The Mexican Day Of The Dead

Called as the Dia de Muertos in Spanish, this Mexican holiday is celebrated throughout

the country as well as the many Mexican communities throughout the world. This holiday is all about family gatherings to pray for friends and relatives who have passed on from this life.

This holiday in Mexico occurs from November 1st to November 2nd. This coincides with the Catholic holiday of All Saints' Day of November 1 and the All Souls' Day on November 2. In Mexico, all banks are closed together with many businesses and are considered as a national holiday in the country.

There are many traditions connected with this holiday. Many homes build private altars where pictures and mementoes of departed loved ones are placed, together with sugar skulls and marigolds. Furthermore, the favorite foods and drinks of the departed loved ones are cooked and offered on these altars. Other families choose to celebrate the holiday in the cemeteries with prayer, offerings and other traditions.

The Dia de Muerte celebrations have been traced to the indigenous celebrations of the Aztecs dated a hundred of years ago. The Aztec celebration was dedicated to a goddess named Mictecacihuatl. In this observance, the Aztecs commemorated the dead and gave them honor and respect for their bravery and contribution to the community. Most often, these commemorations were done by keeping skulls as trophies to be used in rituals.

Currently, Dia de Muerte has taken on religious meanings. November 1 is often referred to as Dia de los Inocentes, Day of the Innocents or Dia de los Angelitos, Day of the Little Angels. These are for the dead innocents and infants who went back to the creator. November 2 is called the formal Dia de los Muertos or Dia de los Difuntos or Day of the Dead.

The celebrations have been pre-planned throughout the year. These include gathering goods for the celebration, cleaning and decorating graves with traditional offerings, such as Mexican marigolds and Flor de Muerto or Flower of the Dead. These flowers are believed to attract souls of the dead to the offerings in the graves. For those departed infants, toys are brought to them. For departed adults, bottles of tequila, mescal or other distilled spirits are offered. Candies are also made ofrendas to the gravesites. It is believed that the spirits partake of the essence of the ofrendas and celebrate amongst the living in the festivities during Dia de Muertos.

by: Bobby Castro

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