The
Day of the Dead (
DÃa de los Muertos,
DÃa de los Difuntos or
DÃa de Muertos in
Spanish) is an ancient
Aztec celebration of the memory of deceased ancestors that is celebrated on
November 1 (
All Saints' Day) and
November 2 (
All Souls' Day).
The holiday is especially popular in Mexico where it is a national
holiday, and is celebrated in the
Philippines, in
Mexican-American communities in the
United States, and to a lesser extent, in other
Latin American countries. It is a public holiday in
Brazil, where many Brazilians celebrate it by visiting cemeteries and churches, bringing flowers, lighting candles and praying.
Though the subject matter may be considered morbid from the
Anglo Saxon perspective, Mexicans celebrate the Day of the Dead joyfully, and though it occurs at the same time as
Halloween,
All Saints' Day and
All Souls Day, the traditional mood is much brighter with emphasis on celebrating and honoring the lives of the deceased, and celebrating the continuation of life; the belief is not that death is the end, but rather the beginning of a new stage in life
Origins
Five hundred years ago, the Spanish Conquistadors that landed in Mexico encountered natives practicing a ritual that seemed to mock death. It was a ritual that the natives had been practicing at least 3,000 years and is today known as DÃa de Muertos. The natives, unlike the Spaniards, viewed death as life continued. Instead of being afraid of death, they celebrated it. To them, life was a dream and in death they become truly awake. Today, DÃa de Muertos is celebrated in Mexico and certain parts of the United States.
Beliefs and customs
Plans for the festival are made throughout the year, including gathering the goods to be offered to the dead. During the period of
October 31 and
November 2, families usually clean and decorate the graves. Most visit the cemeteries where their loved ones are buried and decorate their graves with
ofrendas, or offerings, which often include orange
marigold called
Flor de Muerto, Spanish for "flower of the dead", or
zempoalxochitl,
Nahuatl for "twenty-flower", a term that has been carried into modern Mexican Spanish as
cempazúchil which are thought to attract
souls of the dead to the offerings. Toys are brought for dead children (
los angelitos, or little angels), and bottles of
tequila,
mezcal,
pulque or
atole for adults. Families will also offer trinkets or the deceased's favorite candies on the grave.
Ofrendas are also put in homes, usually with foods such as candied pumpkin, pan de muerto or sugar skulls and beverages such as atole. The ofrendas are left out in the homes as a welcoming gesture for the deceased. Some people believe the spirits of the dead eat the "spiritual essence" of the
ofrenda food, so even though the celebrators eat the food after the festivity, they believe it lacks nutritional value. The pillows and blankets are left out so that the deceased can rest after their long journey. In some parts of Mexico, such as the towns of
Mixquic,
Pátzcuaro and
Janitzio, people spend all night beside the graves of their relatives.
Some wealthier families do build
altars or small
shrines in their homes. These altars usually have the
Christian cross, statues or pictures of the
Blessed Virgin Mary, pictures of deceased relatives and other persons, and scores of candles. Traditionally, families spend some time around the altar praying and telling anecdotes about the deceased.
Public schools at all levels build altars with offerings, usually omitting the religious symbols. Government offices usually have at least a small altar, as this holiday is seen as important to the Mexican heritage.
Those with writing talent sometimes create "calaveras" ..“ short poems mocking
epitaphs of friends, sometimes with things they used to do in life. This custom originated in the
18th-
19th century, after a newspaper published a poem narrating a dream of a cemetery in the future, "and all of us were dead", proceeding to "read" the tombstones.
Newspapers dedicate calaveras to public figures, with
cartoons of
skeletons in the style of
José Guadalupe Posada.
Theatrical presentations of
Don Juan Tenorio by
José Zorrilla (1817..“1893) are also traditional on this day.
A common
symbol of the holiday is the skull (colloquially called
calavera), which celebrants represent in
masks, called
calacas (colloquial term for "skeleton"), and foods such as Candy Skulls, which are inscribed with the name of the recipient on the forehead. Other holiday foods include
pan de muerto (or "bread of the dead"), a sweet
egg bread made in various shapes, from plain rounds to skulls and
rabbits often decorated with white frosting to look like twisted bones.
The traditions and activities that take place in celebration of the Day of the Dead are not universal and often vary from town to town. For example, in the town of
Pátzcuaro on the
Lago de Pátzcuaro in
Michoacán the tradition is very different if the deceased is a child rather than an adult. On November 1 of the year after a child's death, the
godparents set a table in the parents' home with sweets, fruits,
pan de muerto, a cross, a Rosary (used to pray to the Virgin Mary) and candles. This is meant to celebrate the child..™s life, in respect and appreciation for the parents. There is also dancing with colorful costumes, often with skull-shaped masks and devil masks in the plaza or garden of the town. At midnight on November 2, the people light candles and ride winged boats called mariposas (Spanish for "butterfly") to Cuiseo, an island in the middle of the lake where there is a cemetery, to honor and celebrate the lives of the dead there.
In some parts of the country, children in costumes roam the streets, asking passersby for a
calaverita, a small gift of money; they don't knock on people's doors.
Philippines
In the Philippines, it is called
Araw ng mga Patay (Day of the Dead),
Undas or
Todos Los Santos (since this holiday is celebrated on
November 1, All Saints Day, designated by the
Catholic Church), and has more of a "family reunion" atmosphere. It is said to be an "opportunity to be with" the departed and is done in a somewhat solemn way. Tombs are cleaned or repainted, candles are lit, and flowers are offered. Since it's supposed to be about spending time with dead relatives, families usually camp in cemeteries, and sometimes spend a night or two near their relatives' tombs. Card games, eating, drinking, singing and dancing are common activities in the cemetery, probably to alleviate boredom. It is considered a very important holiday by many Filipinos (after
Christmas and
Holy Week), and additional days are normally given as special nonworking holidays (but only
November 1 is a regular holiday).
Chinese beliefs
In the Chinese tradition, the seventh month in the Chinese calendar is called the
Ghost Month (鬼月), in which ghosts and spirits come out from the under world to visit earth
Day of the Dead/ All Saints Day
