Day of the Dead/Día de los muertos
Children's Day of the Dead Stories. Photo from google
Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is observed in Spain and throughout parts of Latin America, such as Peru and Brazil, but is most notably celebrated in Mexico. There, it combines indigenous Mexican tradition with the Catholic celebration of All Saints and All Souls Days. All Saints Day, celebrated on November 1st, honors all saints who are enjoying life with God in heaven. All Souls Day, celebrated on November 2nd, is a day set aside to remember and pray for the dead. Día de los Muertos begins the evening of November 1st and continues through November 2nd. It is literally a celebration of the dead: a time to remember family members who have passed away.
While devoting a day to focus on death may sound kind of spooky or sad, the Day of the Dead is actually a celebration of life – eternal life. Hispanic culture, and Mexico in particular, generally has a different attitude towards death than the Anglo-Saxon, or English-speaking, culture. Anglo-Saxon culture often tip-toes around the subject of death, using euphemisms (expressions substituting more agreeable or less offensive words) to describe death, such as “no long with us,” “passed away,” or “gone on to their eternal rest.” The open celebration of death in Mexico may have been influenced by its pre-Columbian Olmec, Aztec and Mayan past, whose cultures viewed death as simply part of the great circle of life. Indeed, our faith tells us that we have the promise of eternal life after death. We believe that Jesus rose from the dead, turning death into life, because of His incredible love for us.
Catholic belief in the promise of eternal life is why the traditional symbol of Día de los Muertos, la Muerte (death) or la Calavera (skull or skeleton), which is kind of a cross between a skeleton and a clown, isn’t meant to be interpreted like their Anglo-Saxon counterparts, where skeletons are seen as scary ghosts returned from the dead to haunt us; rather, la Muerte lets us laugh in the face of death - our own death - because, as Catholics, we believe in the resurrection.
One of the Día de los Muertos customs is to set up an altar in the home to remember those who have died in the family. The family altar is typically decorated with candles, statues, religious symbols, photographs, flowers and food. Families place traditional flowers on the altar, called zempasúchiles (marigolds) in Náhuatl, the indigenous language of the Aztecs, as well as food offerings, generally a favorite meal and beverage of a loved one. The meal is put out the evening of November 1st, and then shared by the entire family as breakfast the following morning. It is also traditional this time of year to make or buy calaveritas de azúcar, or “little candy skulls” made of refined sugar, with the name of a loved one written on it. Another item baked to “sweeten the lives of the living” is pan de muertos (bread of the dead), a dessert cake decorated with skeletons, bones or skulls.
On Día de los Muertos, the entire family visits the cemetery. The procession to the cemetery may involve an elaborate and colorful parade. Once there, the family cleans and decorates their loved ones’ tombs, spending the entire day there, visiting, eating, praying, singing music and playing games.
Día de los Muertos , or Day of the Dead, really is a way to celebrate and remember those who have gone before us in the faith. On the Day of the Dead, pray for someone you love and admire who has died. It may be a member of your family, a friend, or someone who has had an impact on you.
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While devoting a day to focus on death may sound kind of spooky or sad, the Day of the Dead is actually a celebration of life – eternal life. Hispanic culture, and Mexico in particular, generally has a different attitude towards death than the Anglo-Saxon, or English-speaking, culture. Anglo-Saxon culture often tip-toes around the subject of death, using euphemisms (expressions substituting more agreeable or less offensive words) to describe death, such as “no long with us,” “passed away,” or “gone on to their eternal rest.” The open celebration of death in Mexico may have been influenced by its pre-Columbian Olmec, Aztec and Mayan past, whose cultures viewed death as simply part of the great circle of life. Indeed, our faith tells us that we have the promise of eternal life after death. We believe that Jesus rose from the dead, turning death into life, because of His incredible love for us.
Catholic belief in the promise of eternal life is why the traditional symbol of Día de los Muertos, la Muerte (death) or la Calavera (skull or skeleton), which is kind of a cross between a skeleton and a clown, isn’t meant to be interpreted like their Anglo-Saxon counterparts, where skeletons are seen as scary ghosts returned from the dead to haunt us; rather, la Muerte lets us laugh in the face of death - our own death - because, as Catholics, we believe in the resurrection.
One of the Día de los Muertos customs is to set up an altar in the home to remember those who have died in the family. The family altar is typically decorated with candles, statues, religious symbols, photographs, flowers and food. Families place traditional flowers on the altar, called zempasúchiles (marigolds) in Náhuatl, the indigenous language of the Aztecs, as well as food offerings, generally a favorite meal and beverage of a loved one. The meal is put out the evening of November 1st, and then shared by the entire family as breakfast the following morning. It is also traditional this time of year to make or buy calaveritas de azúcar, or “little candy skulls” made of refined sugar, with the name of a loved one written on it. Another item baked to “sweeten the lives of the living” is pan de muertos (bread of the dead), a dessert cake decorated with skeletons, bones or skulls.
On Día de los Muertos, the entire family visits the cemetery. The procession to the cemetery may involve an elaborate and colorful parade. Once there, the family cleans and decorates their loved ones’ tombs, spending the entire day there, visiting, eating, praying, singing music and playing games.
Día de los Muertos , or Day of the Dead, really is a way to celebrate and remember those who have gone before us in the faith. On the Day of the Dead, pray for someone you love and admire who has died. It may be a member of your family, a friend, or someone who has had an impact on you.
google eHow.com