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Traditions on dia de los muertos essay
Traditions on dia de los muertos essay
Traditions on dia de los muertos essay
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Day of the Dead, in Spanish is Dia de Los Muertos, is a Mexican holiday to honor the dead. The worldwide holiday is celebrated by Mexicans from October 31st to November 2nd. During the holiday, people gather families to honor and remember people who have died. The holiday is very festive and colorful. The holiday has a long history with traditions that have molded the holiday that is celebrated today. In ancient times in south America, many civilizations rose. The mayans and Aztecs for example. All of these civilizations believed in the afterlife. The Aztecs believed that death should be celebrated and not feared. So Aztecs had celebration for their goddess Mictecacihuatl (who was ‘the Lady of the Dead). The Aztecs used skulls as decoration and trophies and went to burial sites to remember the people who died. At first, the celebration started in August and lasted for a month. When the Spanish invaded the Aztecs in 1519-1521, the Spanish tried to dispose of this belief and enforce Catholicism. The Spanish weren’t able to completely stop the belief but shortened the festival to two days, which blend in with the Catholic festivals ‘All Saints’ Day’ and ‘All Souls’ Day.’ …show more content…
Aztec warriors used skulls as trophies and a symbol of death. But today people used skulls made out of sugar. Aztecs also made dolls and figurines for the dead. Today people use wooden masks called calacas. Another tradition is baking “the bread of the dead.’ The bread is the shape of skulls or crosses. Today, there are big parades and costumes to honor the dead. It is believed on the first day, the children spirits come and stay for 24 hours. On the second day, adults come. Families travel to the cemetery and leave food, offerings, and presents. Families and friends also make altars for their loved one/s and decorate the altar with flowers (marigolds) and
One of the main things the Aztecs are known for are their human sacrifice rituals. They believed that life and balance would not be possible without offering sacrificial blood to the gods since the gods sacrificed themselves to give them the sun. Burying the dead was seen as an act of feeding the earth. The Aztecs preformed two rituals for the dead, the first being for children and the second being for adults. The ritual for adults put special focus on warriors who died in
In digging the day of the dead a distinction between Dia de los Muertos and Halloween is made, the purpose, to highlight the differences and showing the importance and significance of Dia de los Muertos. This ethnography begins by loosely describing Halloween in American culture, it is described as a day where “children dress up as grotesque corpses” and a celebration empty of historic or cultural significance and knowledge. The author Juanita Garciagodoy, later goes on to describe Dia de los Muertos in a romanticized way, by statin that the dead “are not forgotten or excluded from recollections, prayer, or holidays because they are no longer visible” Garciagodoy then goes on to tell a heartfelt story about a couple one holding on to tradition,
A long time ago more than 500 years ago, there were Spanish Conquistadors who had landed in what is now referred to as central Mexico. Once here they stumbled upon populations of natives who were performing a customary celebration that appeared to simulate death. Dia de los Muertos initiated periods in the past in Mexico, where it is still commonly celebrated to this generation. This festival that takes place over 3 days is a assortment of pre-Hispanic ethnic views and Spanish Catholic philosophies. The Mexican celebration of Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, proceeds over the initial 2 days in the month of November. Its beginnings are a concoction of Native American behaviors and a set of Catholic celebrations. The celebration concentrates
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.
Why do people celebrate death? Many people including myself have wondered this, and when I first heard of the mexican holiday Dia De Los Muertos. Translated in english, day of the dead is a holiday where instead of mourning lost ones they remember their lost ones by making alters, decorating their graves with things they used to like or their favourite food and celebrate their life. This mexican tradition is now celebrated throughout the united states aswell and this year we decided to dedicate alters to people we lost in the battle against police brutality. We have lost so many souls in the past decade that a black lives matter movement was created. Its sad that it even had to get to this point but all we can do now is fight for change and
...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.
