Day of the Dead

Mexican holiday
COSTUMES AROUND THE WORLD

INGLES V
Profesora: María Luz Murguía Flores
Ximena Paola Rodríguez Calderón
 Day of the Dead
November 1st and 2nd
 My mother told me that should tell
you about my favorite Mexican
tradition.
 Day of the Dead, is a two holiday
honoring relatives who passed
away.
 On the holiday, the dead are said to
return to visit the living.
 Tradition has it that it’s the one
time of the year in which the dead
can return to our world, drink and
eat and enjoy the people they left
behind. Many Mexicans set up
altars in their homes with offerings
to deceased family members;
others head to loved ones’ graves in
the cemetery. Some do both.
Day of the Dead celebration
 Day of the Dead originated several thousand
years ago with the Aztec, Toltec, and other
Nahua people, who considered mourning the
dead disrespectful.
 For these pre-Hispanic cultures, death was a
natural phase in life’s long continuum. The dead
were still members of the community, kept alive
in memory and spirit—and during Día de los
Muertos, they temporarily returned to Earth.
 Today’s Día de los Muertos celebration is a
mash-up of pre-Hispanic religious rites and
Christian feasts. It takes place on November 1
and 2—All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day on the
Catholic calendar—around the time of the fall
maize harvest.
 The Holy Dead
 La santa Muerte is a popular Mexican saint who personifies death in the form of a female skeleton. Either
with a votive candle, a gold medallion or a statue, which is normally represented as a reaper of death,
wielding the same scythe and with a cover similar to the Spanish Grim Reaper.
 Popular saints, who unlike official Catholics, are the spirits of the dead observed saints for their
miraculous powers. However, what really sets the Boneless from other popular saints is that for most
devotees she is the personification of death itself and not a particular deceased human being.
Altars
The centerpiece of the celebration is an altar, or ofrenda, bulit in private homes and
cemeteries. These aren´t altars for workshippin;  rather, they’re meant to welcome spirits
back to the realm of the living. As such, they’re loaded with offerings—water to quench
thirst after the long journey, food, family photos, and a candle for each dead relative. If one
of the spirits is a child, you might find small toys on the altar.
 The calavera Catrina
 One of the strongest and most
recognizable symbols of The Day of the
Dead celebrations is the tall female
skeleton wearing a fancy hat with feathers.
You have surely seen her in various
contexts because the striking unique
makeup has become very trendy in the last
years. The essence of La Catrina story goes
deep into Mexican traditions and roots but
has been restyled only in the last century.
 It is believed that the Aztecs worshipped a 
GODDESS OF DEATH that they alleged
protected their departed loved ones,
helping them into the next stages. The
Mexican tradition of honoring and
celebrating the dead is entrenched deeply
in the culture of its people.
 The skeleton with the hat that we see
today came to life in the early 1900’s by
artist  Jose Guadalupe Posada.
 The food on The Day of Dead Altar

 You work up a mighty hunger and thirst traveling from the spirit world
back to the realm of the living. At least that’s the traditional belief in
Mexico. Some families place their dead loved one’s favorite meal on the
altar. Other common offerings:
 PAN DE MUERTO, OR BREAD OF THE DEAD: is a typical sweet bread (pan
dulce), often featuring anise seeds and decorated with bones and skulls
made from dough. The bones might be arranged in a circle, as in the
circle of life. Tiny dough teardrops symbolize sorrow.
 SUGAR SKULLS: Elaborately decorated skulls are crafted from pure sugar
and given to friends as gifts. The colorful designs represent the vitality
of life and individual personality.