The Day of the Dead was first started by the Aztec Indians over 3,000 years ago. The traditions have changed somewhat but the holiday is still celebrated today. From Mexico it has moved into some places in the United States and is celebrated every November 1st and 2nd. The rituals surrounding the day of the dead are quite unique. The family of the deceased will create alters within their homes paying homage to their loved ones that have passed over into heaven by cooking their favorite meals, pastries and candy to place on the altar. The family members will also light candles and pick bouquets of flowers as well as place their favorite alcoholic beverage on their loved ones altar. It is believed that at midnight on October 31st heaven’s gate are opened and deceased children are allowed to come back to earth for twenty-four hours, …show more content…
Many companies spend months preparing and making gifts and trinkets for people to purchase for the day of the dead. Instead of the original traditions of handmade or baked gifts industries have created a specialty market to make money. The Day of the Dead has become highly advertised as a spinoff of other holidays that have many different activities that actually have nothing to do with the Day of the Dead. For example, marathons called Run of the Dead and music concerts called Rock of the Dead and many other money making schemes have been created in order for someone to make money. This holiday is not about any of that at all! As the need to make money off of anything, even religious holidays, has become politically correct in society the upcoming generation grow up without a clue what the holiday or religious meanings truly are and the traditions are getting swept under the rug so to speak. As with other holidays, the desire to make money has taken the true meaning away from them and has become completely
The infamous "Day of the Dead" or dia de los muertos actually takes place over a period of 2 days. It is the largest and most elaborate celebration in mexico all year long, its even bigger than Christmas. In the past, this period marked the time when the deceased could return to the world of the living and visit their loved ones, but now it is usually a time to celebrate, remember, and pray for their souls.
The Day of the Dead celebration is one full of beauty, joy, laughter and art. It is a celebration in which the living and the dead are reunited. The children and infants are the first to visit (November 1st), then after they depart the spirits of the deceased come and enjoy there part of the celebration (November 2nd). Celebrations, as well as customs, vary regionally. Some visit the cemetery and participate in a big communal celebration, while others just clean and decorate their loved ones grave without joining the big communal celebration. Some celebrations are held during the dead while others are held at night. But everywhere you look in Mexico the main part of this celebration is family orientated and privet.
Why do people celebrate death? Many people including myself have wondered this, and when I first heard of the mexican holiday Dia De Los Muertos. Translated in english, day of the dead is a holiday where instead of mourning lost ones they remember their lost ones by making alters, decorating their graves with things they used to like or their favourite food and celebrate their life. This mexican tradition is now celebrated throughout the united states aswell and this year we decided to dedicate alters to people we lost in the battle against police brutality. We have lost so many souls in the past decade that a black lives matter movement was created. Its sad that it even had to get to this point but all we can do now is fight for change and
...parts of the celebration, October 31st, November 1st, and finally November 2nd. On October 31st, it is seen that the kid’s souls return. November 1st is considered the adult’s day of returning, and November 2nd is when all souls have returned from the dead and there is a big celebration. People of Mexico celebrate by making many baked goods and cooking meals, making objects such as masks and decorating papers and toy coffins to prepare for the return of the souls.
In the Hispanic culture, The Day of the Dead is a very special holiday celebrated in Hispanic communities. The Day of The Dead is a celebration that last two days. It occurs on November 1 and 2. On November 1, they have a celebration for the young. On November 2, they give honor to family members who have passed away. Traditionally they set up alters in their homes with pictures, candles, foods, and many other decorations. They believe this holiday connects them to their dead ancestors and allows the spirits to be welcomed back. It is one of the biggest celebrations in Hispanic communities and is a very meaningful celebration. One of the specific holidays that is celebrated in the US is called Martian Luther King Jr. Day. This day is in honor of Martian Luther King Jr. and his fight for civil rights. His actions have had a huge impact on America and has become a role model for not only African Americans, but for everyone. He died for fighting for what was right and is honored on this day only in America. Both the Hispanic and US cultures have their own specific holidays only celebrated in these
Marchi, Regina M. Day Of The Dead In The USA : The Migration And Transformation Of A
In my opinion, I find this holiday really interesting. For one reason, this celebration dated way back to pre-Hispanic cultures of Mesoamerica, in the region of Nahu more than 3,000 years ago. It all started after the Spaniards and it lasted for almost 5 centuries later. In the Nahu region, there are the Aztecs, Mayans, Toltecas, Tlaxcaltecs, ChiChimecs, and Tecpanec. For the Aztecs they celebrate the death of each king or ruler. They also honor or dedicate Dia de Los Muertos to the goddess Mictecacihuatl. After centuries of long celebration and unchange trad...
