essay day of the dead

The Day of the Dead Descriptive Essay

The festivity of the “Day of the Dead is a concept that demonstrates strong respect for ancestors, the continued love for the departed ones, the strength of family relationships, and humor in death” (Kaplan and Norton 5). It was started by the early inhabitants of Central Mexico, who believed in life after death (Kaplan and Norton 2).

During this joyous and sacred event, families invite the souls of their departed ones to offer them warmth and comfort. In other words, the festival symbolizes triumph of life over death (Kaplan and Norton 45).

The Day of the Dead is celebrated during the month of November, specifically on the first and second days of the month. The souls of the departed children ( Los angelitos ) are commemorated on November 1, whereas the souls of the departed adults are remembered on November 2 (Kaplan and Norton 13).

Just prior to “the first day of November, families gather around graveyards at nights to stay with the visiting souls” (Kaplan and Norton 23). Children sing and play, men chat and drink, and women sit with their young ones. There is a “spectacular sight of cleaned graves that are beautifully decorated with flowers, food, and lit candles” (Kaplan and Norton 34).

There can be one or more bands of musicians playing in close proximity and family members dancing with the spirits of their loved ones (Kaplan and Norton 15). In preparation for “the arrival of the souls of the departed ones, many Mexican families build ofrendas in their homes” (Kaplan and Norton 76).

Ofrendas are special holy altars built mostly by Mexican women. They are used for welcoming souls to households. Flowers are mainly used at the gravesites and on altars. Indian Mexicans, for instance, are known for their use of the yellow marigold ( cempasuchil ), also known as the flower of the dead, to decorate graves and altars. Other flowers that are “used are the coxcombs, white amaryllis, and the wild purple orchid” (Kaplan and Norton 76).

In addition to the Days of the Dead bread, graveyards are typified by delicacies for the dead to eat. From a personal reflection, I think that Mexicans believe that people continue with life after they die. For instance, the departed ones are offered food at gravesides due to the fact that they still need to obtain good nutrition.

Towns in Mexico are characterized by very many people during the last days of October for the reason that almost every family member rushes to purchase materials needed for the decoration and preparation of altars. Special commodities are in adequate supply during this period to meet the relatively high demand.

They include clay candlesticks, plain or elegantly decorated candles, beautiful burners, skeleton figures, toys, and miniature dolls. Additionally, colorful paper cutouts are sold in shopping centers because they are special components in the preparation of altars. The significance of the paper cutouts is to appease and entertain the returning souls.

Most families prepare/bake special kinds of loaves of bread, called the bread of the dead, which are in unique shapes and sizes. The most amazing fact that surrounds the festivity and Mexican people is the lack of dull moods.

Personally, I think that people should be in a mourning mood when they are associating with the dead. In fact, it appears that the departed persons do not come to haunt or scare their loved ones, but they come from the ‘other world’ to visit their homes and look for comfort and care.

Works Cited

Kaplan, Robert, and David Norton. The fiesta of the day of the dead . Cambridge, MA: Harvard Business Press, 2011. Print.

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Day of the Dead (Día de los Muertos)

By: History.com Editors

Updated: April 24, 2023 | Original: October 30, 2018

The Day of the Dead (el Día de los Muertos), is a Mexican holiday where families welcome back the souls of their deceased relatives for a brief reunion that includes food, drink and celebration.

A blend of Mesoamerican ritual, European religion and Spanish culture, the holiday is celebrated each year from October 31-November 2. While October 31 is Halloween, November 1-2 is All Souls Day or the Day of the Dead. According to tradition, the gates of heaven are opened at midnight on October 31 and the spirits of children can rejoin their families for 24 hours. The spirits of adults can do the same on November 2.

Origins of Day of the Dead

The roots of the Day of the Dead, celebrated in contemporary Mexico and among those of Mexican heritage in the United States and around the world, go back some 3,000 years, to the rituals honoring the dead in pre-Columbian Mesoamerica. The Aztecs and other Nahua people living in what is now central Mexico held a cyclical view of the universe, and saw death as an integral, ever-present part of life.

