<Tr> <Th> Place of origin </Th> <Td> Mexico </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td_colspan="2"> Cookbook: Pan de Muerto Media: Pan de Muerto </Td> </Tr> <P> Pan de muerto (Spanish for bread of the dead), also called pan de los muertos or dead bread in the United States, is a type of sweet roll traditionally baked in Mexico during the weeks leading up to the Día de Muertos, which is celebrated on November 1 and 2 . It is a sweetened soft bread shaped like a bun, often decorated with bone - shaped phalanges pieces . Pan de muerto is eaten on Día de Muertos, at the gravesite or altar of the deceased . In some regions, it is eaten for months before the official celebration of Dia de Muertos . In Oaxaca, pan de muerto is the same bread that is usually baked, with the addition of decorations . As part of the celebration, loved ones eat pan de muerto as well as the relative's favorite foods . The bones represent the deceased one (difuntos or difuntas) and there is normally a baked tear drop on the bread to represent goddess Chimalma's tears for the living . The bones are represented in a circle to portray the circle of life . The bread is topped with sugar . This bread can be found in Mexican grocery stores in the U.S. </P> <P> The classic recipe for pan de muerto is a simple sweet bread recipe, often with the addition of anise seeds, and other times flavored with orange flower water or orange zest . Other variations are made depending on the region or the baker . The one baking the bread will usually wear decorated wrist bands, a tradition which was originally practiced to protect from burns on the stove or oven . </P>

What is the meaning of pan de los muertos