El Dia de los Muertos (the Day of the Dead), a Mexican celebration, is a day to celebrate, remember and prepare special foods in honor of those who have departed. On this day in Mexico, the streets near the cemeteries are filled with decorations of papel picado, flowers, candy Calaveras, and parades.
It is believed that the spirit of the dead visit their families on October 31 leave on November 2.
In order to celebrate, the families make altars and place ofrendas of food such as pan de muertos baked in shapes of skulls and figures, candles, incense, yellow marigolds known as cempazuchitl (also spelled zempasuchil) and most importantly a photo of the departed soul are placed on the altar.
It might sound somewhat morbid, but the Mexicans react to death with mourning along with happiness and joy. They look at death with the same fear as any other culture, but there is
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Nowadays, many people wear items of clothing decorated with sugar skulls or skeleton prints, such as shirts, dresses, or leggings on Día de los Muertos. You can also wear shells and dance so that the noisiness "wakes up" the dead or even dress up as the deceased.
•Some women also dress as Calavera Catrina in long, flowing, brightly-colored lace dresses paired with flower crowns and sugar skull makeup.
•Sometimes, children dress in costume and ask people on the street for a calaverita (a small gift of money). Unlike Halloween, though, they don't knock on doors. El Día de los muertos is and why it is an important holiday to most Spanish speaking persons in Mexico and other Spanish speaking nations. You should also have gained knowledge of the history of the holiday, where it originated from. You should also be experts at two of the traditions associated with the holiday and able to explain what they are and why they are important.
Although it may seem like such an odd way to celebrate, remember that different cultures have different values and thought