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El Dia De Los Muertos Or Day Of The Dead

623 Words3 Pages

Latin American Culture Paper

The Mexican holiday El Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is an opportunity for Mexicans to remember and pay tribute to their deceased loved ones. Celebrated between October 31st through November 2nd, this holiday is similar to the American celebration of Halloween, with its themes of death and the spirit world. However, unlike the modern-day interpretation of Halloween, El Día de los Muertos is neither morbid nor gloomy. It is a festive remembrance of those who have departed. 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 …show more content…

Traditional sugar skulls are made from a granulated white sugar mixture that is pressed into special skull molds. The sugar mixture is allowed to dry and then the sugar skull is decorated with icing, feathers, colored foil and more. Dia de los Muertos is November 1st and 2nd. Smaller skulls are placed on the ofrenda on November 1st to represent the children who have deceased. On November 2nd they are replaced by larger, more ornate skulls which represent the adults. These decorative skulls have the name of the deceased on the forehead and are decorated with stripes, dots, and swirls of icing to enhance the features of the skulls. These designs are usually whimsical and brightly colored, not morbid or scary. Feathers, beads or colored foils are "glued" on with the icing to create highly ornate skulls. Some companies manufacture small, edible skulls to be eaten during the holiday and many artists sculpt, paint or create beautiful and ornate skulls to be used as decorations, jewelry, and cloth design. Dia de los Muertos was an Aztec ritual that celebrated the lives of those who have deceased. The Spaniards who invaded Mexico tried to eliminate this seemingly offensive month-long holiday with no success. Dia de los Muertos was eventually merged with the Catholic All-Saints day

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