What is Day of the Dead? Day of the Dead (Spanish: Día de Muertos) is a Mexican holiday celebrated on November 1 and November 2 in Mexico and in Latin America. On Day of the Dead family and friends gather to pray for and remember friends and family members who have passed away, and help support their spiritual journey. During Day of the Dead food, products, mood, and customs play a big part. I think that Halloween and Day of the Dead are different and similar in many ways.
One food that is eaten during Day of the Dead is tamales. Tamales are a food favorite on Day of the Dead. Another food that is eaten during this holiday is day of the dead bread (Spanish: pan de muertos.) Day of the dead bread is most commonly circular with shapes
…show more content…
One of the products sold on Day of the Dead is sugar skulls (Spanish: calaveras de azúcar.) Sugar skulls are sold on Day of the Dead because human skulls are a symbol of life and death. They also sell, a ton of beautifully patterned and bright colored clothes, because people are expected to wear bright colors, to celebrate the lives of their lost loved ones. Special makeup is also sold during Day of the Dead, to create their signature skull inspired look. One product sold around Halloween time are costumes. Costumes are sold because back during the Celtics time they were believed to scare away unwanted spirits. Another product sold during Halloween time are decorations for homes. People decorate the inside and outside of their houses during Halloween time, people typically decorate the outside for the trick-or-treaters coming to their homes. Lastly, around Halloween pumpkins are sold. Pumpkins are sold mainly because people carve them into …show more content…
One custom of Day of the Dead is, cleaning and decorating gravestones. Family members of the deceased normally go to the grave and decorate it to show their respects. Also on Day of the Dead, they create altars and make offerings. They create altars to honor their dead loved ones. Some of the things they offer are, fresh flowers and statues of saints. Another tradition of Day of the Dead is, to tell funny stories of their deceased loved ones. They do this they believe that their loved ones want to be celebrated, since they are still alive, just in another form. Halloween also has certain traditions. One custom of Halloween is, to dress up in costume. People dress up in costumes because, back in the 1700s during the time Halloween first started, people dressed in costume because they thought it would keep away the spirits. Another tradition of Halloween is trick-or-treating. Trick-or-treating was also started back in the 1700s, because the poor would go door to door begging for food, it was known as souling back then. Also around Halloween people carve pumpkins. We carve pumpkins because the Celtics would carve them and use them as lanterns. On Halloween and Day of the Dead the moods of people are joyus and fun. This is because on Day of the Dead they are suppose to be joyus, instead of sad, while celebrating. On Halloween the spirits are high because kids are running
The sugar skull is obviously referring to the Mexican tradition called dia de los muertos. Dia de los muertos takes place during the end of october and the first of November. This celebration is an important holiday as it is considered a vital part of Mexican identity, and identity in which is a combination of mesoamerican rituals, European beliefs, and Spanish culture. Mesoamerican culture shared many of the same traditions when celebrating their ancestors. Dia de los muertos isn’t about the final resting place of the dead, but instead the beginning of a new journey. A journey to the Machlin, a final resting place for the souls. Due to Spanish colonization, death rituals were influenced by new laws and lifestyles. Spain and the catholic church made an lasting influence on the cultures of mesoamerica. Many of these influences were a cause of mass war and the bubonic plague. Life and death balanced together like right and wrong, good versus evil, eventually creating a general understanding that life and death, itself, is a cyclical journey. Europeans brought the idea of cemeteries to the indigenous people. Today there is evidence of this with sugar skulls and celebrations in the cemetery and homes. According to The Day of the Dead, Halloween, and the Quest for Mexican National Identity, Stanley Brandes
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,
It is a loving ritual, full of joy and remembrance. For those who did not grow up in a culture that celebrates such a celebration, these practices and rituals might seem odd. But bear in mind that in the US, it is common for people to visit the graves of their family members and friends who have left this earth, to leave flowers and to reconnect with their loved ones. Dia de los Muertos is similar to this common American practice, so you can see that the Day of the Dead is not that unusual. Dia de los Muertos allows the dead to live again. During this time it is believed that the deceased return to their earthly homes to visit and rejoice with their loved ones. The Days of the Dead are celebrated as a way of retaining connections with the unseen world a world we will all return to one
Foreigners have more trouble understanding Dia de Los Muertos than any of Mexico's other celebrations. At first glance, they see Day of the Dead decorations which are colored paper garlands, little skeletons performing daily tasks and sugar skulls inscribed with names, which remind them of Halloween. Other tourists discover that much like Memorial or Remembrance Day in the US, families here visit, clean and decorate graves of loved ones for the November 1 and 2 holidays. Many families honor their ancestors and dead with different traditions, which I will be telling u about.
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...
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
The Day of the Dead or Dia de Los Muertos, is an ancient festivity that has been transformed throughout the years, and was originated in Mexico. But now these celebrations occur in many countries: South America, Europe, Asia, and various states of the United States. Día de los Muertos is a day of commemoration an opportunity for individuals to come together to focus on their loved ones who have passed away, and to honor, revere, and celebrate their memory. It is a time when families remember their dead and the continuity of life.
The children have many activities, including the decoration of pan de muerto. Kids can also try throwing beanbags into a skeleton's mouth, making cascarones (confetti-filled eggshell wands), or creating clay whistles, paper flowers, pinatas or masks. Mexico and other Central American countries to include visits to graveyards, where families decorate the sites of deceased loved ones. I have researched the traditional foods served, or offered during this holiday. During el Dia de los Muertos the following foods are prepared: pan de los muertos which is bread of the dead (there are over 200 different kinds of breads), mole which is a thick sauce made from a variety of ingredients including chilis, sesame seeds, herbs, spices, chocolate/fruit, atole which is an ancient drink made from corn meal and water flavored with various fruits, alfenique which is a special confection used to fashion skulls, fruits and other figures.
Scared of the dead? You shouldn’t be. Did you know throughout Mexico they celebrate the day of the dead? They call it Dia De Los Muertos. On This holiday, they celebrate the passing of their loved ones. In United States, on October 31 we celebrate Halloween, this day we dress up on our most scariest costume, trick-or-treat for candies, and scare others just for the fun of it. They say it’s the day where the dead rise, maybe that’s why most people are afraid of this day.
The Chinese New Year is fifteen days long and each day involves a different custom based off of a different ideology such as cleaning your house will wipe away the bad luck of the preceding year. Halloween although originating in Ireland, was carried to other countries and is now often seen as an equivalent to the popular Day of the Dead Celebration in Mexico. Although, Day of the Dead is about celebrating dead loved ones, the act of dressing up in costumes happens in both celebrations. Halloween follows the ideology that children dress up in costumes and go collect candy from people’s houses whereas day of the dead is centered around the ideology that for one night dead loved ones can be reunited with their families. Easter and the popular Jewish holiday Passover are often seen as the same thing because they fall around the same thing and both celebrate spring. All around the world countries celebrate independence days that are on different days but they all represent relatively the same thing. But, different countries hold different ideologies for their independence days. For