CHESAPEAKE, Va. — Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is a time to honor and remember loved ones who have passed away. One way that people do that is with Pan de Muertos, or "bread of the dead" in English.
I wanted to share this beautiful and meaningful tradition with all of you, so I came on down to Mexican bakery La Loma in Chesapeake to show you how it’s made!
“It’s like a party for the dead,” said Octavio Gayosso Castillo, the owner and baker of La Loma Mexican Bakery.
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Around this time of year, Día de los Muertos is celebrated by Mexicans, along with some other Latinos around the world—even here in Hampton Roads.
“It’s really important to continue this tradition,” he told me.
The holiday is celebrated between the end of October and the beginning of November.
There are different versions surrounding the bread’s origins, but many agree it comes from a fusion of indigenous and Spanish Catholic traditions.
It’s like a family reunion, except those who are no longer with us are the guests of honor and enjoy the gifts we leave them as a token of our love.
“The people who died return to their families’ homes and their relatives prepare an altar with their photos, flowers, their favorite foods and drinks, this bread of the dead, and everything the person loved while they were alive,” said Gayosso Castillo.
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Gayosso Castillo has been making Pan de Muertos in Chesapeake for six years, even though he started baking long before that as a child, helping his father and grandfather.
“I come from a family of several generations of bakers, starting with my great-grandfather," he explained.
Each baker has their own special take on this tradition. At La Loma, they shape it with a rounded part that represents the grave or skull of the deceased. They also add longer pieces that represent the bones coming out.
“Pan de Muertos is one of the centuries-old traditions that still continues today,” he tells me.
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It can be different sizes, shapes, flavors, and even colors.
But Octavio tells me the most important thing about the sweet bread is to keep the tradition alive and continue to share it with others.
“When you grow up in a culture as rooted as we do in Mexico, you might leave your hometown. But your hometown, your customs, your traditions, will always go with you wherever you go," he says.
If you’d like to try some Pan de Muertos, you can visit La Loma Mexican bakery in Chesapeake at 1457 Mt. Pleasant Road #105 in Chesapeake.
