The Day of the Dead was first started by the Aztec Indians over 3,000 years ago. The traditions have changed somewhat but the holiday is still celebrated today. From Mexico it has moved into some places in the United States and is celebrated every November 1st and 2nd. The rituals surrounding the day of the dead are quite unique. The family of the deceased will create alters within their homes paying homage to their loved ones that have passed over into heaven by cooking their favorite meals, pastries and candy to place on the altar. The family members will also light candles and pick bouquets of flowers as well as place their favorite alcoholic beverage on their loved ones altar.
It is believed that at midnight on October 31st heaven’s gate are opened and deceased children are allowed to come back to earth for twenty-four hours,
…show more content…
then on November 1st at midnight the deceased adults are allowed to come back to earth for twenty-four hours. Family members stay at the cemetery waiting for the deceased loved ones to return for their yearly visit. The families believe that if their deceased loved ones are pleased with these gifts then they will be blessed with good fortune, good health, and good luck the following year. It is a large celebration of life that the entire community celebrates together. The Day of the Dead is a very interesting holiday with so many cultures and traditions honoring deceased loved ones. Unfortunately, throughout the years this holiday has become commercialized as many other holidays have.
Many companies spend months preparing and making gifts and trinkets for people to purchase for the day of the dead. Instead of the original traditions of handmade or baked gifts industries have created a specialty market to make money.
The Day of the Dead has become highly advertised as a spinoff of other holidays that have many different activities that actually have nothing to do with the Day of the Dead. For example, marathons called Run of the Dead and music concerts called Rock of the Dead and many other money making schemes have been created in order for someone to make money. This holiday is not about any of that at all! As the need to make money off of anything, even religious holidays, has become politically correct in society the upcoming generation grow up without a clue what the holiday or religious meanings truly are and the traditions are getting swept under the rug so to speak. As with other holidays, the desire to make money has taken the true meaning away from them and has become completely
commercialized. The Day of the Dead is not about concerts, marathons, or shopping for gifts and candy it is so much more! It’s about honoring deceased loved ones and honoring their memory. These commercialized holiday money making schemes should be stopped as well as all the false advertisements that depicts the holiday as something that it is not and purposely turns the holiday into events that are actually irrelevant to the traditions and religious beliefs of the holiday.
Marchi, Regina M. Day Of The Dead In The USA : The Migration And Transformation Of A
Day of the Dead is a holiday for people to honor their ancestors and loved ones who have passed away and invite those spirits back into their homes to be part of the family once more. Halloween and Day of the Dead have similarities which are that both holidays have costumes, skeletons, and treats as well as graveyards, and decorations. Halloween is a time that you can be anything you want, so people dress up in costumes to continue the tradition that was started in Ireland. On the Day of the Dead, people wear shells on their clothes, so when they dance, it will wake the dead. A difference between Day of the Dead and Halloween is that they have different symbols. The symbol for Halloween is a pumpkin or a ghost. The Day of the Dead symbol is
The infamous "Day of the Dead" or dia de los muertos actually takes place over a period of 2 days. It is the largest and most elaborate celebration in mexico all year long, its even bigger than Christmas. In the past, this period marked the time when the deceased could return to the world of the living and visit their loved ones, but now it is usually a time to celebrate, remember, and pray for their souls.
Different cultures have different holiday traditions. At this time of year different cultures are preparing to celebrate Halloween or the Día de los Muertos.These two holidays occur around the same time of year. October 31st is Halloween and the Day of the Dead begins on November 1st and ends on November 2nd. Halloween is an American tradition and the Day of the Dead is celebrated in Mexico, and other Latin American countries. Both holidays share some similarities but also have some differences.Some common themes between the two holidays are food and religion. For example, Pumpkin is associated with both holidays. And Christianity is the religion associated with both holidays. The symbols for these holidays share some similarities , for example skulls. While Halloween also is associated with ghosts and witches. A big
El Dia de los Muertos was brought to the United States when Mexican-Americans underwent a cultural reawakening in the early 1970s. The holiday's popularity has since spread to other races and cultures. The Day of the Dead celebrates life past and present, and not just death alone. Revelers construct ofrendas, the offerings of food, drinks, cigarettes, toys, and candy, set out for returning souls. Revelers take joy in honoring the dead, usually with music, dancing, crafts and food.
