Research Paper On Dia De Muerertos

Dia de Muertos, also known as the Day of the Dead, is one of Mexico's most symbolic celebrations. A blend of native Mexican traditions and Catholic beliefs, this festival, which generally takes place on November 1 and 2 each year, is widely celebrated throughout Mexico, as well as in certain communities of Mexican origin throughout the world, especially in the United States. Now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Dia de Muertos dates back to pre-Columbian times, long before the arrival of Spanish conquistadors. Native civilizations, especially the Aztecs and Toltecs, practiced rituals to honor ancestors and the dead. Da de Muertos was first observed thousands of years ago by the Aztec, Toltec and Nahua people. This celebration is held because they

This celebration used to take place in August, coinciding with the end of the agricultural cycle of corn, squash, peas and beans, but the Spanish later changed the date to coincide with All Saints' Day and the Catholic Festival of the Dead. A way that allowed these native traditions to be incorporated into the Catholic religious calendar, a classic example of cultural syncretism and a way for Mexican society to perpetuate their native rituals and beliefs while pretending to respect Christian traditions. For this reason, Da de Muertos is celebrated every year—usually November 1 and 2—as a way to welcome the spirits of loved ones who have passed away. On that day, they are believed to return to Earth to visit their surviving families. However, the relationship between this pre-Hispanic tradition and today's version of Dia de Muertos is difficult to determine, according to historians, the latter having been popularized from the 1920s onwards by the nationalist governments emerging from the revolution of 1910, which sought to establish and promote a unified national popular

In fact, the festival lasts for two days: November 1, known as Miccaihuitontli, Dia de los Inocentes or Dia de los Angelitos, is devoted to honoring deceased children. November 2, known as Hueymiccalhuitl, is dedicated to deceased adults. To honor the deceased and remind them that they were loved and not forgotten, families set up terraced altars in their homes called ofrendas, decorated with cempaschil flowers, candles, crosses, incense, and copal, which symbolize the passage from life to death, food, personal items, and photos of deceased people. There is also a special bread called pan de muerto, sweets, drinks and traditional items such as calaveras - skulls made of sugar, chocolate or plastic - and papel picado - paper cutouts made from typical Mexican crafts. Cemeteries are also the center of Dia de Muertos celebrations. Families visit the graves of their loved ones to clean, decorate and make offerings, throwing flower petals on the ground and lighting candles to guide the spirits to their graves. The marigold, a bright orange flower, is one of the most important flowers on Dia de Muertos, as it is considered the flower of the dead, supposedly guiding the souls of the deceased to their families. In towns