In Mexico they celebrate the holiday called Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) on October 31st and it ends on November 2nd. While in the US we celebrate the holiday, Halloween on October 31st. I will be telling you the origin of these holidays. Along with their similarities and differences. Hopefully this will make you have a better understanding of these holidays along with helping you understand another country's culture. Now let's start…
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.
On Day of the Dead, people go to markets to buy certain foods and items, some include las flores (flowers), El Mole (spicy chocolate), and El pan de Muerto (bread of the dead). People buy theses items because Day of the Dead is a very important holiday in Mexico and it usually takes 2 months salary to buy all of these things, it’s crazy. Along with people making altars, they must also prepare favorite foods of that loved one and also prepare themselves for the huge parties that they have on this special day. Halloween however, is prepared for by people going out and buying house items for the interior and exterior of the house. Parents also buy their kids costumes for this holiday to go out on halloween night and get candy.
In our Mexican culture we celebrate el dia de los muertes or the day of the dead, in a lively and cheerful festival. Instead of mourning the loss of our loved ones we celebrate and have a day to remember how amazing those people were and how they lived their life. Probably one of the most important symbols to that festival and to our Mexican culture is the sugar skulls. Sugar skulls are handmade skulls made of mostly sugar. However, at first the skull is a blank canvas and anyone can decorate them to resemble their deceased loved ones.
In America, death is seen as the final experience on earth, and a grave experience for all individuals involved. In Mexico, death is considered a natural rite of passage and a new aspect of reality. October 31, Halloween in America and The Day of the Dead in Mexico, is celebrated in both cultures. The difference is in the fact that Americans still refuse to recognize the reality of death during the celebration while Mexicans embrace dead loved ones while they celebrate. Although these differences are profound, both are rooted in history, tradition, and
If you don?t know about Mexican culture then I will tell you. I?m going to talk about my culture and that is Mexican culture.Yes,I?m Mexican. I am proud to be Mexican.What I am going to tell you about my culture is my religion,food,events,
Mexico is also where Day of the Dead is most celebrated since it is where it originated from. Other countries know about this because it is the most iconic celebration in Mexico and the celebration and tradition we are known for. On November 1st and 2nd parades could be seen throughout the day while at night families gather to remember and honor deceased family members. Because Day of the Dead is a mix of both indigenous and European culture it offers a special and unique event that sparks curiosity with its beauty. The bright colors, the altars, the skulls and skeletons all form into Its indigenous origin comes from an Aztec tradition that honored the dead for an entire month.
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. One thing that I learned from the video that I didn’t know before is that el Día de los muertos is a happy and joyful holiday. I always thought that it was a sad holiday.
An original sombrero is like a straw hat. Mexicans brought many of their traditions to the US. El Cinco de Mayo is a very popular one, El Cinco de Mayo is celebrating the victory of the Mexican army winning against the French empire battle, women dress up in beautiful bright colored dresses while the men dress up in suits with a sombrero and dance a traditional dance. Dia de Los Muertos is another tradition, the whole thing is not performed in the United States. Dia de Los Muertos is when people, Mexicans, go to the cemetery and put food or any type of thing that that person liked next to their grave until the food or thing goes raw, to them this means that person has received
El dia de los Reyes Magos is on January 6. It celebrates Christmas in the latin american cultures. This day marks the culmination of the twelve days of Christmas and commemorates the three wise men who traveled from far away to see baby Jesus, carrying gifts for baby Jesus. El dia de los Reyes Magos still is an important day for people of Mexico. In addition to the gift-giving aspect of the day there is also a bread that is specific to the holiday.
To many people skulls represent death and negativity however, for Mexicans that celebrate Day of the Dead sugar skulls represent death in a positive manner. In Mexico it is believed that death is not the final stage in life but rather a step forward onto a higher level of consciousness. This is similar to the beliefs of the Aztecs. The Aztec skulls were a positive symbol, not only of death but also of rebirth. The symbolism of sugar skulls is rooted in the decoration around the eyes.
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.
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.
Many Hispanic families migrate during summer months in search of work Both groups adapt without surrendering the essence of their culture. Both celebrate the dead, the gypsies through the “pomona” a feast for the dead and the Hispanic celebrate “el dia de los
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.