El Día de los Muertos -- The Day of the Dead. A two-day Mexican holiday spanning from November 1st to November 2nd, Día de los Muertos is spent honoring and remembering lost loved ones. On this day, it’s believed that the barrier between the spirit world and physical world dissolves, allowing their souls to come back for a day and to dance, feast, and celebrate. People build ofrendas, or offerings, for the dead, displaying their favorite foods, pictures of them, candles, and cempasúchils (Aztec marigolds) to help guide them back home for the holiday. People also make calaveras de azúcar (sugar skulls) and pan de muertos (bread of the dead).
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Is it one or two days?
You might hear people say “the Day of the Dead” when talking about this holiday, but in actuality, it’s two days. The first day, November 1st, is el Día de los Angeles, or the day of the angels. This day celebrates children who have passed on. The second day is called All Souls Day, and it celebrates adults. Who’s that one skeleton lady?
The skeleton woman who you see a lot when researching the holiday is La Catrina, who is believed to protect those who have passed on to the afterlife. She was first painted by Jose Guadalupe Posada, a Mexican painter, and has since become a widely known symbol for the Day of the Dead. |
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Is it a happy or sad holiday?
Día de los Muertos, though centered around the dead, is actually meant to be a celebration of life and death. When we think of death, it’s usually a sad affair, but on the Day of the Dead, it’s supposed to be more like a party than anything. (For reference, see Coco. It was pretty accurate by comparison.) Like I mentioned before, this holiday is supposed to welcome your loved ones’ souls back to the physical world for them to dance and feast, so it’d be pretty gloomy if everyone was mourning rather than celebrating alongside them. |
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Is it celebrated in countries other than Mexico? Do other countries celebrate similar holidays?
Yes, Día de los Muertos is celebrated in countries other than Mexico. It is celebrated in other Latin countries, and Mexican people living in other countries celebrate it as well. People of other ethnicities can celebrate it too, but it’s important to remember that this is a holiday deeply rooted in Mexican culture, so before celebrating it, you should have an understanding of said culture and the significance of the holiday within it. Performative celebration to appeal to the masses, or using it solely to make money, is appropriation.
As for similar holidays, there is the Chinese Festival of the Hungry Ghost, the Japanese Buddhist festival Obon, Chuseok, which is celebrated in North and South Korea, Thursday of the Dead, celebrated by Muslims and Christians, and All Souls Day, a traditional Roman-Catholic holiday. These holidays celebrate the dead and are deeply cultural. They’re also pretty interesting to read up on!
Yes, Día de los Muertos is celebrated in countries other than Mexico. It is celebrated in other Latin countries, and Mexican people living in other countries celebrate it as well. People of other ethnicities can celebrate it too, but it’s important to remember that this is a holiday deeply rooted in Mexican culture, so before celebrating it, you should have an understanding of said culture and the significance of the holiday within it. Performative celebration to appeal to the masses, or using it solely to make money, is appropriation.
As for similar holidays, there is the Chinese Festival of the Hungry Ghost, the Japanese Buddhist festival Obon, Chuseok, which is celebrated in North and South Korea, Thursday of the Dead, celebrated by Muslims and Christians, and All Souls Day, a traditional Roman-Catholic holiday. These holidays celebrate the dead and are deeply cultural. They’re also pretty interesting to read up on!
I hope I answered a few of your questions about Los Días De Los Muertos! Let me know of any other things that I may have left out!
Trinity Jones
