Dia De Los Muertos

By: Rigo Balcazar

What is El Dia De Los Muertos?El Día de los Muertos is an important celebration in Mexico that is

slowly making its way up north into the Southwestern United States. It began as a month-long Aztec celebration of the dead. When the Spaniards arrived they wanted to convert the Aztecs to Catholicism and so they began to celebrate El Día de los Muertos on November 2nd, All Hallows’ Eve. It is similar to Memorial Day in remembering the dead, but otherwise it is very different, more festive like Halloween. It is believed that the dead come back briefly to celebrate with their loved ones. Altars are built to honor the dead. Grave sites are visited. In some areas of Mexico people dress up as skeletons and parade in the street.

The Day Of The Year Of Dia De Los Muertos And The Significance

The beginning of Dia De Los Muertos stars on

November 1st and goes through the 2nd. The

candles are so the loved ones on the other side can find you. I guess

they are like a beacon. The skeletons are just a symbol of the day. They are usually painted to be

colorful and smiling, because in Hispanic

culture we do not look at death as a horrible and sad thing. We use these

days to celebrate the cycle of life and death

and to honor the memory of our loved ones.

How Old Is The Day Of The Dead And Who Started ItThe Day of the Dead started in the ninth month of the Aztec

calendar, about the beginning of August, and was celebrated for an entire month. The festivities were

dedicated to the god known as the "Lady of the Dead", corresponding to the modern Catrina. In Mexico they celebrated in November 1 and 2. November 1 honors

children and infants which makes it “Dia De Los Inocentes.” November the second honors adults which makes it “Dia De

Los Muertos.”

Dia De Los Muertos And HalloweenDía de los Muertos is a Mexican celebration that honors the dead by

making an altar in your home with pictures of your dearly departed friends and family, with their favorite things as a reminder of them in life. It is common to put food and drink on the altar, as well as other

things, like favorite personal objects, cigarettes if they smoked, etc. The altar is also decorated with flowers called cempazuchitl, a special bread called Pan de Muerto and small skulls made out of sugar. Many skulls

are also painted with the name of the living, who then eat their own sugar skull, as a way to laugh at death. In some areas, a place is set for the dead at the dinner table with a plate of food that nobody eats, as it is for the dead. This tradition is rarer now a days. The only similarity to

Halloween, I think, is the mocking of something that is frightening to us. Halloween mocks various monsters that we might fear, while Day of the

Dead, in certain aspects, mocks Death itself.

How I Would Celebrate Day Of The Dead And Who Is It Honor

ForBuild An Altar With Favorite Foods And

Trinkets That My Grandma Liked When She Was Living

I Would Visit The Grave Of My GrandmaPrepare A Special Dinner

I Think Is Important To Remember Your Loved Ones That Have Passed On Because They

Were In Your Life And They Helped You Out A lot. You Can Never Forget Someone Who

Was Always There For You.