Día de Muertos at Sugar Fixé

Pan de Muerto · In store Saturday, October 31 & Sunday, November 1

This weekend we're honoring one of the most beautiful celebrations of the year with a special batch of traditional pan de muerto, available in our Oak Park café for two days only. Come in early for the best selection.

The Significance of the Day

Día de Muertos, the Day of the Dead, is celebrated each year on November 1 and 2. Far from a somber occasion, it's a joyful time when families welcome back the spirits of loved ones who have passed, remembering them with food, music, stories and laughter.

The tradition blends Indigenous Mesoamerican beliefs about death as a natural part of life's cycle with the Catholic observances of All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day. November 1 is often dedicated to children who have died, los angelitos, and November 2 to adults. In 2008, UNESCO recognized Día de Muertos as part of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

At the heart of the celebration is the ofrenda, a home altar decorated with bright orange cempasúchil (marigolds), whose color and scent are said to guide spirits home. Families add candles, papel picado, photographs, sugar skulls, a glass of water for the long journey, and the favorite foods and drinks of those being remembered. And on nearly every ofrenda, you'll find pan de muerto.

Pan de Muerto

Pan de muerto, "bread of the dead," is a soft, sweet, enriched bread made with butter and eggs and perfumed with orange blossom and citrus zest. Each round loaf is crowned with strips of dough shaped like bones, crossed to represent the cycle of life, and topped with a small ball at the center that is said to symbolize a skull or a tear. Once baked, it's brushed with butter and finished with a generous coating of sugar.

The bread is placed on the ofrenda as an offering to nourish visiting spirits, and it's shared among family and friends, often with a cup of hot chocolate or café de olla. Breaking bread together is a way of keeping the memory of loved ones close.

Visit Us This Weekend

Saturday, October 31 and Sunday, November 1
Sugar Fixé Pâtisserie · 119 N Marion St, Oak Park, IL 60301
Available in store only, while supplies last.