaning Behind Día de los Muertos

Long before European contact, Indigenous peoples throughout Mesoamerica held festivals to honor ancestors. When Catholic traditions like All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day arrived, the two merged, creating the modern Día de los Muertos we know today—a traditional day of remembrance—which is celebrated on the same days as these Catholic observances, November 1st and 2nd.

Similar Day of the Dead celebrations are found in other cultures, such as in Brazil and Asia-Pacific nations, where communities also honor the departed with altars, flowers, and prayers. UNESCO even recognizes it as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, honoring its beauty and depth.

Families believe that during these two days, the spirits of their deceased family members return to visit. Homes, cemeteries, and town squares fill with marigold flowers, candles, music, and laughter. The lives of those who have passed are celebrated, keeping their memory alive through these meaningful traditions.

Día de los Muertos is now celebrated by different cultures and communities, each adding their own customs and expressions. These dead festivities hold deep cultural and historical significance, blending indigenous and European traditions to create a reverent atmosphere. It’s a time to tell stories, share favorite foods, and ensure that loved ones are never forgotten.

1. Build an Ofrenda to Honor Loved Ones

At the heart of the celebration is the ofrenda, also known as a dead altar, a home altar created to welcome the spirits of those who have passed. The dead altar is both an art form and an act of love, filled with meaningful offerings that symbolize remembrance and the connection between the living and the departed. To create one:

• Display photographs of loved ones.
• Add candles to light their way.
• Include marigold flowers (cempasúchil), whose scent and color guide spirits home.
• Offer pan de muerto (sweet bread with bone-shaped pieces on top) and sugar skulls (calaveras) decorated with acrylic paints or icing.
• Include favorite foods or drinks of the departed.
• Hang papel picado banners to represent the wind and the fragility of life.

Invite children and family members to contribute by making paper flowers, cutting papel picado banners, or drawing pictures. Every addition adds a personal touch and ensures that loved ones are honored and remembered, teaching younger generations the meaning behind the tradition.

2. Share Favorite Foods and Memories

Food is a meaningful way to celebrate Día de los Muertos. Families spend several hours preparing traditional dishes, like mole, tamales, or pan de muerto, which honor the tastes and preferences of departed loved ones.

At home or work, you can:

• Host a potluck where participants bring a dish connected to someone they’ve lost.
• Add note cards explaining the story behind each dish.
• Set up a “memory table” with photos, candles, and offerings to remember loved ones.

This brings people together, connecting taste, story, and remembrance.

3. Create Día de los Muertos Crafts Together

Crafting is a fun activity, a fun way to celebrate, and one of the fun things the whole family can enjoy together. Older kids and adults can create intricate designs or digital portraits to honor loved ones:

• Sugar skull decorating with icing, paint, or markers—use meringue powder in your sugar mixture for authentic results.
• Paper marigolds using bright orange and yellow construction paper, or try other dead crafts like papel picado to honor loved ones.
• Papel picado banners cut into intricate designs with scissors or a craft knife.
• Skeleton puppets or decorated masks for storytelling activities.
• Decorate colorful skulls with vibrant colors and dead designs for a festive touch.

These crafts encourage creativity while teaching the symbolism behind Día de los Muertos.

4. Celebrate Together at Work or in the Community

Día de los Muertos can also be a meaningful team-building opportunity when approached respectfully. Here’s how to host a small group or workplace event:

• Set the purpose: Honor loved ones, educate about traditions, or combine with a service project.
• Prepare a shared altar: Decorate with photos, marigolds, candles, sugar skulls, and pan de muerto.
• Craft activities: Make paper flowers, papel picado banners, or decorate sugar skulls. Encourage participants to create or perform with their own day crafts or activities, highlighting personal involvement and creativity.
• Storytelling and memory sharing: Invite participants to share memories or write messages for a “memory wall.”
• Include food: Sample pan de muerto or allow participants to bring a dish in honor of a loved one.
• Add a service component: Donate crafts to a local nonprofit or volunteer together, connecting remembrance with giving.
• Respect traditions: Keep activities educational and optional; avoid turning costumes or face paint into a gimmick.

5. Visit or Create a Community Altar

Public altars and festivals in cities like San Francisco showcase community participation in Día de los Muertos. These public celebrations often feature dead activities such as crafts, performances, or workshops, providing opportunities for families and kids to engage with the holiday through creative and meaningful projects. If one isn’t nearby, consider partnering with a library, school, or cultural center to create a community altar. Invite families to contribute photos, drawings, or notes about their loved ones.

This expands the celebration beyond your home or office, creating a shared cultural and educational experience.

6. Celebrate Life, Love, and Memory

At its core, Día de los Muertos is not about death, but about celebrating life. Many traditions take a light-hearted approach to remembering loved ones, using humor and joy to honor their memory. By creating altars, sharing food, crafting, and storytelling, we honor loved ones while connecting generations and communities.

Through bright colors, music, traditional foods, and joyful remembrance, Día de los Muertos teaches that life and death are part of the same beautiful circle. It encourages families, coworkers, and communities to reflect, bond, and cherish those who came before us—keeping their stories alive in our hearts.

How to Host a Respectful Team Event

Día de los Muertos can also be a meaningful team-building opportunity when approached with cultural respect. Consider hosting a small workplace or community event with these steps:

• Set the purpose: Honor loved ones, educate about traditions, or combine with a service project.
• Prepare a shared altar: Decorate with photos, marigolds, candles, sugar skulls, and pan de muerto.
• Craft activities: Make paper marigolds, papel picado banners, or decorate sugar skulls.
• Storytelling and memory sharing: Invite participants to share favorite memories or write messages for a “memory wall.”
• Include food: Sample pan de muerto or encourage participants to bring a dish that honors a loved one.
• Add a service component: Donate crafts to a local nonprofit or volunteer together, connecting remembrance with giving.
• Respect traditions: Keep activities educational and optional, avoid Halloween-style costumes, and focus on honoring life and memory.

Host a team building event with Foster Love!

Encourage everyone to leave with:

• A deeper understanding of Día de los Muertos and its cultural significance.
• A personal connection to remembrance and storytelling.
• A sense of community and teamwork, strengthened by honoring others together.

Takeaways

By thoughtfully combining altars, crafts, storytelling, and food, your team event can be joyful, educational, and respectful. Día de los Muertos becomes not only a celebration of life and memory but also an opportunity for teams and families to connect in meaningful ways.