Day Of The Dead

Today this community gathers in honor of a dear, young girl taken from her family far too early, under deplorable, heartbreaking circumstances. Everyone knew Connie as a strikingly beautiful, lighthearted, decisive girl. It is rare that a teen can have such capability for strong decision making so early. That is not to say that Connie always made the right decisions, as no teenager ever does, but her willingness to make decisions at all is remarkable. My own surplus of indecision led to several regrettable life moments, and so I hope that Connie had no regrets in her young life, which was cut short far too soon.

Death is an aspect of life that all cultures must reconcile with, but how cultures reconcile with it varies. American culture tends to sterilize death and remove it from general conversation. The topic of death and the physical remnants of death are usually enclosed and kept as far out of sight as possible. In Mexico, on the other hand, death is both displayed and celebrated. Mexicans embrace death in both their spiritual and cultural lives. Although these two cultures differ on their approach to death, both celebrate October 31 annually.

The history of Day of the Dead was started with the aztecs honoring the dead and the aztecs presence influence modern Mexico. People thought the dead would be unhappy to just be mourn so they celebrate the dead by leaving things they dead ones love at their graves so they can enjoy it. Some people dress

Everyone knows that death is inevitable, yet strangely, when the subject of death emerges, fear is evident in people’s faces and tone of voice. When deeply examining works of art, such as Gladiator, Myths to Live By, and world tragedies such as the horrific event that took place on September 11, 2001, the reality of death is a prime focus of human culture. Death is an event that everyone in the world will endure; however, human beings can’t live in fear with the thought of one day staring death in its face.

The Day of the Dead and Halloween are alike in many ways. During the Day of the Dead, people dress in costumes and celebrate their dead loved ones returning to them. Similarly, on Halloween, people also dress in costumes and go “Trick or Treating”. Both holidays also come from Catholic roots, and believe the veil between the living and dead worlds is thinnest on these days. During the Day of the Dead celebrations, people cook, eat, and have a party, similar to what others do on Halloween.

Halloween and Day of the Dead, despite their similarities, are very different. They are similar because they both have sugary treats and they are different because they are celebrated in different ways, and the preparation of the holidays are different. Day of the Dead is a holiday celebrated in Mexico, and Central America where people celebrate their ancestors souls and bring them some of their favorite things to their graves and throw many parties. Halloween is a day when children go out in costumes to trick-or-treat for candies and other sugary items, people also setup decorations outside their houses that look go along with the holiday.

They also celebrate the people that came after and helped combine cultures and races, but also the cultures of the natives before the Europeans came. This holiday is also used to proclaim the Hispanic Heritage of Latin America. It is celebrated in many countries such as Mexico, Costa Rica, Venezuela, and Uruguay. Dia de la Raza helps bring together many Spanish speaking people, and even cultures. Some ways this holiday is celebrated is with parades, traditional dances, and feasts. Many people think that Dia de la Raza is better than Columbus Day, because many people in the Spanish culture think that Christopher Columbus shouldn’t be praised for his “barbaric” actions. This is why in Spanish speaking countries that celebrate October 12, they celebrate Dia de la Raza.

Nowadays, many people wear items of clothing decorated with sugar skulls or skeleton prints, such as shirts, dresses, or leggings on Día de los Muertos. You can also wear shells and dance so that the noisiness "wakes up" the dead or even dress up as the deceased.

Death, considered as today’s primal fear, is often viewed as the ending of joy, happiness, and life. However, death is not the end of life but the innate nature of life. Individuals should not fear death, but they should appreciate what life can offer them. Oftentimes, the value of life is only revealed when death occurs. While grieving for the loss of life, the pain at times can turn out to be a blessing in disguise. In Alice Sebold’s, “The Lovely Bones”, the story is narrated from a dead girl, Susie Salmon, who watches from Heaven over her murderer, and how her family learns to overcome their grief overtime. Although it is heart-wrenching for the Salmon family, the death of Susie is also a refuge of solace for them. Without experiencing the pain of losing a loved one, the Salmon

Death is a recurring theme in this book. Not only is death explained as being sad, but what is kind of weird is how death can be seen as sort of a happy thing. Dying, in general, is sad. But the whole ordeal of it can bring people together, or fix relationships that have been broken. In the case of Tuesdays With Morrie, by Mitch Albom, Morrie and Mitch were separated due to the fact that Mitch cared more about his job than the most important things in life; love, work, community, family, aging, forgiveness, and the main theme, death. Now, Mitch cared too much about work when he should have cared about his family, girlfriend, and Morrie. But, Morrie teaches Mitch that there are more important things to life than working. This is where Morrie’s death comes into play.

Throughout history, various ancient civilizations all over the globe have created traditions and customs that have been passed down through generation to generation. The idea of having these customs withstand the test of time is truly remarkable. A perfect example of the passing of tradition is the Mexican celebration of El Dia De Los Muertos. El Dia De Los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is a holiday that honors and celebrates loved ones of family who have passed away. Although it has its origins from the Aztec Empire, the holiday is widely celebrated in Latin America and even some parts of the United States. During the 1960s and early 1970s, the Chicano Movement embraced El Día de los Muertos as a way to reconnect with pre-Hispanic and Mexican

There are many differences between el Día de los muertos and Halloween. One of these differences being the mood of the holiday. Halloween is dark and scary holiday, while el Día de los muertos is a joyful holiday. During el Día de los muertos, families buy foods to honor their lost loved ones. During halloween in contrast, candy is handed out to kids. Finally, el Día de los muertos is much more spiritual than halloween. El Día de los muertos is a time for people to pray and honor their dead family members and friends, while halloween has no spiritual or religious importance.

The paintings give myself the feeling that there is a pit in my stomach and makes me want to look at something more uplifting. The colors makes the painting have a darker and gloomier feel. The painting of the soldiers marching to battle shows the men going into the fog, disappearing like ghosts, and raises the thought that maybe Dix was trying to imply that the men would be marching to their death, only to become ghosts and to disappear forever. The center painting is what draws the viewer’s attention to a deadly battle. It shows no survivors and with very little open space in the painting. The sky is gray with the blocking of sun, it shows that the day was not a good day, offering no happiness or life in the painting. The painting on the right shows a man trying to rescue a fallen soldier, signifying the need to try and preserve what life is left after battle. The bottom painting shows the result of war, which gives only the result of death and despair. Each painting tells its own little story but all together they tell a story that only few can

It is a day that is set aside to remember and honor those who have died, according to the University of New Mexico. That day represents the day before Lent and is celebrated as well. Another notable day is September 16th, which marks Cinco de Mayo the day the Mexican Military had a victory over the French in 1862. Cinco de Mayo is also celebrated in the United States more than it is in Mexico.

The Day of the Dead (El día de los muertos) is a very important holiday in Mexico and has been for many years. It is a time to remember loved ones who have passed away and be with your family and friends. There are many traditions carried during the holiday that make it as special as it is. It is also a history-rich event.