The Day of the Dead is celebrated in Mexico and Other Parts of Latin America as a Celebration of Life
By Kim Marquez • kmarquez@nwadg.com
Day of the Dead, also known as Día de Muertos, is a Mexican holiday celebration filled with dancing, wearing colorful costumes, eating favorite foods, and celebrating life. Although customs differ based on the culture of the region in which the celebration takes place, countless communities celebrate this event. Hundreds of years ago in Mexico, the native peoples who lived there had a celebration for the dead. They believed that spirits of their dead relatives returned to earth once a year to visit with them.
The festival is celebrated every year for two days, on November 1 and 2. It is a festival known as Dia De los Muertos. This day is important to people who are from Mexico, Central and South America, Spain, and the Philippines, and in parts of the United States. These two days are celebrated to honor and remember loved ones who have passed on.
The first day is called Dia de los Angelitos (Day of the little Angels), which is a day to celebrate children who have passed away. The second day is to celebrate the adults. Although different parts of Mexico celebrate the festival in different ways, there are some common practices.
On both days people decorate the graves of their relatives with flowers and the favorite foods of the relatives. Many people build altars, called ofrendas, in their homes to honor the relatives who passed away. Candles and photos are an important part of honoring loved ones, so people decorate picture frames with pretty flowers and place candles and bread on the altars. The rituals used to celebrate the day are filled with vibrant color, music and food.
Celebrating the day of the dead is a true celebration of life.