Preview

Dia de Los Muertos

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
954 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Dia de Los Muertos
I am going to tell you about a famous, yet kinda eerie celebration that takes place in mexico. This is a tradition celebrated by the Mexican Natives, most Mexican Americans (including myself) don 't even acknowledge this day, unless they happen to be visiting mexico at the time of this event.
Foreigners have more trouble understanding Dia de Los Muertos than any of Mexico 's other celebrations. At first glance, they see Day of the Dead decorations which are colored paper garlands, little skeletons performing daily tasks and sugar skulls inscribed with names, which remind them of Halloween. Other tourists discover that much like Memorial or Remembrance Day in the US, families here visit, clean and decorate graves of loved ones for the November 1 and 2 holidays. Many families honor their ancestors and dead with different traditions, which I will be telling u about.
The infamous "Day of the Dead" or dia de los muertos actually takes place over a period of 2 days. It is the largest and most elaborate celebration in mexico all year long, its even bigger than Christmas. In the past, this period marked the time when the deceased could return to the world of the living and visit their loved ones, but now it is usually a time to celebrate, remember, and pray for their souls.
November 1st is the day the deceased children are remembered and November 2nd is for the adults.
The calavera, or skeleton, is an important symbol during dia de muertos. Skeletons decorate the inside of shops and shop windows and they are dressed as judges, soldiers, housewives, soccer players, and even doctors. Death, and the skeleton represented as Death, is seen in a much different way by the Mexicans than by most other cultures. It is seen in a mocking, cheerful light. A symbol that can be as playful as it is serious, it appears everywhere during dia de muertos as wood, paper mache, sugar, and plastic.
Stores and shops all set up large displays to show off their items. There are a variety of

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Dia de los Muertos (also known as day of the dead) in Mexico is celebrated on October 31st and ends on November 2nd.…

    • 284 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Ultimately, there are individuals who are trying to celebrate Dia de Los Muertos but have zero knowledge behind this holiday. They are painting their faces like sugar skulls and have do not fully understand the culture. So therefore, I believe that non-Mexicans can not celebrate Dia de Los Muertos without engaging in cultural appropriation.…

    • 54 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    This year’s event we did the theme of Remembering Our Students/ Recordando Nuestros Estudiantes. In relation to the current movements regarding Black Lives Matter, police brutality, Ayotzinapa 43, school shootings, and indigenous women missing. I think this event is important to our campus, because SCSU is a diverse campus with very close minded individuals. So this brings the aspect of culture and tradition with the Dia de Los Muertos celebration and MEChA’s activist focus of political issues. These two combined can provide knowledge and awareness to those students who are unaware or misinformed. As well as taking on the problem of cultural appropriation with the recent American popularization of sugar skulls and Dia de…

    • 178 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Día de los Muertos is a holiday where you celebrate your loved ones that passed away or the remembering day of the dead/lossed ones. It’s a day where depression isn’t the main objective, it’s celebrating and having fun.…

    • 150 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    El Dia de los Muertos in Mexico is quite a spectacle, dating back 2,500 to 3,000 years a long time before the Spaniards got to Mexico. This holiday coincides with Dia de los Santos or “All Saints Day”.…

    • 281 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Finally, Cinco de Mayo provides an outlet for working people. Cinco de Mayo is a day to celebrate. This day allows people with jobs to not go into work or get off early and be with their families. Also, it allows working people to grab a margarita with friends and family and all have a great time together with drinks, food, and…

    • 893 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The first reason it should be called Dia De La Raza is because this day remembers, “explorers and adventurers from countries all over Europe, including…

    • 398 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Mexican holiday, Dia de los Muertos or Day of the Dead in english is celebrated twice a year.. This holiday last`s two days November 1st- November 2nd. This holiday isn't about being frightened, it's about remembering people who have died. Families that celebrate the holiday make small home altars called ofrendas. The altar includes photos of people you loved that have passed away, a combination of your favorite sweets and drinks. The altars are supposed to attract the souls of the dead. All the food is supposed to be uneaten. Some families visit cemeteries to spend time with people they loved, at that time it is ok to eat and drink a little bit. Dia de los Muertos depend on who you are.…

