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Day of the Dead

October 27, 2017

The Day of the Dead Explained

Does it seem like these sugar skulls have just cropped up all over the place all of a sudden? While they’re totally on trend, they actually date back to the Spanish conquest; they are used to celebrate the multi-day Mexican holiday called The Day of the Dead. I have a particular fascination with this holiday because I got married on Halloween in Mexico during The Day of the Dead.

The Day of the Dead is a 2 to 4 day celebration of those who have passed on; it’s filled with gatherings of family and friends to pray for and remember friends and family members who have died, and help support their spiritual journey. The belief is that the gates of heaven are opened at midnight on October 31, and the spirits of all deceased children (angelitos) are allowed to reunite with their families for 24 hours.

On November 2, the spirits of the adults come down to enjoy the festivities that are prepared for them. The sugar skulls are placed as decorations to recognize the person who has passed. His or her name is written on the sugar skull’s forehead and, depending on the age of the deceased, the size of the skull might vary — baby skulls are dedicated to those who passed at a young age and larger skulls are for adults. The colors of the skulls differ, too. Some are covered in ribbons and icing, others are dipped in glitter and decorated with bright adornments like hats and bows. While you’ll find a variety of versions, you won’t find any that lack color, because color reflects life, and the Day of the Dead celebrates just that.

The symbol is a commemoration of the person you are honoring whether dead or alive. That’s why you don’t have to wait for someone to pass to offer them a sugar skull; you can give one as a gift on Day of the Dead as a sweet reminder that death is the only thing guaranteed in this life.

So my dears, please accept this sugar skull from me to you and remember to live each day to it’s fullest!

Oh, and we found this yummy sugar skull cookie recipe and we just had to share it with you in spirit of Day of the Dead!

Ingredients:

1-1/4 cups butter, softened
1-3/4 cups confectioners’ sugar
2 ounces almond paste
1 large egg
1/4 cup 2% milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 packages (12 ounces each) white candy coating melts
Decorations of your choice: jumbo sprinkles, peppermint candies, candy-coated sunflower kernels, Skittles,
Twizzlers Rainbow Twists and Good & Plenty candies
Black paste food coloring.

Directions:

1- In a large bowl, cream butter and confectioners’ sugar until light and fluffy; add almond paste. Beat in the egg, milk and vanilla. Combine flour and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.

2- On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to 1/4-in. thickness. Cut out with a floured 5-in. skull-shaped cookie cutter. Place 1 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets.

3- Bake at 375° for 7-9 minutes or until firm. Let stand for 2 minutes before removing to wire racks to cool completely.

4- In a large, shallow microwave-safe dish, melt white candy melts according to package directions. Dip top side of each cookie into coating, allowing excess to drip off; place on waxed paper.

5- Add decorations as desired. Tint remaining white coating black; pipe on mouth. Let stand until set.Yield: 1 dozen.

Enjoy!

Day of the Dead

The Day of the Dead Explained

Ingredients:

Directions:

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