Compare And Contrast Day Of The Dead

Day of the Dead, or Dìa de los Muertos, is a holiday which celebrates the souls of the dead. This may sound familiar, as we celebrate a similar holiday-Halloween. Often, there can be some confusion between the two holidays, as their timing in the middle of fall and use of skeletons make the holidays appear quite similar to the uneducated person. However, these holidays are very different once you look at the details. Though both holidays have festivities and icons, the differences in these and the religious and communal importance of the holiday makes Day of the Dead a very unique holiday.

Americans celebrate Halloween as a sort of party in our communities. We hold parties and kids go trick-or-treating around the neighborhood. For

The altars built for the spirits are one of the most important symbols of Day of the Dead. They are often decorated with symbols such as candles, to light the spirit’s way home, and cempasúchil, or marigolds, which are the native flower of the dead. Special foods such as el pan de muerto, or the bread of the dead, are placed on altars as offerings to the spirits. People also place their loved one’s favorite things, such as instruments, toys, and other foods. A popular Halloween decoration is a carved pumpkin, which is said to keep evil spirits out of your home. This is why we decorate our houses and costumes with scary things-to trick spirits or to scare them away. Halloween also uses skeletons as one of these symbols. However, Day of the Dead uses skeletons, or calacas, as a symbol for life after death. They are the most popular Day of the Dead symbol, and are often printed on another very important altar decoration, papel picado, a design cut into paper. While these Halloween symbols are more for fun, most Day of the Dead symbols are much more important to the

Day of the Dead, however, considered much more important. Special masses are performed for Day of the Dead, and the holiday lasts for a few days. People use this time to honor and remember their loved one’s memories, rather than having a day to simply have fun and practice a tradition. A lot of time and money is spent in preparation for this holiday, and each day is spent with the holiday’s purpose and importance in mind. Rarely do the old traditions of Halloween make an impact on our lives, yet Day of the Dead holds a special place in each person’s