Day of the Dead is a Mexican holiday celebrated throughout Mexico. This holiday is a day to remember friends or family members who have died and prepare special foods in honor of those people. It is believed that the spirit of the dead visit their families on October 31, and leave on November 2. Day of the Dead has its origins in Aztec traditions honoring the dead. Day of the Dead, All Saints’ Day, and All Souls’ Day are all connected because the indigenous people have combined this with their own ancient beliefs of honoring their deceased loved ones. They believe that the gates of heaven are opened at midnight of October 31, and the spirits of all deceased children are allowed to reunite with their families for 24 hours. On November 2, the …show more content…
Cemeteries are the place the souls of the dead revisit the land of the living and partake in the offerings given them by their family and friends. While Day of the Dead is viewed primarily as a Mexican holiday, it is also celebrated in communities in the United States with large populations of Mexican-Americans, and to a lesser extent elsewhere in Latin America. This Holiday is celebrated joyfully, and though it occurs at the same time as Halloween, All Saints’ Day, and All Souls’ Day, the mood of the Day of the Dead is in a light way.
Rituals celebrating the lives of dead ancestors had been performed by these Mesoamerican civilizations for at least 3,000 years. It was very common to keep skulls as trophies and display them during rituals as a symbol of death and rebirth. Festivities were created over by the goddess Mictecacihuatl, known as the “Lady of the Dead”. The Spanish combined their custom of halloween with the similar Mesoamerican festival, making the Day of the Dead. A common symbol for this Mexican holiday is the skull, which the people represent as wearing masks called calacas. Sugar skulls are often eaten by a relative or a friend. These were all facts about the Mexican Holiday called the Day of the
Dia de Los Muertos, also known as the Day of the Dead, is an internationally recognized Mexican holiday which consists of the gatherings of friends and family to honor those who have passed. Similar rituals commemorating those who have deceased are believed to have began around 3,000 years ago. Dia de Los Muertos takes place three days from October 31st to November 2nd. October 31st is known as All Hallows Eve and is a time when the children invite the spirits of deceased children to come back. November 1st is All Saints Day and is when the adult spirits are said to return. November 2nd is All Souls Day and is when families go and decorate the graves of their lost loved ones. The building of private altars in cemeteries containing the
II. Relevance to the audience: Everyone has had a loved one or someone they know pass away and have gone to the cemetery to honor their death, which is why Dia de los Muertos is celebrated in all parts of the world.
El día de los muertos or Day of the Dead is a Celebration for families to celebrate their loved ones whom they’ve lost. This holiday originated in Mexico and the history is similar to the natives whom celebrated something similar to this holiday, and the Mexican took parts of it to create their own holiday. The Day of The Dead is celebrated in November compared to Halloween that is celebrated on the last day of October.
El día de los Muertos, also known as, Day of the Dead, is celebrated starting on October 31st, Halloween, and ends on November 2 of each year. It is a Mexican holiday, primarily a Catholic holiday, celebrated throughout Mexico, the Central and South regions. The significance of this celebration is prayer and remembrance of friends and family members who have died. On November 1st, the children would be the first to return to Earth and then on November 2nd, the adults would follow, which is why November 2nd is considered All Souls’ Day. (Kerri Allen, 2004) It is common for the families to put out pictures of their loved ones who have passed away on an alter and put out their favorite foods and gifts. Incense are lit, food is offered, mass is
The belief in the afterlife involved with this holiday is very similar to that of the mesoamericans. The aztecs in particular had a month long celebration, very similar to that of Day of the Dead, in which they honored and delivered offerings to the deceased. When the spaniards arrived they did a fair job of popularizing their faith among the mesoamericans. The mesoamericans moved their month long celebration of death to coincide with the catholic holidays of All Saints and All Souls(November 1st and 2nd). Today, Day of the Dead is about celebrating death by creating altars carpeted with offerings to the souls of loved ones. Today, an iconic symbol of Día de los Muertos is the skeleton, one of the most significant skeleton characters is La Catrina. Day of the Dead is now picking up bits and pieces of Halloween tradition. Children are now participating in pedir los muertos, or ask the dead, during which children dress in costumes and meander, receiving candy as well as things from people’s day of the dead altars, in some places.
El Día de los Muertos, the Day of the Dead, is a holiday is dominantly celebrated in Mexico on the first and second day of November. Before the celebration begins, on October 31st, All Hallows Eve is held. On this day, parades of people in extravagant costumes walk the streets determined to clear the area of all evil spirits to prepare for the following days. On November 1st, it is el Día de los Innnocentes, the day of the children, and also All Saints Day. During this day, young children (known as saints, angels, or innocents) that have passed away are celebrated and remembered for the short lives they lived.
Foreigners have more trouble understanding Dia de Los Muertos than any of Mexico's other celebrations. At first glance, they see Day of the Dead decorations which are colored paper garlands, little skeletons performing daily tasks and sugar skulls inscribed with names, which remind them of Halloween. Other tourists discover that much like Memorial or Remembrance Day in the US, families here visit, clean and decorate graves of loved ones for the
Foreigners have more trouble understanding Dia de Los Muertos than any of Mexico 's other celebrations. At first glance, they see Day of the Dead decorations which are colored paper garlands, little skeletons performing daily tasks and sugar skulls inscribed with names, which remind them of Halloween. Other tourists discover that much like Memorial or Remembrance Day in the US, families here visit, clean and decorate graves of loved ones for the
Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is a holiday that commemorates the family and its importance to human beings, both personally and culturally. Through various rituals, people honor their ancestors and those that have already passed on before them. The rituals that go on during this time are culturally rich practices that have been passed on for hundreds of years. Family members will go to graveyards to decorate relative’s graves with altars and tell fond stories of the deceased. Others will perform traditional dances or make quilts as tribute to their ancestors. Overall, Day of the Dead emphasizes the remembrance of loved ones and their significance to us through deeply embedded customs.
While I was unable to attend, this community gathering, I did find Dr. Gonzales description of the Day of the Dead meaningful. In her email, she stated the following.
Day of the dead or Día de los muertos, is a celebration, mostly celebrated in mexico. This day is technically celebrated from October 31st to November 2nd. Rather than Halloween which is only celebrated on October 31st in a number of countries, throughout the world. Although these holidays are similar, they are very different.
The day of the dead is a holiday and tradition celebrated in Mexico is one of the most important day for all Mexicans. They celebrate the return of all the past relatives. Most Americans think then is like a Mexican Halloween but is not being a totally different holy day of the dead come from the Pre-Hispanic time.
First, celebration and remembrance of loved ones that have passed on takes varying forms. Hispanic culture has the tradition of the Day of the Dead: two days set aside for celebrating the memory of the deceased by making altars laden with objects to represent and invite spirits of dead family members. The culture believes that the way to celebrate
Day of the Asleep is a Mexican break that is commended on October 31 - November 2 of every year.
In Mexico, fiestas occur frequently throughout the year as a custom. Mexicans gather on these holidays to eat dance,take part in parades, and remember historic or religious events. Mexican Independence Day celebrates the separation of the country from Spain on September 16, 1810. Another famous celebration is Day of the Dead which is celebrated on the first of November. Although it may sound scary, this celebration is a cheerful time of remembering friends and family members who have died.