Day of the dead is a Mexican holiday. There are two days that they celebrate the day of the dead. On October 31 and November 2. They celebrate the day of the dead to honor family members who have died. This holiday has its roots in an ancient Aztec celebration, in which people remembered dead ancestors. Today, in rural areas. Relatives celebrate the Day of the Dead by gathering in cemeteries to decorate family graves. They decorate them with candles and flowers. They also share family stories about loved ones that have died. It’s very nice to know that their celebrating their family members that died and that they all gathered together to have family time.
Also, it seems that the most important part of the honoring process is placing a photograph of the deceased on the altar. This is how the mexican culture celebrates Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead). (Hernandez, Aracely. " Dia De Los Muertos (Day of the Dead). "
A memorial day for me was one Friday night at a dance at Flandreau Indian Boarding School in South Dakota. I went to this Boarding School, not knowing what to expect. My father had gone to this same Boarding School many years before I had. He graduated from there and I was hoping to do the same. Me and my very good friend of mine, we had the crazy idea to go to the school together to escape the realities of our home town.
Cinco de Mayo is a minor holiday in Mexico that has evolved into a celebration of Mexican culture and heritage in both the United States and Mexico. The histories of Mexico and the United States are not two separate history. Cinco de Mayo is a confusing holiday for many people in the United States. It is not about Mexican Independence Day. Mexico celebrates its independence from Spain, which is actually the 16th of September.
Dia de los Muertos and Halloween can often be confused because they are celebrated within very close dates, but in reality they have distinct characteristics. Dia de los Muertos was originally introduced in Mexico with the Aztec Festival of the Dead, but the traditions have been tweaked over the years. Likewise, Halloween originated in Ireland, beginning with the Celtic Festival called “Samhain”. Now, the popular holiday, Day of the Dead, is celebrated from October 31st through November 2nd by visiting the graves of dead friends or family members. People who participate in Dia de los Muertos leave food, candles, incense, a poem, or a picture at the altar to honor the past lives of people they love.
In almost every region there is always some type of celebration. Celebrating the transition from a child to a young adult. In Hispanic cultures they celebrate this transition is similar as the American culture. However the festive way “Quinceañera” & “Sweet sixteen” also has its distinction. In this festive hispanic tradition “Quinceañera” is celebrated when a girl turns 15 and transform herself to a young women.
Aside from being depicted in Mesoamerican artwork, the concept of death in Mexico also tells the story of the imposition of Catholicism on Mesoamerican civilizations during colonial Mexico. Artwork during this time period illustrates images of death, such as a deceased nun, a masked death, devil and devil dancers, and ancient decorated skulls (Carmichael and Slayer 1992, 36). According to Stanley Brandes, scholars often have a difficult time minimizing the role of the Zapotec natives while simultaneously emphasizing on the European origins of the Day of the Dead holiday. Much of the pre-Columbian antecedents steams from the iconography of ancient civilizations living throughout Mesoamerica. This includes its huge amounts of skulls and skeletons during the modern Day of the Dead rituals as well as the variations of the meaning of the skeletal depictions as it differs from region to region.
In Chapter 5 of Day in the Dead in the USA: The Migration and Transformation of a Cultural Phenomenon, Regina Marchi discusses the political themes surrounding various Day of the Dead celebrations in America. She claims that Day of the Dead events offer opportunities for Latinos to voice their opinions about current issues, giving them a sense of cultural independence. Furthermore, Marchi argues that the practices and rituals of these Latinos living in the U.S. during the Day of the Dead holiday brings them closer together in the midst of political adversity (Marchi, 73). Throughout this chapter, Marchi talks about different Day of the Dead events that have occurred in the U.S. within the last century and how their presence has shone light
Murder fever wandering around Texas? Are Mexicans still hurt and devastated? Do Americans even honor this day? In 1846, there was some dispute about the Mexican American border. Mexico felt that the officially fair border was along the Nueces River.
In contradiction to Halloween, it is not a scary holiday and instead focuses on remembering those who have died with love and respect. On the first day (November 1) all the spirits of children who died come back and are remembered. The next day everyone else is celebrated. The living prepare their homes and towns for the return of the dead on October 31st. There are many other things traditionally done to honor the dead and enjoy the holiday.
The celebration is a public event with all kinds of floats,vibrant colors and costumes.with no doubt this celebration is a very incredible and unique mexican holiday another tradition is Semana Santa(the week of Easter).Semana Santa is a celebration of the annual tribute of the Passion of Jesus Christ. The mexicans perform a dance on the streets and pray to god. Semana santa is celebrated on spring break. My favorite tradition to celebrate is El Día de los Muertos (Day of the
The Day of the Dead has its origins of a number of different national and religious customs. In pre-Hispanic times, the Mexican people maintained deep and personal times with their dead. In fact, family members were often buried directly
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.
El Dia de los Muertos (the Day of the Dead), a Mexican celebration, is a day to celebrate, remember and prepare special foods in honor of those who have departed. On this day in Mexico, the streets near the cemeteries are filled with decorations of papel picado, flowers, candy Calaveras, and parades. It is believed that the spirit of the dead visit their families on October 31 leave on November 2. In order to celebrate, the families make altars and place ofrendas of food such as pan de muertos baked in shapes of skulls and figures, candles, incense, yellow marigolds known as cempazuchitl (also spelled zempasuchil) and most importantly a photo of the departed soul are placed on the altar.
However, there is a distinct difference between the two holidays. In America, Halloween has shifted from focusing on death to focusing on trick-or-treating. The Day of the Dead celebrates the fact that death does not destroy the unity between those alive and those dead. While both celebrate with dressing up, eating with loved ones, and spending time with family, they gather for vey different reasons. In keeping with their culture, Americans celebrate being with those still alive, while Mexicans include deceased individuals in their
The first day, called “Día de los Angelitos” (Day of the Little Angels), is dedicated to the souls of deceased children, while November 2nd is set aside for the souls of adults. In preparation for these days, families may clean their homes to welcome the arrival of the souls of their loved ones. Many people also visit cemeteries to decorate the graves of the dead with their favorite items and flowers. Graves and ofrendas are decorated with papel picado, photographs, cherished objects, marigolds (cempasúchitl), and skeletons made of paper or clay. Food and drink are placed on the ofrendas for the dead – people commonly believe that they can still enjoy the tastes and smells.