Renowned Mexican actor Eugenio Derbez and PATRÓN Tequila have partnered to share the rich history of Día de Muertos and encourage the world to celebrate those who have departed before them, with a smile. The ancient tradition turned global holiday is celebrated each year on November 1-2 and is observed by honoring the dead through food, drinks, and symbolism including the Calavera, an ornate representation of the human skull. Eugenio partnered with the world‘s number one ultra-premium tequila to release an animated story that highlights the traditions of honoring ancestors through the journey of the PATRÓN Calavera bee. Eugenio’s voice tells the story written by Isabel Zapata, a Mexico City native, with animated designs created by Mexican artist, Lugar de Huida. HOLA USA! had the opportunity to talk to the Mexican actor about what the holiday means to him, and how he’s passing on the tradition to his and Alejandra Rosaldo,’s 7-year-old daughter Aitana. Read our interview, watch the video and find the perfect PATRÓN Tequila recipe for Día de Los Muertos below.
[Aitana] was really excited about hearing stories of her grandpa, and grandma. And I told her that in Mexico, instead of people crying about the dead we have this beautiful party.
So tell me a little bit about your history with Dia De Muertos, did you celebrate it as a kid?
Always. I always celebrated Dia de Muertos when I was living in Mexico. And since I moved here, I never put up an altar, but I started celebrating Dia de Muertos last year because I wanted to teach my daughter {Aitana} I have a seven-year-old daughter and I wanted her to understand this beautiful tradition and what it‘s all about. And that’s why it‘s an honor for me to be working with Patron celebrating Dia de Muertos because it’s a holiday that is really dear to me, an important part of my heritage.
There are a lot of people that don’t know what it is or compare it to Halloween. How did you describe it to Aitana so that she knew how special it was?
Exactly. I told her in Mexico of course we celebrate Halloween too, but we have another kind of Mexican Halloween that’s called Dia de Muertos. We have this big party to remember the people who left before us. And for example, my daughter didn‘t know my mother and my father. So I wanted her to know them pretty well. I mean, she probably saw a picture of them at some time but I took this opportunity to tell her stories about my dad and about my mom and how my relationship was with them. And it was very interesting. She was really excited about hearing stories of her grandpa, and grandma. And I told her that in Mexico, instead of people crying about the dead we have this beautiful party. There’s a beautiful place, in Mexico- it‘s a small town near Mexico city called Mixquit and although it’s small in size, they hugely celebrate Dia de Los Muertos. Every single house in the town has an altar and they open their doors to everyone. So the town gets extremely crowded and everyone goes to a big party in the cemetery that‘s at the end of the main street. Everyone sits on top of the graves and eats Mexican food, like mole, rice, chicken, beans, tortillas, there’s mariachi playing music and everyone is sharing food. It’s a big party with music and everyone is sharing experiences and food- everything. So I wanted my daughter to know about this beautiful tradition and hopefully one day I will be able to take her to Mexico to see the real Dia de Los Muertos.
I love that she was so fascinated by her grandparents. That‘s something I’ve noticed about my nieces and nephews too. They love hearing stories about my mom because she passed away too. And I love the idea of teaching them young and letting them know why those people were special and having that reason to talk about death in a not-so-scary way, and instead it being this beautiful thing.
Exactly. I wanted her not to fear death and to celebrate Dia de Los Muertos. It‘s strange because even the words “celebrating death” it’s like celebrating life through the memories of our dead people … I would love for the world to adopt this beautiful tradition. Same as in Mexico. We adopted Halloween little by little, and now it‘s a big thing in Mexico. I would love to one day see Dia de Los Muertos in the U.S for example, or in any other part of the world, it’s a beautiful tradition.
I feel like this year, specifically, there‘s been a lot of sadness and a lot of loss and a lot of, you know, hardships that we’ve all gone through. I think we can also think of the other people that have lost loved ones. Do you have any final words for celebrating Dia de Los Muertos this year and making it a positive one?
Well, it‘s exactly what you said. I think this year has been very tough for everyone and a lot of people lost family and friends. So I think especially this year is it would be great to celebrate it with a smile. Finally, it’s been a tough year for everyone, and that‘s why I partnered with Patron because I wanted to, first of all, show the entire world this tradition. To teach people from other countries about how beautiful this tradition is where we don’t have to cry. The best ways to remember those that departed before us is with a smile, with music, with food, with tequila. And I think this year especially we need to smile. We need to remember them with happiness, not with sadness. That‘s why I was very happy to link up with Tequila Patron.
PAN DE MUERTOS
- 1.5 oz PATRÓN Reposado
- 0.5 oz Orgeat
- 0.75 oz lime juice
- 0.5 oz Orange liqueur
- 0.5 oz Pineapple juice
- Caramelized orange wedge
- 3 pineapple leaves
Directions: Add all ingredients to the shaker. Shake and strain, serve in highball or skull mug with crushed ice.
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