Why do our deat come do dinner?

Altar of the dead on the coast of ecuador

Abstract

The yearly celebration for the dead on November 1 and 2 is a Pan-American ritual practice, especially in native communities. On the coast of Ecuador, each year, the dead are summoned by the family to return and share. The invoked souls, both children and adults, are invited to enjoy a large amount of food prepared specially for them. This ritual takes place in numerous communities located in the provinces of Guayas, Santa Elena, and Manabí.

Through extensive fieldwork in the region over several decades, we have collected information and testimonies that allow us to compare changes and continuities in the preparation of the meals and products offered. Not only do the souls enjoy the food, but also the entire congregated family and all the people, adults and children, who visit the homes where the food is consumed and shared on these days. Although numerous impacts since the colonial past have transformed the way we eat, the ingredients, and access to resources, the ritual's relevance makes sense as a mechanism of self-reference and contrast with white-mestizo culture. Food, beyond its caring function of nourishing the souls of the deceased, promotes social cohesion and reaffirms collective identity. The souls return to eat, but also as a sign of spirituality that recognizes the connection between two condition, life and death, to activate ancestral memory and reclaim ethnic rights.