I learned about the traditions of All Saints’ Day, All Souls’ Day and Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead). These observances are all centered on honoring and remembering the dead. All Saints’ Day (November 1st) honors all saints, known and unknown. All Souls’ Day (November 2nd) is dedicated to praying for all departed souls. Día de los Muertos, celebrated mainly in Mexico and other Latin American countries around the same dates, blends Catholic beliefs with Indigenous customs. Families create colorful ofrendas (altars), decorate with marigolds, candles and photos, and they bring food, music and offerings to cemeteries to welcome the spirits of loved ones. In Spain, they will visit the cemetery to visit loved ones, but it is not exactly Día de los Muertos to them. There are also some pastries only found during All Souls' Day. Huesos de santo are cylindrical, whitish marzipans made to resemble small human bones and are filled with yema (sweet egg yolk cream), chocolate, coconut or truffle. Buñuelos de viento are pastries that look like donut holes and are filled with whipped cream, pastry cream or chocolate. Panellets are cookies coated with nuts or flavored with almond, coconut, coffee and more. There is also pan de muerto, which is sweet yeast bread with sugary orange glaze. I only tasted the pan de muerto and hueso de santos, but they were both muy sabroso (very flavorful)!
