Day of The Dead/Dia de los muertos
El Dia de los Muertos (the Day of the Dead), a Mexican celebration, is a day to celebrate and prepare special foods in honor of those who have died. This day they have the opportunity to remember their departed ones but in a happy manner. On this day in Mexico, you will see the streets filled with vendors selling merchandise typical of this day; flowers, candy, sugar canes, 'pan de muerto',calaveras (skulls), esqueletos (skeletons), and at night there are parades.
The cemeteries are filled with decorations of papel picado, (paper figures), candles, flowers, and musicians. It is believed that the spirit of the dead visit their families on November 1st and November 2nd. November 1st is dedicated to the 'angelitos' (little angels), children who died at an early age, and the 2nd is to honor deceased adults. At home or at cemeteries the relatives of the deceased make an altar to honor the deceased.
Mexicans look at death with the same fear like any other culture, but instead of showing fear they mock death, this is their way to say, "I'm not afraid of you...death".
There are many euphemisms used for death, La calaca (the skeleton), la pelona ("baldy"), la flaca ("skinny"), and la huesada ("bony"), la fría (the cold one). There are poems that are popular with day of the dead. These poems are called "calaveras literarias" (literary skulls), which are poems dedicated to a person who is alive. In these poems people laugh at death right on its face, but the term is also used to refer to rhyming mock-obituaries that make fun at living politicians, well known people, friends or prominent citizens, written especially around the season of Day of the Dead. "Las calaveras de azúcar" (sugar candy skulls) are decorated with bright colors with the name of the departed written on the front head, but also could be done for a person who is alive, it's a way of mocking Death.
At home the family gets together and the women cook the food that the departed used to like. "Pan de muerto" is a typical bread baked for this event, it's usually sweet and on top has more sugar. The entire family helps in the baking of the bread, this tradition it's also a way of keeping the family together. The name of the bread comes from the same name of the festivity and it is made in a way that it will last for many days until the end of the celebrations.
In Mexico, Day Of The Dead is a celebration that is very alive.
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The cemeteries are filled with decorations of papel picado, (paper figures), candles, flowers, and musicians. It is believed that the spirit of the dead visit their families on November 1st and November 2nd. November 1st is dedicated to the 'angelitos' (little angels), children who died at an early age, and the 2nd is to honor deceased adults. At home or at cemeteries the relatives of the deceased make an altar to honor the deceased.
Mexicans look at death with the same fear like any other culture, but instead of showing fear they mock death, this is their way to say, "I'm not afraid of you...death".
There are many euphemisms used for death, La calaca (the skeleton), la pelona ("baldy"), la flaca ("skinny"), and la huesada ("bony"), la fría (the cold one). There are poems that are popular with day of the dead. These poems are called "calaveras literarias" (literary skulls), which are poems dedicated to a person who is alive. In these poems people laugh at death right on its face, but the term is also used to refer to rhyming mock-obituaries that make fun at living politicians, well known people, friends or prominent citizens, written especially around the season of Day of the Dead. "Las calaveras de azúcar" (sugar candy skulls) are decorated with bright colors with the name of the departed written on the front head, but also could be done for a person who is alive, it's a way of mocking Death.
At home the family gets together and the women cook the food that the departed used to like. "Pan de muerto" is a typical bread baked for this event, it's usually sweet and on top has more sugar. The entire family helps in the baking of the bread, this tradition it's also a way of keeping the family together. The name of the bread comes from the same name of the festivity and it is made in a way that it will last for many days until the end of the celebrations.
In Mexico, Day Of The Dead is a celebration that is very alive.
google.com