    • 123 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Guatemala Research Paper

    • 1868 Words
    • 8 Pages

    This is also a big celebration where they will show respect to their deceased love ones. One of the things that is done is making of huge kites. These kites are made from rice paper and bamboo and can be up to 20 meters in diameter. This is the way they communicate with their loved ones. After flying them the people will burn them, because this allows the spirits of their loved ones to return from the earth. The people will decorate the graves with colorful lots of colorful flowers and they will actually celebrate in the graveyard where they can pray and show respect to their loved ones. Also through out the day their will be music playing and fire works will be set off through the night. Also involved in the celebration is food. One famous dish is the salad called el fiambre. This salad is made from many different ingredients. The ingredients used depends on the family. Some of them put in food that their loved ones liked. Things like eggs, meat, and vegetables are put into it. It can have more then 50 ingredients. Some of them even have 100. This salad takes around two days to prepare and everyone works together to get it ready. It then will be eaten on this day either in the grave yard or at home. At the people's homes they will set up an alter to their loved ones which they will decorate and also have food on it. Saints Day is truly a big…

    • 1868 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Los Dia de los Muertos, or the Day of the Dead, is a Mexican holiday spanning two days and three nights. During this holiday, families gather to welcome the souls of the people that have died. They see these days as crossroads between the living and the dead. The Day of the Dead originates from ancient Aztec culture and although Christianity has influenced this celebration over the years, the Mexican people, like the Aztecs, still exhibit no fear of death and it is talked about openly and in everyday life. Ofrendas are a traditional element in celebrating the Day of the Dead; even their symbol of death, the calavera, helps to show that there is no denial of death in this culture. This is witnessed especially throughout the festivities.…

    • 1070 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Mexican citizens do an event known as a Posada procession. This tradition tells about how Mary and Joseph were looking for a place to stay. There are nine posadas, which represent…

    • 259 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    October 31st, Day of the Dead, is celebrated in Mexico and other countries by families who have dealt with the grief and pain of loved ones that have passed away. Day of the Dead is a time focused on gatherings of friends and family to pray and remember others who have died (Villalba).…

    • 257 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    During National Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15 to October 15) we recognize the contributions made and the important presence of Hispanic and Latino Americans to the United States and celebrate their heritage and culture. Hispanics have had a profound and positive influence on our country through their strong commitment to family, faith, hard work, and service. They have enhanced and shaped our national character with centuries-old traditions that reflect the multiethnic and multicultural customs of their community. Hispanic Heritage Month, whose roots go back to 1968, begins each year on September 15, the anniversary of independence of five Latin American countries: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. Mexico,…

    • 395 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Essay On Day Of The Dead

    • 498 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Day of the Dead is celebrated in the beginning of November by mainly Latin American countries. In Mexico, it is a major holiday and taken very seriously. It is a celebration in which the dead are joined with the living. Those from the afterlife come in contact with life on earth and partake in both scared and joyous festivities. The dead come as spirits from their afterlife to rejoin their families and visit their homes. It is a time when the deceased are able to enjoy once again the pleasures of life. This holiday is unlike any other. This holiday gives believers the ability to somewhat under stand the afterlife or at least connect with it. It functions as a "ritualistic elaborate celebration of life, rather than a sober mourning of its passing." By rejoicing in bright colors, extravagant outfits and giving gifts of food and spices Mexicans as well as other cultures are able to cope with mortality.…

    • 498 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Day of the Dead originated from traditions observed as much as 3,000 years ago. These traditions have been passed on from generation to generation until the present day. Originally, the celebrations of the Day of the Dead lasted for a whole month, starting at the beginning of August, or the ninth month on the Aztec calendar. The holiday was moved to October 31st, November 1st, and November 2nd to coincide with the Catholic festival of Allhallowtide. On October 31st, the holiday begins as people prepare for the celebrations which will occur over the next couple days. November 1st is celebrated as Dia de Los Inocentes, or “Day of the Innocents”, which celebrates and honors the children and babies which have passed away. November 2nd is Dia de Los Muertos, or “Day of the Dead”, and celebrates the adults who have died.…

    • 440 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays

Related Topics