Halloween and Día de los Muertos with Death and Friends

Join us for a fun deep dive into the history of Halloween and Día de los Muertos with Nash and Angel of the Death and Friends podcast. We talk about the ancient origins of Halloween, beginning with the Celtic bonfires, feasts, and drunken festivities that took place during Samhain. When the forces of colonialism, Catholicism, and capitalism arrive on the scene, the Pagan celebration is appropriated and severely distorted. We discuss how these communal celebrations slowly morph into the capitalist holiday that we now celebrate by purchasing candy, decorations, mass-produced costumes, and scary movies. 

Angel Luna helps us understand the connections between Halloween and Día de los Muertos. He explains the anticapitalist origins of sugar skulls – a tradition that grew out of political art critiquing the Mexican bourgeoisie. To give you a bit of Angel’s background, he is a Chicago-based comedian and magician. If you need a magician for a wedding, a bar mitzvah, or a quinceniera, you should hit him up! Follow him on Twitter and IG.

Nash Flynn is actually a returning guest who previously appeared on the show to talk about how capitalism ruined funerals. In addition to being a comedian, Nash is also a death historian who studies death-ways and burial rituals. She’s also the host of the Tomorrow Today podcast that explores current research about the shape of the future.


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Our cocktail pairing for this episode is the “October Veil,” a name that refers to the ancient belief that the veil between this world and the next is thinnest during Samhain. It was believed that the veil became so thin during this time of year that spirits could cross over into the world of the living.

Big thanks to Jesse Torres for crafting this beautiful Halloween drink!

October Veil Cocktail

Use your favorite spiced rum but we recommend using Chairman’s Reserve, Bounty, or Foursquar

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This show is sponsored by Beautiful Trouble — an international network of organizers, artists, and trainers working to equip grassroots movements with the tools to become more creative, effective, and irresistible.