government. To meet the standards of a holiday it must be a celebration of commemoration of someone or something. Columbus Day did not become a federal holiday until 1937. Essentially, we are not one same religion so holidays are not religious based but morally decided. Some government offices remain closed on this day because it is a federal holiday. Columbus Day may be a public holiday yet some businesses and schools decide to remain open. In Latin countries, they celebrate The Day of The Race which is a national holiday honoring the origin of our population. It is named the day of the race because the Hispanic population is a real mix of races. Many parades and parties take place on this day to
According to the United States Census, an estimated 41.1 million trick-or-treaters hit the streets in 2015 donning store-bought costumes in search of Halloween sweets. Historically, Halloween began as a Celtic tradition on the thirty-first of October when people believed that ghosts of the dead returned to Earth. Various other cultures engage in fall celebrations honoring the dead, like Día de Los Muertos in Mexico where people build altars and bring offerings into cemeteries for those who have passed on. While many other celebrations trace their origins back to religious ideologies, the American Halloween celebrates drinking, costumes, and trick-or-treating. The cultural phenomena surrounding Halloween in the United States reflects the practices
All Souls Day, November 2nd, does anyone really understand why it is a holy day or is it just another meaningless holiday Catholics are asked to attend church? All Souls Day is a day that the Catholic Church has set aside to help pray for all the souls not yet joined with god. During this day, people are asked to pray for all of the departed who have passed on and are now in purgatory working very hard to have the privilege of joining to god.
...days to remember great saints, and so forth. They also have a couple that are specific to their own history, including the celebration of Reformation Day on October 31st, generally regarded as the day when Martin Luther launched the Reformation. Interestingly enough, it coincided with All Saints Day celebrations, where the Church remembers all who have died in Christ with the hope of salvation and redemption.
Many places celebrate just like us, with the traditional costumes, parties, and trick or treating. Others have their own distinctive traditions. In Latin American countries, they celebrate “El Día de los Muertos”, the day of the dead, which is a three-day celebration beginning on October 31 and finishing on November 2, All Souls Day (“Halloween Traditions”). It is a joyous occasion to remember and honor deceased loved ones, and includes feasts, parades, and picnics. People will often go visit graves of family members to decorate them, leave sacrifices, and pray. The sugar skull is an important symbol of this celebration that is often depicted and it is valued very
Halloween is often thought of a holiday were people can be scared and others can scare out of fun. This aspect of Halloween became very prominent after Michael Myers was introduced in 1978. This also began the Halloween tradition of releasing horror movies in October (Hicks). Most people only celebrate this holiday today because of the candy and the fun, not many people know the history of Halloween and how it became what it is today. When people do think they know the history of Halloween, they often confuse it with another day known as Day of the Dead. What is this holiday and how is it
...cing and partying at their graveyards? That’s Mexican celebrate the Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead. On the first two days in November, they stop everything for the most distinctive festival that mixes Aztec and Catholic traditions into a special time for families to come together to honor their deceased ones. November 2nd is the official national holiday for the Day of the Dead. An Aztec mid- August banquet with the ancestors was appropriated by Catholic priest to coincide with their All Saints Day to encourage the conversion of the Indians to the Catholic faith.