Pop up exhibition: Día de Muertos. Mexican Day of the Dead

Helinä Rautavaara Museum once again commemorates the deceased in accordance with the Mexican Day of the Dead tradition. The Day of the Dead in Mexico is a syncretic celebration that combines elements of Aztec and pre-conquest cultures with Catholic traditions. The celebration is held annually in late October and early November in Mexico and among Mexicans around the world.

Artist Rosamaría Bolom will work with museum visitors to create a gift table dedicated to their deceased loved ones. “For Mexicans, waiting for the return of the dead with candles and memories is more than just a tradition. It is a continuous dialogue in which our hearts call back those who have given us memories,” says Bolom.

Ofrendas (gifts, offerings) are an important part of the festive tradition and are set up in homes and public spaces. They are often decorated with colorful and white tablecloths, fabrics, and silk paper decorations. The offering table is usually set with water, salt, candles, flowers, and fruit to represent the four elements of nature. Water refers to the purity of the soul and the origin of life. It quenches the thirst of the deceased, who are tired from their journey. Candles light the path of the dead so that they can reach the places where they are expected. Salt is believed to help prevent the body of the deceased from being damaged during the next year’s journey back and forth.

In addition to the gift table, the museum displays colourful and imaginative alebrijes papier-mâché figures, which were donated to the museum by the Mexican Embassy in Finland in the spring of 2023, as well as a collection of skulls from Bolom, inspired by the encounter between Mexican and Finnish cultures. Calaveras skulls are central symbols of Mexico’s Day of the Dead, representing death and the celebration of death.

Día de Muertos. The opening of the pop up exhibition on the Mexican Day of the Dead will be celebrated on Saturday, November 1, 2025, at 1 p.m. Museum visitors are welcome to bring photographs, flowers, and small gifts to the gift table in memory of their deceased loved ones. After the opening, there will be a workshop where skulls will be decorated together with Rosamaría Bolom.  

The pop up exhibition is being organized in collaboration with the Embassy of Finland in Mexico and with the support of the City of Espoo.

Photo: Rosamaría Bolom