Day Of The Dead Trivia Quiz

Answer: November

The most common dates for the Day of the Dead are 1st and 2nd November, during the period of Allhallowtide (All Saints' Eve/Halloween on 31st October, All Saints' Day on 1st November and All Souls' Day on 2nd November); some regions also incorporate 31st October. 1st November is for welcoming the souls of children, and 2nd November for the souls of adults. Originally celebrated in the 19th century in rural communities, the celebration began to spread across Mexico in the 20th century, incorporating both Christian and Aztec/indigenous imagery, the latter as the result of the "indigenismo" movement of the early 20th century, and pushback against the Catholic Church.

While the Day of the Dead is not Aztec in origin, the Aztecs did have festivals celebrating the dead, such as Quecholli, a festival honouring Mixcóatl, the god of war. Offerings of food would be placed on the graves of warriors.

Answer: Mexican marigold

The Mexican marigold, or cempasúchil ('flower of twenty petals'), is also known as 'flor de muerto', or 'flower of the dead', and has bright orange-gold petals. The colour and scent of the flower are important, as it helps the souls of the dead find their way to their family homes from their graves.

It is also planted in cemeteries. It has grown in Mexico since Aztec times, and its essential oil is used in Honduras to wash corpses. It is also used as a dye, and for medicinal purposes, such as aiding digestion.

Answer: A picture of the dead person, statuettes and crucifixes

Ofrendas can either be built in the home or in cemeteries, and are often highly personalised, featuring things that represent the dead person, or things that they might have liked; ofrendas for dead children may contain the child's favourite toys. The top layer of the ofrenda traditionally has photos of the dead person or people, along with crucifixes, statuettes of the Virgin Mary or images of saints. The second layer has various food items, such as fruit, sweets, pan de muerto - a kind of sweet bread - or shots of mezcal or tequila. The third layer contains candles and sometimes soap, a mirror, a towel and a washbasin so the dead person's soul can freshen up on arrival.

Ofrendas also vary by region. For example, in the coastal region of Veracruz, ofrendas may have seashells or seaweed, while in Oaxaca, they are decorated with colourful papier-mâché sculptures of fantastical creatures, called alebrijes.

Answer: Calaveras

Popular with children, the calavera is one of the most iconic items of Day of the Dead celebrations, and literally means 'skull'. The edible ones can be made of sugar or chocolate, while model ones are made of clay. The sugar ones are alfeñiques, a type of sweet made from moulded sugar paste; the paste is made from powdered sugar, egg white, lemon juice and a vegetable adhesive called chautle made from a cactus plant. After moulding, they are decorated with vegetable dyes. Some sugar skulls are so intricate that they are considered to be pieces of art and are not intended for consumption.

'Calavera' is also the name of a type of humorous poem written on the Day of the Dead, that takes a form of an epitaph and is written to remind people of their own mortality. The ones appearing in newspapers can be accompanied by cartoons of public figures as skeletons.

Answer: La Catrina

La Catrina originates from 'La Calavera Catrina', an etching of a skeleton in a big fancy hat by José Guadalupe Posada, which originally featured in a satirical newspaper and was said to satirise upper-class women wearing European fashions. However, artist Diego Rivera made La Catrina an icon when he depicted her in his mural 'Sueño de una Tarde Dominical en la Alameda Central', where she was dressed as a bride holding Posada's hand. The boy holding La Catrina's hand is Rivera himself; Frida Kahlo, his wife, stands behind him.

La Catrina entered the national consciousness through Day of the Dead parties held at museums in Mexico City dedicated to Kahlo and Rivera, and began appearing on prints. Today, artists make sculptures of her from various materials, while girls and women dress up as her at Day of the Dead parties, with skull-themed make-up and the traditional big fancy hat. Male Catrinas wear suits with top hats or mariachi outfits.

Answer: False

The Day of the Dead parades are a relatively new thing, and the first one was held in Mexico City in 2016. It was inspired by the James Bond film 'Spectre', which featured Bond chasing the bad guy through a crowd of people dressed up as skeletons; in fact, some of the props and costumes came from the film. 650 volunteers took part in the parade and over 250,000 people came to watch the parade, both locals and tourists, with giant skeletal puppets, floats decorated with flowers and skulls, and indigenous dancers in Aztec-inspired outfits.

It has since become an annual event.

Answer: Coco

'Coco' is set in Mexico and tells the story of Miguel, a musician whose great-great-grandmother Imelda banned music from her family after her musician husband left her. Miguel meets a skeleton and trickster, Héctor, who turns out to be his great-great-grandfather and was murdered by Ernesto de la Cruz, Miguel's favourite musician, who ripped off Héctor's songs. The film is set on the Day of the Dead and the plot kicks off when Miguel accidentally breaks a photo of his great-great-grandparents on the family ofrenda.

The character of Mamá Coco, Miguel's great-grandmother, was based on a real person, María de la Salud Ramírez Caballero, who lived in the Purépucha village of Santa Fe de la Laguna, and died in 2022 at the age of 109. Tourists came to visit Salud's family home, calling her 'Mamá Coco', much to her annoyance. After Salud's death, her family placed her photo on their ofrenda, along with her favourite meal of fish, beans, tortillas and a Pepsi. A floral arch was also built on her street in her memory.

Answer: Salad

Fiambre is a type of cold salad with multiple ingredients, which may include sausage, cold cuts, hard-boiled eggs, cheeses, beetroot, pacaya flowers (pacaya is a type of palm tree), chicken and olives. If it has beetroot, it is a fiambre rojo ('red fiambre'); without beetroot, it is a fiambre blanco ('white fiambre').

Some varieties can have up to fifty ingredients! The origins of fiambre are debatable; one story claims a maid was sent to buy groceries for a visitor, but got confused and bought too many items.

Some families bring their own ingredients and make the salad together and share it.

Answer: Belize

Hanal Pixán (Food of the Souls) is celebrated in the Yucatán Peninsula and Belize. In the Belizean variant, 31st October (U Hanal Palal) is dedicated to children, and children wear a black or red cloth band on their right hand to show that they are alive. Children's ofrendas are colourful and decorated with embroidered tablecloths. 1st November (U Hanal Nucuchuinicoob) is dedicated to adults, and 2nd November (U Hanal Pixanoob) is celebrated in the local cemetery. A week later, there is a smaller festival called 'Bix', where candles are placed on verandas and at the entries of houses to help the dead find their way back to their final resting place.

Hanal Pixán is also the name of a Belizean Yucatec Mayan metal band inspired by Mayan history and culture.

Answer: Purple

The drink in question is known as 'Colada Morada', 'morada' meaning 'purple'. It is drunk on 2nd November and is made with black or purple corn as a base, and a variety of fruits that can include bananas, guavas, blackberries, mortiños (wild blueberries) and strawberries, and herbs such as lemon verbena, orange leaf, cinnamon or cloves.

It is thickened with cornflour and sweetened with sugar or panela (unrefined cane sugar). It is sometimes served with t'anta wawa or guaguas de pan, sweet bread figures decorated with smiley faces and stuffed with jam, chocolate or dulce de leche.