...parts of the celebration, October 31st, November 1st, and finally November 2nd. On October 31st, it is seen that the kid’s souls return. November 1st is considered the adult’s day of returning, and November 2nd is when all souls have returned from the dead and there is a big celebration. People of Mexico celebrate by making many baked goods and cooking meals, making objects such as masks and decorating papers and toy coffins to prepare for the return of the souls.
government. To meet the standards of a holiday it must be a celebration of commemoration of someone or something. Columbus Day did not become a federal holiday until 1937. Essentially, we are not one same religion so holidays are not religious based but morally decided. Some government offices remain closed on this day because it is a federal holiday. Columbus Day may be a public holiday yet some businesses and schools decide to remain open. In Latin countries, they celebrate The Day of The Race which is a national holiday honoring the origin of our population. It is named the day of the race because the Hispanic population is a real mix of races. Many parades and parties take place on this day to
According to the United States Census, an estimated 41.1 million trick-or-treaters hit the streets in 2015 donning store-bought costumes in search of Halloween sweets. Historically, Halloween began as a Celtic tradition on the thirty-first of October when people believed that ghosts of the dead returned to Earth. Various other cultures engage in fall celebrations honoring the dead, like Día de Los Muertos in Mexico where people build altars and bring offerings into cemeteries for those who have passed on. While many other celebrations trace their origins back to religious ideologies, the American Halloween celebrates drinking, costumes, and trick-or-treating. The cultural phenomena surrounding Halloween in the United States reflects the practices
...days to remember great saints, and so forth. They also have a couple that are specific to their own history, including the celebration of Reformation Day on October 31st, generally regarded as the day when Martin Luther launched the Reformation. Interestingly enough, it coincided with All Saints Day celebrations, where the Church remembers all who have died in Christ with the hope of salvation and redemption.
All Souls Day, November 2nd, does anyone really understand why it is a holy day or is it just another meaningless holiday Catholics are asked to attend church? All Souls Day is a day that the Catholic Church has set aside to help pray for all the souls not yet joined with god. During this day, people are asked to pray for all of the departed who have passed on and are now in purgatory working very hard to have the privilege of joining to god.
The Day of the Dead celebration is one full of beauty, joy, laughter and art. It is a celebration in which the living and the dead are reunited. The children and infants are the first to visit (November 1st), then after they depart the spirits of the deceased come and enjoy there part of the celebration (November 2nd). Celebrations, as well as customs, vary regionally. Some visit the cemetery and participate in a big communal celebration, while others just clean and decorate their loved ones grave without joining the big communal celebration. Some celebrations are held during the dead while others are held at night. But everywhere you look in Mexico the main part of this celebration is family orientated and privet.
Halloween is often thought of a holiday were people can be scared and others can scare out of fun. This aspect of Halloween became very prominent after Michael Myers was introduced in 1978. This also began the Halloween tradition of releasing horror movies in October (Hicks). Most people only celebrate this holiday today because of the candy and the fun, not many people know the history of Halloween and how it became what it is today. When people do think they know the history of Halloween, they often confuse it with another day known as Day of the Dead. What is this holiday and how is it
Many places celebrate just like us, with the traditional costumes, parties, and trick or treating. Others have their own distinctive traditions. In Latin American countries, they celebrate “El Día de los Muertos”, the day of the dead, which is a three-day celebration beginning on October 31 and finishing on November 2, All Souls Day (“Halloween Traditions”). It is a joyous occasion to remember and honor deceased loved ones, and includes feasts, parades, and picnics. People will often go visit graves of family members to decorate them, leave sacrifices, and pray. The sugar skull is an important symbol of this celebration that is often depicted and it is valued very
...cing and partying at their graveyards? That’s Mexican celebrate the Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead. On the first two days in November, they stop everything for the most distinctive festival that mixes Aztec and Catholic traditions into a special time for families to come together to honor their deceased ones. November 2nd is the official national holiday for the Day of the Dead. An Aztec mid- August banquet with the ancestors was appropriated by Catholic priest to coincide with their All Saints Day to encourage the conversion of the Indians to the Catholic faith.