Dia De Los Muertos Essay

Dia de los muertos, a celebration in Mexico, is a holiday that celebrates the dead. Dia de los muertos means day of the dead, and it is exactly that. This holiday, occurring on the first and second of November, is a way for people to celebrate the dead and the lives they lived. On October 31st the gates of heaven open and the spirits can begin making their long journey home. Each day of Dia De los Muertos has a specific meaning and purpose. On November first, the souls of dead children are welcomed. This specifically is called Dia De Los Inocentes (Day of the innocents) or Dia De Los Angelitos (Day of the little angels). November second is when the adult spirits arrive and they may only stay for 24 hours. Once the 24 hours are up, all of the spirits will be gone. Dia De Los Muertos honors every one of the spirits of the dead with festivals, celebrations, dancing, and

altars. Many believe that the dead are awakened from eternal sleep to celebrate the few days they are allowed back with their families.
Day of the dead was started by the Aztec over 3,000 years ago, and when the Spaniards arrived in the 16th century they saw this ritual as sacrilegious. Although the Spaniards didn’t have the most respect for this holiday, it was still celebrated and ended up becoming more and more popular.The holiday flourished and spread around Southern and Central Mexico, acquiring some catholic beliefs along the way. Now, hundreds of people in Mexico see Dia de los Muertos as an extremely important event.
This holiday is celebrated and acknowledged in so many ways. The people of Mexico and anyone else who celebrates Dia De Los Muertos will throw huge parties and celebrations where people are dressed up in bright colors and skulls. For example, there is a carnival-like celebration called comparsa where people dress up in amazingly artistic Dia de los Muertos outfits while they dance and play music. Two big places this occurs is Oaxaca and Elta where people go all out for the comparsa. During the Day of the Dead celebration, it is also common for people to go to visit grave sites and leave offerings there or put up an altar right in their own homes. In these altars, there are many things included, depending on who the altar is for. In every altar there is usually a main picture of the deceased, but other smaller pictures can be included. Then a beverage and food is added to the altar. It is common for water and juice, along with pan de muertos to be left as treats for the spirits. To create an inviting and familiar environment, the returning spirits favorite knick-knack, food, or tool is left on the altar as well. Finally, things like flowers, four candles, and sugar skulls are added to the altar or grave of the dead.
Just like people think of black cats when it comes to Halloween, there are things that people think of immediately when Dia De Los Muertos is mentioned.

The most common items thought of are sugar skulls, marigolds, and Calavera Catrina. To begin, sugar skulls are a homemade treat made to look like skulls; they are colorfully decorated to represent the joy and happiness of the spirit’s lives. People also paint other skulls or clothing to look similar to sugar skulls. Marigold flowers, another classic symbol for Day of the Dead, are bright flowers that are usually commonly seen on altars. The flowers are placed on the altar because they are said to help attract the spirits. Finally, Calavera Catrina is a huge symbol in Mexico, especially for Day of the Dead. She was originally the Aztec goddess of the underworld, but later on she was included in a satirical picture created by Jose Guadalupe. She has been recreated many times and is now represented in various different ways throughout Mexican Culture. She has become a very important figure for Dia de los Muertos and represents everything it

celebrates.
It is clear that Dia de los Muertos is a huge celebration that means a lot to people in Mexico. It is an approach on death that makes it seem less scary and sad. Rather than mourning death, they celebrate the lives the dead lived and offer them goods and love. People in Mexico put a lot of energy and time into making Dia de los Muertos a happy and exciting holiday for the spirits of the dead and themselves.