In the Hispanic culture such as Guatemala and Mexico, the Dia de Los Mortos is celebrate on November 1st and 2nd. Families’ getter to go to the cemeteries together; they clean the graveyard and bring flowers to their loved ones. They also decorate skulls with the name of the departed written on the forehead. Many
In the Hispanic culture, The Day of the Dead is a very special holiday celebrated in Hispanic communities. The Day of The Dead is a celebration that last two days. It occurs on November 1 and 2. On November 1, they have a celebration for the young. On November 2, they give honor to family members who have passed away. Traditionally they set up alters in their homes with pictures, candles, foods, and many other decorations. They believe this holiday connects them to their dead ancestors and allows the spirits to be welcomed back. It is one of the biggest celebrations in Hispanic communities and is a very meaningful celebration. One of the specific holidays that is celebrated in the US is called Martian Luther King Jr. Day. This day is in honor of Martian Luther King Jr. and his fight for civil rights. His actions have had a huge impact on America and has become a role model for not only African Americans, but for everyone. He died for fighting for what was right and is honored on this day only in America. Both the Hispanic and US cultures have their own specific holidays only celebrated in these
Mexicans and Venezuelans celebrate Halloween very differently; to the extent, some Venezuelans do not even celebrate the holiday. Mexicans celebrates Day of the Dead instead of Halloween. During Day of the Dead, Mexicans build altars and fill it with desserts, tamales and candy for their passed loved ones, and decorate and clean their graves. These altars are made specifically as a welcoming to the loved ones who passed away. People are sometimes welcomed to visit other’s families’ altars and take part in any of the goodies or stories involved. Some Pueblos or communities, they gathered food from different altars and enjoy the food at their loved one’s grave. Day of the Dead is much similar to Halloween, but contain much more meaning and spirit. We celebrate this holiday to remember our loved ones; not in a weeping sense, more over into a joyous sense. We only talk about the good and special times we had with that individual. People tell each other’s stories and thoughts of the dead to let them know we still remember their presence. On the other hand, in some communities in Venezuelans celebrate Halloween exactly how Americans do, but...
The path from the after life to the land of the living is quite a treacherous journey. The Day of the Dead is a traditional Mexican holiday that dates back to the time of the Aztec Indians, beginning in the 14th century (“Mexico” 3). It is important to realize that this holiday is not about mourning the dead. It is a time to recognize how the dead have made an impact on the lives of their loved ones, and their soul’s journey back to the living. “And that's what it is, it's a celebration, not of their death, it's a celebration of their life. It's the celebration of recognizing that they are, on this particular day… that this is the day in which the spirits of the past are in the closest proximity to the living” ("Living on Earth: Day of the Dead" 2). One of the most important parts of the Day of the Dead holiday are the altars, also known as ofrendas. These are created in order to assist the dead along their passage from the underworld back to the home of their family. Creating an altar for Day of the Dead may seem morbid, but it is actually a beautiful and fascinating process.
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
First things first, let’s talk about the food! On The Day of The Dead, the Mexicans who celebrate this holiday eat many things including something called ‘el pan de muerto.” This round, sweet bread is essential when celebrating the day of the dead. Another dish eaten is something called mole. This is a spicy chocolate sauce that is eaten on this holiday or even on a normal day. Onto Halloween, this holiday is mainly celebrated in America and involves lots of sweets that children eat. Nothing on this holiday is homemade and everything thing is
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.
In my opinion, I find this holiday really interesting. For one reason, this celebration dated way back to pre-Hispanic cultures of Mesoamerica, in the region of Nahu more than 3,000 years ago. It all started after the Spaniards and it lasted for almost 5 centuries later. In the Nahu region, there are the Aztecs, Mayans, Toltecas, Tlaxcaltecs, ChiChimecs, and Tecpanec. For the Aztecs they celebrate the death of each king or ruler. They also honor or dedicate Dia de Los Muertos to the goddess Mictecacihuatl. After centuries of long celebration and unchange trad...
Death is a huge part in Mexican culture to begin with. Dias de Los Muertos or the day of the dead is a huge celebration and embracement of death. This deep-rooted culture makes its way into narco life as well. However instead of embracing and respecting death, in Narco culture it is glorified. The belief that death is the final equalizer is a huge concept in Mexican gangs.