What is the day of the dead?
Day of the dead, or Dia de los Muertos, is a Mexican tradition that precedes Christianity. It is a solemn and not morbid or depressive memorial of family members who died. When Mexico became mostly Christian, tradition was captured in two Catholic Saints Days: the whole day of the soul that occurs on the second November, and the whole day of the Holy day appeared on the first November.
The dead day moved a tradition that reaches back to the Aztecs or before to integrate the Catholic Holy Days. It is also two days and starts on the first November. The second day is intended for the memory of adults who died.
In many homes, the family is built by an altar, which has a representative of four elements: fire, water, wind and earth. The altars are usually beautifully decorated with flowers, cloths and maybe pictures of the deceased family. Food can be placed on the altars because many believe that on the day they come to their homes deceased friends and relatives. Thus, altars usually carry the valued property of the dead to attract them to visit.
Feesting is an important part of both days celebrating the day of the dead. In fact, it is assumed that good food and beautifully cleaned houses attract dead. Also the skeleton and skulls of toys are also important and welcome functions. In some cases, dead bread is mentioned with a skeleton toy baked inside. A person who bites the skeleton is good luck for this year.
The next day, the celebration turns mainly outdoors and families can be picnic in the cemetery to celebrate the life of adults who have passed. In some ways, it is almost like awakening, because the stories of the deceased family members are told. It is again a very long time and often an opportunity for family meetings.
On the day of the dead, the graves can be decorated with beautiful floral wreaths or favorite foods of the deceased. We hope to laugh and mention the deceased will bring them back to the ground to visit between members of the living family, so the deceased are considered very muchTomné at the celebrations that honors them.
Mexican immigrants to the US are many celebrations. In countries with a large number of Mexican families, it is not unusual to see special vigiles or parties that in most cities and even smaller cities indicate the dead day. In Mexico, it is celebrated all over the country, with the greatest observance in southern Mexico.
The dead day may seem to uninitiated strange adherence. Especially in the US, people tend to think about death or our deceased because it brings us sadness. However, the Mexicans include death as a very important part of life. Death cannot be afraid, but it is a natural consequence of life. The dead are not gone forever, and these two days are memories connect families with their deceased relatives, so the ties of love for those who died are never broken.