Upon dying, a person was believed to travel to Chicunamictlán, the Land of the Dead. Only after getting through nine challenging levels, a journey of several years, could the person’s soul finally reach Mictlán, the final resting place. In Nahua rituals honoring the dead, traditionally held in August, family members provided food, water and tools to aid the deceased in this difficult journey. This inspired the contemporary Day of the Dead practice in which people leave food or other offerings on their loved ones’ graves, or set them out on makeshift altars called ofrendas in their homes.

Day of the Dead vs. All Souls Day

In ancient Europe, pagan celebrations of the dead also took place in the fall, and consisted of bonfires, dancing and feasting. Some of these customs survived even after the rise of the Roman Catholic Church, which (unofficially) adopted them into their celebrations of two Catholic holidays, All Saints Day and All Souls Day, celebrated on the first two days of November.

In medieval Spain, people would bring bring wine and pan de ánimas (spirit bread) to the graves of their loved ones on All Souls Day; they would also cover graves with flowers and light candles to illuminate the dead souls’ way back to their homes on Earth. In the 16th century, Spanish conquistadores brought such traditions with them to the New World, along with a darker view of death influenced by the devastation of the bubonic plague .

How Is the Day of the Dead Celebrated?

El Día de los Muertos is not, as is commonly thought, a Mexican version of Halloween , though the two holidays do share some traditions, including costumes and parades. On the Day of the Dead, it’s believed that the border between the spirit world and the real world dissolves. During this brief period, the souls of the dead awaken and return to the living world to feast, drink, dance and play music with their loved ones. In turn, the living family members treat the deceased as honored guests in their celebrations, and leave the deceased’s favorite foods and other offerings at gravesites or on the ofrendas built in their homes. Ofrendas can be decorated with candles, bright marigolds called cempasuchil and red cock’s combs alongside food like stacks of tortillas and fruit.

The most prominent symbols related to the Day of the Dead are calacas (skeletons) and calaveras (skulls). In the early 20th century, the printer and cartoonist José Guadalupe Posada incorporated skeletal figures in his art mocking politicians and commenting on revolutionary politics. His most well-known work, La Calavera Catrina , or Elegant Skull, features a female skeleton adorned with makeup and dressed in fancy clothes. The 1910 etching was intended as a statement about Mexicans adopting European fashions over their own heritage and traditions.  La Calavera Catrina was then adopted as one of the most recognizable Day of the Dead icons.

During contemporary Day of the Dead festivities, people commonly wear skull masks and eat sugar candy molded into the shape of skulls. The pan de ánimas of All Souls Day rituals in Spain is reflected in pan de muerto, the traditional sweet baked good of Day of the Dead celebrations today. Other food and drink associated with the holiday , but consumed year-round as well, include spicy dark chocolate and the corn-based drink called atole. You can wish someone a happy Day of the Dead by saying, “Feliz día de los Muertos.”

Movies Featuring Day of the Dead

Traditionally, the Day of the Dead was celebrated largely in the more rural, indigenous areas of Mexico, but starting in the 1980s it began spreading into the cities. UNESCO reflected growing awareness of the holiday in 2008, when it added Mexico’s “Indigenous festivity dedicated to the dead” to its list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

In recent years, the tradition has developed even more due to its visibility in pop culture and its growing popularity in the United States, where more than 36 million people identified as being of partial or full Mexican ancestry as of 2016, according to the U.S. Census Bureau .

Inspired by the 2015 James Bond movie Spectre , which featured a large Day of the Dead parade, Mexico City held its first-ever parade for the holiday in 2016. In 2017, a number of major U.S. cities, including Chicago, Los Angeles, San Antonio and Fort Lauderdale, held Day of the Dead parades. That November, Disney and Pixar released the blockbuster animated hit Coco , a $175 million homage to the Mexican tradition in which a young boy is transported to the Land of the Dead and meets up with his long-lost ancestors.  

Though the particular customs and scale of Day of the Dead celebrations continue to evolve, the heart of the holiday has remained the same over thousands of years. It’s an occasion for remembering and celebrating those who have passed on from this world, while at the same time portraying death in a more positive light, as a natural part of the human experience.

