Dia De Los Muertos: The Day Of The Dead

Around the world, many countries traditions have formed holiday’s. In Mexico’s case, the Day of the Dead (Spanish: Día de los Muertos) is a holiday that was formed on by earlier traditions. Although Día de los Muertos literally translates to Day of the Dead, most people in Mexico and other countries celebrate it for multiple days. Día de los Muertos is celebrated between October 31st and November 2nd. This holiday is becoming more popular not just in Mexico, but other countries as well. The origins of Día de los Muertos have led to the well celebrated holiday that has appeared in many different forms around the world.

The origins of Día de los Muertos travel back to previous pre-Hispanic indigenous beliefs as well as Spanish Catholic beliefs.

Before the Spaniards invaded most of Mesoamerica, the Aztec indigenous tribe had a belief of the afterlife, that death was simply a continuance of life. Based on these beliefs, the Aztecs held a festival once a year during the 9th month of their calendar. This festival was to celebrate the death of ancestors, all while honoring the goddess known as Mictecacihuatl or Lady of the Dead. The Aztecs believed that the dead should not be mourned upon; instead, the believed that the dead should be celebrated in order to be honored. After the Spaniards had conquered Mexico in 1521, they could not assimilate the Aztec beliefs and tried to isolate their Catholic beliefs from the Aztecs. The Spaniards tried, but they could not fully convert the Aztecs to their Catholic beliefs. In search of a solution, the Spaniards created a compromise in which both beliefs could be integrated. As a result, the Aztec festival was shortened and became in correspondence with two Catholic holidays which included All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day which take place on November 1st and November 2nd. However, the Aztec traditions still prevailed as the holiday was integrated into Mexican culture. The old goddess Mictecacihuatl formed a new character known as “Catrina”; this figure has become one of the most popular representations of Día de los Muertos. These traditions formed the basis for the modern Día de los Muertos, which has now become a holiday in which various symbols of celebration are used in order to honor the dead.
The modern Día de los Muertos, focuses on gatherings of family and friends to pray for and remember friends and family members who have died.

In most regions of Mexico, November 1 is to honor children and infants, whereas deceased adults are honored on November 2. Día de los Muertos is celebrated in many different ways throughout Mexico, in public and private places: it is most often celebrated in homes and graveyards. One way to celebrate Día de los Muertos, is to set up an altar; an altar is a structure upon which offerings are made for religious purposes. Just before Día de los Muertos, families will build altars as a way to celebrate and remember loved ones who have passed to the other side. These altars can include Día de los Muertos symbols, objects related to the person or the dead, and offerings for the person. Since Mexicans believe that the spirits of the dead will return to earth to visit with their families, they often provide nourishing items such as water and food. Another way to celebrate Día de los Muertos, is to clean and decorate the graves of the deceased. Being a symbol of Día de los Muertos, sugar skulls have become very popular during celebrations. During Día de los Muertos, people either make or purchase sugar skulls to decorate in order exchange them with others along with sweets and such as pan de muerto (Mexican sweet bread). Other symbols are used as well, such as skeletons; skeletons such as “Catrina” became very popular as well as other symbols

that came from the Aztecs. Public celebrations for Día de los Muertos include community festivals, parades, and also street parties. The important thing to remember is that Día de los Muertos is celebrated differently by everybody, and that is what made it unique.
Día de los Muertos has proved a great presence in Mexico; however, a greater presence is formed when looking at the holiday from a global point of view.

Día de los Muertos has spread very far and has become incorporated by many cultures due to immigration. The immigration of Mexicans to states such a Arizona, California, and Texas has affected the region by having Día de los Muertos parades and celebrations in the United States, such as the one in Port Isabel, Texas in 2007. However, a more extraordinary effect is how other countries have similar traditions to those that made up Día de los Muertos. In China, The Qingming festival is a festival in which departed graves are tended to. Furthermore, just like the Aztecs, the Chinese believed that ghosts and spirits come out from the underworld to visit earth. Another holiday in In Korea called Chuseok, is also similar to Día de los Muertos. During this holiday, People go where the spirits of their ancestors are enshrined, and perform ancestral worship rituals early in the morning; they visit the tombs of immediate ancestors to trim plants, clean the area around the tomb, and offer food, drink, and crops to their

ancestors.
In conclusion, the origins of Día de los Muertos have led us to the holiday that we know of today but also have been similarly used in other cultures. Although other cultures do not celebrate Día de los Muertos, some cultures have likewise traditions that has had a lasting effect on this holiday.Because of Aztec and Catholic tradition, Día de los Muertos became well celebrated in Mexico and other parts of the globe. The survival of these traditions stands as proof of the holidays holiday's cultural and personal importance.