Mexican Holiday Is Celebrated In The United States
Honor & Feed The Spirit Of Loved Ones With Photos, Altars & Food
Halloween may be a big deal to children and adults in the United States, but our neighbors to the south celebrate another holiday this time of year: Dia de los Muertos.
Dia de los Muertos means Day of the Dead. It is a ritual that started more than 3,000 years ago in Mexico with natives such as the Aztecs. The holiday, which falls on November 1 and 2, honors loved ones who have died. To join the festivities, prepare early by asking yourself how to scan my photos. Displaying images of the dead is a significant part of the ritual. This photograph features an altar that pays tribute to the deceased.
In rural parts of Mexico, families visit their loved ones’ grave sites to hold picnics and decorate the spots with candles, flowers such as marigolds and age-appropriate items (toys for children, tequila for adults). They offer and feast on the deceased’s favorite foods and specialty items such as pan de muerto, a sugar-dusted bread that features skull and bone shapes on the top. Some people dance as a tribute.
Under Spanish influences, Dia de los Muertos evolved to include Catholic beliefs – November 1 is All Saints Day and November 2 is All Souls Day. Today, the holiday also is celebrated in states wit
h large Mexican-American populations, including California, Arizona and Texas. In the United States and urban areas of Mexico, people are more likely to host parties and build altars at home honoring their loved ones. They attach photos and other items similar to what you would display at the cemetery. If you have an old picture you would like to include, send them to a company that knows how to scan. My photos or yours, the process for transferring to digital format makes them easier to share and use as you wish.
On Dia de los Muertos, skulls appear in many forms. Calacas, or wooden skull masks, are used for dancing. Sugar skulls, which feature the name of a dead relative or friend, are eaten. Though skulls may seem ominous to Americans, they were actually a symbol of both death and rebirth to Aztecs. To them, death was not the end, but another stage in life – the point at which the soul is set free. Those who celebrate this holiday consider it a chance to honor the spirit of the dead.