Día de los Muertos: A Brief History, National Hispanic Cultural Center Giardina, Carolyn, “‘Coco’: How Pixar Brought its ‘Day of the Dead’ Story to Life,” Hollywood Reporter , December 12, 2017 Dobrin, Isabel, “Día de los Muertos Comes to Life Across the Mexican Diaspora,” NPR, November 2, 2017 Scott, Chris. “Day of the Dead parade - Life imitates art,” CNN , October 28, 2016 Mictlantecuhtli, Ancient History Encyclopedia

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What Is Day of the Dead, the Mexican Holiday?

Día de Muertos is an intimate family tradition, a moment to remember and honor those we have lost, and allow them back into our homes, even just for an evening.

By Oscar Lopez

MEXICO CITY — Day of the Dead, or Día de Muertos, is one of the most important celebrations in Mexico, with roots dating back thousands of years, long before Spanish settlers arrived. It has become a blend of Catholic tradition and Mexican mysticism, commemorating death as another element of life and as a way to remember and honor loved ones.

In bustling markets, stalls sell decorated skulls made of sugar or chocolate and sheets of tissue paper, cut into delicate shapes, adorn stores and restaurants. In houses all over the country, families carefully place photographs of their ancestors on an altar beside candles and a traditional Mexican pastry as incense fills the air. In flower shops, freshly cut marigolds line the storefronts.

Although the tradition has long been part of Mexican culture, the holiday has of late become an important tourist draw, with travelers visiting towns and cities across the country to witness the colorful displays of ofrendas , altars to invite the spirits of the dead back into the world of the living.

While the festivities have appeared in Oscar-winning movies and even commercials for major companies, for Mexicans it remains an intimate family tradition, a moment to remember and honor those we have lost, and allow them back into our homes, even just for an evening. And in a country where violence and tragedy have become pervasive, it is also a reminder of Mexico’s ability to persevere and laugh at anything — even death.

When is Day of the Dead?

It is observed on Nov. 2, when all souls of the dead are believed to return to the world of the living. But the celebration typically begins on Oct. 28, with each day dedicated to a different kind of death: people who died in accidents or children who died before being baptized, for example. All Saint’s Day, on Nov. 1, honors anyone who led a pure life, particularly children.

Who celebrates Day of the Dead?

It is primarily a Mexican tradition, but other Catholic countries around the world also honor the deceased. In the Philippines, relatives visit the graves of the dead, bringing flowers and lighting candles. In Brazil, there is Dia de Finados. And in many other countries, including the United States, Nov. 2 is similarly recognized as All Souls’ Day, when Catholics remember and pray for the dead.

Where did Day of the Dead originate?

The holiday has its origins in Indigenous cultures dating back thousands of years, particularly influenced by the Aztec or Mexica people. In Aztec culture, death was transitory, and the souls of the dead could return to visit the living. At least two important festivals in the fall would celebrate the dead and invite them back to the world of the living. After the Spanish arrived in the 16th century, those traditions were melded into the Catholic calendar, and are now celebrated to coincide with All Souls’ Day.

How is Day of the Dead celebrated?

Celebrations vary by region, but some elements tend to be universal. People typically place photos of deceased loved ones at an ofrenda, along with their favorite food or drink. In some parts of the country, like Morelos state, families open their doors to anyone interested in viewing the altar, offering them food like pan de muerto , a traditional Mexican pastry , and atole, a drink made from corn. On Nov. 2, many head to cemeteries to place flowers, candles and other offerings at graves.

As the tradition’s global popularity has grown, particularly with Hollywood films like “Coco” and “The Book of Life,” festivities have become larger and more elaborate.

After the 2015 James Bond film “Spectre” featured an elaborate Day of the Dead parade snaking through downtown Mexico City, officials held a real-life version , which included dancers in bright costumes and floats with images of giant skulls. The parade has since become an important tourist attraction for the capital, with 2.6 million attending in 2019.

In the United States, cities with large Mexican populations like Los Angeles, Chicago and San Antonio also hold celebrations, including parades, exhibitions and street fairs.

What items are placed on an altar?

Altars normally have multiple levels: Two levels symbolize the earth and the sky, three levels can represent heaven, earth and purgatory, while seven levels signify the seven steps to enter the afterlife, or the seven deadly sins.

