Face painting is often done to mock death and show courage. In most areas however, the bread is baked for November 2nd, and consumed at the gravesite of the deceased.įinally there are the famous calavera face paintings and sugar skulls. In some areas of Mexico the bread is cooked and eaten for months in preparation for Dias de los Muertos. Pan de muertos is a sweet bread that is baked specifically for the festival. But as payment, the dead will offer protection and good luck to the living. Families will spend months worth of income on these altars and general festivities. Most altars have three sections meant to symbolize heaven, purgatory and earth. These altars are arguably the most important aspect of the holiday, as they are a direct and public celebration of the deceased individual. Often the food will be distributed to family members after the celebrations are over. During the festival, the dead are able to smell and savour the food and drink they are not able to consume in death. Often the food and drink will be what the dead most liked, with tequila being a favorite offering. These are adorned with flowers, candles, photographs and food. Dias de los Muertos Ritualsįamilies will also maintain personal altars to the dead called ofrendas. However, the dead may be insulted by the living mourning them, and so Dias de los Muertos is about celebration rather than sadness. It is on these days that the dead are woken from their sleep and rejoin the living community. November 1st is often dedicated to the souls of children, while the 2nd is for the souls of adults. On November 1st and 2nd, the dead are given the chance to reconnect with the living. Today, largely influenced by Catholic traditions, the celebrations and customs vary between countries, and while Dias de los Muertos is mostly associated with Mexico, it should be noted that not everywhere in Mexico celebrates it. The Aztecs honored the spirits of the dead, specifically those of warriors and women who died in childbirth, by holding great feasts. When Catholic missionaries and conquerors arrived in Latin America in the Common Era, they blended their traditions with those of the local Aztecs, who had their own festivals celebrating the dead. Dating to at least 1800 BCE, Dias de los Muertos is a yearly celebration of life and death in Latin America. The dead may be insulted by the living mourning them, and so Dias de los Muertos is about celebration rather than sadness. Is borrowing the rituals and material culture of Dias de los Muertos / Day of the Dead cultural appropriation or cultural diffusion? How can we incorporate such an interesting ritual into our lives appropriately and with respect? The History of Day of the Dead (Dias de los Muertos) Sugar skulls are bought and sold as tourist trinkets, its symbols have been used in pop culture, and sugar skull face painting has become a Halloween staple. Like other ethnic celebrations and rituals, many components of the Day of the Dead have been co-opted in North America. Running between November 1st and 2nd each year, this traditionally Mexican festival can be found throughout Central and South America, and anywhere with a strong Latin influence. Dias de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) is a celebration of the dead and the reality that death is part of the human experience. While the West has its own traditions to acknowledge these truths, Mexicans have taken a much more direct approach. Whether you’re rich or poor, famous or a recluse, young or old, death awaits you.
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