Rituals of Mexico
Mexico marks its year with rituals. Each one has its own flowers, its own food, and its own table.
Día de Muertos · October 31 to November 2
The family sets an ofrenda at home for the people it remembers, with cempasúchil, candles, water, salt, pan de muerto and the things they loved. What goes on an ofrenda, and why.
Las Posadas and Nochebuena · December 16 to 24
Nine nights of asking for shelter, a seven-pointed piñata, hot ponche, and on the 24th the longest dinner of the year. How Mexico celebrates Christmas.
Día de Reyes · January 6
The rosca is cut, and whoever finds the figure inside hosts the tamales on February 2. The season ends with a promise of the next gathering.
The rituals of every day
Not every ritual is on the calendar. Coffee before the house wakes. The board set out on a Thursday because someone is coming. The drink made carefully for no occasion at all.
- Honey on the board — what to pair, and how to serve it
- The Bees Knees — gin, lemon, honey
- Cafe de olla — coffee, cinnamon, clay pot
- Tasting notes — how to taste honey the way wine is tasted
The vessel in every ritual
Every Fantina vessel is shaped and painted by hand in Santa María Canchesdá, freehand, no two alike. The honey is shared at the table. The vessel stays and finds its place in the next ritual: the salt of the altar, the sugar for the ponche, the rings by the bed.