Every ofrenda includes items meant to correspond to the four elements: earth, water, air and fire. Ashes or dirt typically stand in for earth. A glass of water lets the spirits quench their thirst after a long journey, and tissue paper carved with elaborate motifs is commonly used to represent air. Candles signify fire, helping guide the dead home.

Altars also often feature small skulls made of sugar or chocolate, as well as pan de muerto. For altars to children, some place a small toy dog while a woven rug offers souls a place to rest. The favorite food, drink or other items beloved by the dead are important, too, as well as copal , a kind of incense to cleanse the space.

Which flowers symbolize the Day of the Dead?

The most important flower is the marigold, though its meaning varies. Its bright yellow petals are said to represent the sun and act as a guide for the souls of the dead to return home. Other significant flowers include white baby’s breath, which can stand for purity, as well as the bright red velvet flower, which often add a splash of color to ofrendas.

What is pan de muerto?

Pan de muerto , or bread of the dead, is a traditional Mexican pastry. Central to Day of the Dead celebrations, it is placed on the altar as an offering and also eaten as a tasty treat throughout October. Like much of the celebration, the pastry has its roots in Aztec culture of centuries past, when different kinds of traditional breads would be used as offerings. Round in shape, with a pair of crossed bones and a circle representing a skull made of pastry on top, the pan de muerto is similar in texture to challah, usually sprinkled with sugar or other toppings.

Mathew Sandoval, The Conversation Mathew Sandoval, The Conversation

Casey Kuhn Casey Kuhn

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What is Día de los Muertos? An expert explains the holiday celebrating loved ones who have died

Many Latinos regularly declare: “Día de los Muertos is not Mexican Halloween.” The declaration is increasingly repeated by non-Latinos too.

Drawing a clear line between the two holidays is a rhetorical strategy to protect Day of the Dead’s integrity as Mexican cultural heritage and separate it from American popular culture. However, as a Mexican American who celebrates Día de los Muertos and as a scholar of culture and performance , I believe it’s time to fully acknowledge the cultural intermixing that’s happening between the two holidays.

READ MORE: These wicked Day of the Dead poems don’t spare anyone

Halloween’s influence is transforming Día de los Muertos into a hybrid cultural tradition that simultaneously honors the dead and celebrates the macabre.

The origins of the distinction

Día de los Muertos is a traditional fiesta in honor of the deceased that is celebrated in Mexico and other parts of Latin America on Nov. 1 and 2. The holiday is celebrated though ritual observations like constructing altars, ofrendas, filled with offerings to the dead and decorating family gravesites to commune with the dead. Day of the Dead is also commemorated through vivacious fiestas in which communities gather in town plazas and community centers to celebrate by dancing, playing music, feasting, drinking and masquerading as death.

Miniature skulls are seen decorated on an altar during the 14th annual Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, festival at Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Los Angeles, November 2, 2013. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson

Although Day of the Dead is a long-standing tradition in Mexico, the holiday wasn’t celebrated widely or publicly among Latinos in the U.S. That changed in the 1970s and 1980s when artists and activists introduced Day of the Dead to their communities as part of the Chicano movement , the social and cultural movement for Mexican American empowerment. As Latinos began celebrating the holiday proudly and publicly in the U.S., they also began distinguishing it from Halloween. That’s because many non-Latinos mistakenly interpreted Day of the Dead’s skull and skeleton imagery as witchcraft. Latinos used the phrase “Día de los Muertos is not Mexican Halloween” to protect the holiday from misrepresentation, educate the broader public about the cultural tradition and shield themselves from discrimination.

The declaration was also used in the 1970s and 1980s by Mexico’s tourism industry when it began vigorously promoting Day of the Dead internationally as a cultural attraction. Tourists arriving in Mexico were informed that Día de los Muertos was an authentic national holiday that bore no relation to Halloween.

The 1990s and 2000s

In the 1990s, “Día de los Muertos is not Mexican Halloween” became a political statement. The North American Free Trade Agreement, signed in 1994, flooded Mexico with U.S. consumer goods, media and popular culture. Halloween’s importation was seen by some Mexicans as a symbol of U.S. “cultural imperialism,” the process by which the United States uses culture to maintain political and economic domination over Mexico.

