Sugar Skull Symbolism

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.

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

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

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.

In the article “The Virgin of Guadalupe: A Mexican National Symbol” by Eric R. Wolf, the facts are given about the history of the symbol as well as the importance that it plays in the lives of the people of Mexico. This Wolf applies the agnostic approach in his article by the language that he uses. He does not attempt to persuade or dissuade from believing in the Virgin of Guadalupe. Wolf starts out by explaining that the terms he uses do no represent the Mexican people as a whole, “In this paper, I should like to discuss this [Virgin of Guadalupe] Mexican master symbol, and the ideology which surrounds it. In making use of the term ‘master symbol,’ I do not wish to imply that belief in the symbol is common to all Mexicans” (Wolf 2).

The Aztecs, like most ancient civilizations, were practicing a polytheistic religion. The most well-known of those civilizations possibly being Ancient Greece. The similarities don’t end there; when most people think of the Aztecs and their religion, they think of their inimical ritual of sacrifice. Thousands of years before, in North Africa, the Carthaginians were sacrificing many of their people, even infants. Most researchers believe it was to appease their gods and even to control the population, which are also reasons Aztec experts believe to be true for the Mesoamerican civilization. (Doc. 7, Doc. 6) Not too far away from the Aztecs in time nor location were the Incas.

As a child, Jeannette Walls moves around constantly with her family. The Walls family would move to different desert towns and settle as long as Mr. Walls can hold a job. When sober, Mr. Walls represents a charismatic father who loves his children and teaches them important life skills. He encourages imagination inside of the Walls kids and often captures their dream and creativity. Together, the family had planned to build a glass castle that contains all of the family’s hope and inspiration. However, at the same time, Mr. Walls is the biggest problem in the family. Mr. Walls is a heavy alcoholic that drinks all of the family’s money away. When desperate, Mr. Walls would even steal money from the family. The drunk Dad would curse at Mom 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,

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.

This week I watched the Netflix original movie To the Bone. I was first drawn into this movie when looking through the Netflix originals list; when I saw the trailer.The trailer fascinated and captivated me, leading me to watch the movie. The movie follows a young women, named Ellen, on her journey seeking treatment for anorexia nervosa. The movie shows her struggle with thoughts of inadequacy, isolation, along with many other struggles as she struggles with her illness. Overall, minus a few hiccups, I greatly enjoyed this movie. The three aspects that most grabbed my attention becoming the sources of my enjoyment were character portrayal, the symbolism used in almost every scene, and connections to my own life experiences.

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.

“Preservation of one’s own culture does not require contempt or disrespect for other cultures.” - Cesar Chavez. Mr. Chavez explains that even though immigrants have to leave much behind, they can become part of their new country and still keep some of their own culture. Many immigrants have to deal with the issues of other cultures disrespecting and calling them names and sometimes even getting harassed by others. Mexican immigrants are a big percentage of the United States’ population. About 57% of Mexico’s population leaves to the US to have a much better life. Immigrants are not bad people, they just want a better life, a life like we have.

Ju He. “Juan de Valdes Leal verse Audrey Flack.” Ju He’s Art Gallery. (2011): 1. Online

In Hispanic culture religion plays a large part when being raised and especially during holidays. This devotion to Christianity and Catholicism stems from the centuries they were being colonized by Spain. The Conquistador Hernan Cortez considered spreading and enforcing his religion onto others as a major priority when taking control of the New World. Once Mexico gained its independence the effect Spain had could be seen even now. The Time Almanac of 2013 reported that 96% of the Mexican people describe their religious beliefs as Christian and of that 87% were Roman Catholics. Since most of the population is Christian the country as a whole can be seen celebrating events such as Holy Week, and La Posada, and in the case of Day of the Dead