DAY OF THE DEAD (DAY OF THE DEAD) 1

DAY OF THE DEAD (DAY OF THE DEAD)

The Day of the Dead is a festivity that takes place in Mexico and is celebrated during November 1 and 2, where tributes are paid to the dead for two days, which coincide with the Christian commemoration of All Saints' Day on November 1. November and All Souls Day on November 2. It is a special date throughout the country and it is believed that the souls of the dead return for two days to accompany the living. For this reason, families make altars with photographs, offerings and flowers in honor of their loved ones. The celebration has been declared a Cultural and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO (The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) for its symbolism, customs and antiquity.

Origin of the Day of the Dead celebration

The indigenous peoples who inhabited Mexico at the time of the Spanish conquest had a tradition of honoring their dead. They performed rituals, some of them very festive, that powerfully called the attention of Spanish settlers. Aboriginal tribes such as the Mexicas, Mixtecs, Texcocans, Totonacs, Tlaxcalans, and ZapotecsThey had the belief of life after death, they believed in a soul and in places like paradise and the underworld. They considered that the souls could need earthly goods to pass to the world of the dead. For this they honored them with altars, gold offerings and large banquets. Some of them buried their dead with all their possessions in case they were needed in the afterlife. It is worth highlighting the sense of celebration that the indigenous people gave to death, more like a great event that was reached after transit through the land.

Then came the evangelization of the new world by the Catholic Church implementing its own religious celebrations, such as All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day. What happened then was a cultural mix in Mexico that led to the establishment of this festival as it is known today, with the preservation of the prehistoric traditions of the indigenous peoples along with the religious ritual of the Christians.

How is the Day of the Dead celebrated in Mexico?

Just as there were several indigenous peoples and different ways in which they celebrated rituals, today the way of celebrating the Day of the Dead is very diverse in many of the states of the nation according to their culture and traditions. In common it can be said that families make altars in their houses or in the pantheon surrounded by offerings, flowers, confetti, they make big dinners and pilgrimage to the cemetery. The parades are accompanied by colors and the figures of large skulls that are the symbol of this celebration. The distinction between the two days should be noted: the first of November is dedicated by the church to all saints and the dead children are remembered, while on November 2, All Souls' Day , the dead adults are remembered. .

In the regions, the differences range from the prelude to the day of the dead, where some begin to be celebrated on October 31, as in the State of Mexico. In the State of Tlaxcala, preparations begin on October 28 with the cleaning of the pantheons and the preparation of the altar. In the state of Aguascalientes, where the skull festival is famous, the celebration lasts up to 10 days. In Chiapas, from the middle of October, people are already in tune with the date and start making skulls and other elements of the festivity.

Offerings to the Dead

In the pantheons or altars each year there are innumerable gifts that the living bring to honor their dead. With the belief that their loved ones come from beyond the grave to accompany them for two days, it is common to find offerings such as flowers, portraits, candles or candles, bread of the dead, a sweet bread with decorative figures, pumpkins, chopped paper, water, corn. and food preferred by the dead of the family.

Días Festivos en el Mundo