Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) is a Mexican holiday celebrated November 1st (All Saints Day) and November 2nd ( All Souls Day). Dia de los Muertos is celebrated through out Mexico and parts of the United States. This goes back centuries before The Spanish Conquistadores arrived to Mexico, celebrating the deaths of ancestors have been observed by these civilizations perhaps for as long as 2,500–3,000 years. The Aztec did rituals…be-head the conquered and throw them down the steps of the temples…
The Aztecs and other Meso-American civilizations kept skulls as trophies and displayed them during the ritual
The skulls were used to symbolize, rebirth and honor the dead, whom the Aztecs and The Meso-American civilizations believed came back to visit during the monthlong ritual.
Today the traditions connect with the holiday include building private altars honoring the deceased using sugar skulls (calacas or calaberas) these usually have the Christian cross, statues or pictures of the Blessed Virgin Mary, pictures of dead relatives and other persons, scores of candles and an ofrenda., marigold, and the favorite foods and beverages of the departed and visiting graves with these as gifts.
In rural Mexico, people visit the cemetery where their loved ones are buried. They decorate gravesites with marigold flowers and candles. They bring toys for dead children and bottles of tequila to adults. They sit on picnic blankets next to gravesites and eat the favorite food of their loved ones.
People also paint their faces during Dia de los Muertos
In the cemetery decorating - Dia de los Muertos
Catholicism embraces all these dimensions of remembering the dead. Whether in prayer for all the faithful departed on All Souls or in the customs of Dia de los Muertos , the past enters into the present. Families and the larger family of faith gather around altars and places where the deceased rest to affirm life in the midst of death and joy in sorrow. A memory celebrated becomes a living hope for eternal life.
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