1985, Sances, Jos – Library of Congress

But by the early 2000s, Mexican, U.S. and British anthropologists reported that Halloween was already fusing with Día de los Muertos in fascinating ways. Halloween candy, costumes and ornaments appeared in stores and street markets, where it was displayed next to Day of the Dead material. Jack-o-lantern and spider-web decorations adorned ofrendas, the traditional altars erected for the dead . The streets were increasingly filled with trick-or-treating children dressed as witches, vampires and monsters. Bars and nightclubs in southern Mexico hosted Halloween and Day of the Dead costume parties for adults.

READ MORE: How ‘La Catrina’ became the iconic symbol for the Day of the Dead

Some Mexicans denounced Halloween as “an invasion.” Some referred to Halloween as “cultural pollution.”

Such fears led the United Nations in 2003 to officially designate Día de los Muertos a form of “intangible cultural heritage,” a classification reserved for cultural traditions like rituals, oral traditions and performing arts that are endangered by globalization or lack of support. This gave the United Nations authority to work with the Mexican government to “protect and conserve” Day of the Dead, which would presumably safeguard the holiday from influences like Halloween. But it was too late. Hollywood’s influence

Today, Halloween haunts Día de Los Muertos in Mexico like never before. Children trick or treat in costume for a full week during Day of the Dead season. They beg for candy from shops and restaurants by crying “Queremos Halloween!” – literally meaning, “We want Halloween!” On Nov. 2 at the country’s largest cemetery, Panteón de Dolores, you’ll find graveyard ofrendas decorated with cobwebs, vampires, witches and pumpkins.

Models are pictured during a Quinceanera Magazine Catrina fashion show at a press reception ahead of the 15th annual Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, festival at Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Los Angeles, California October 24, 2014. The Day of the Dead festival has its origins in a pre-Hispanic Aztec belief that the dead return to Earth one day each year to visit their loved ones. The festival will be held on November 1. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni (UNITED STATES – Tags: ENTERTAINMENT SOCIETY FASHION)

The fusion of Halloween and Day of the Dead is largely facilitated by Hollywood. A prime example is the celebration at the famous Panteón de San Fernando, a cemetery where the remains of some of Mexico’s most important presidents and dignitaries are buried. As part of holiday festivities, the cemetery hosts a screening of the horror classic “Night of the Living Dead.” Hundreds dressed in Day of the Dead attire gather at the tomb of President Benito Juárez, eating candy while watching zombies terrorize a small American community.

The impact of Halloween’s horror movie influence is most noticeable at the country’s largest Día de los Muertos celebration. The Gran Desfile de Día de Muertos, or the Great Day of the Dead parade, which began in 2016 as a simulation of the one depicted in the James Bond movie “Spectre,” annually attracts more than a million attendees.

In addition to sugar skull makeup and skeleton attire, participants also don Hollywood horror costumes typically reserved for Halloween. You’ll find people dressed as Jigsaw from the “Saw” movies, Chucky from “Child’s Play,” Ghostface from the “Scream” series and Pennywise from Stephen King’s “It.”

By far the most popular costume in 2022 was Michael Myers from “Halloween.” This is hardly surprising. The franchise’s most recent installment, “Halloween Ends,” was huge in Mexico. When the film was released in Mexico during Day of the Dead and Halloween season, it was one of the highest-grossing movies in the country. In fact, of the 70 counties where the film was released, Mexico had the third-highest ticket sales.

Characters from Disney at celebrations

In particular, Disney’s influence on both Halloween and Día de los Muertos is immense. The number of children and adults costumed as Darth Vader, Spiderman or Jasmine and Aladdin at Day of the Dead celebrations is bewildering.

And they’re not just at the festive events like the Gran Desfile de Muertos, either. They’re at the ritual ceremonies, too. One can find all manner of Avenger superheroes at the Panteón de Dolores gathered graveside and making offerings to the dead.

Then there’s the dilemma posed by Disney-Pixar’s “Coco,” the beloved animated film about Día de los Muertos. Similar to every Disney entity, companies license and manufacture Halloween costumes based on characters from the movie.

These costumes are now popular in Mexico, where people dress up as characters from “Coco.” But when they masquerade as the skull-faced Miguel, Ernesto de la Cruz or Mama Imelda, it’s hard to say whether they’re wearing a Halloween costume or a Día de los Muertos costume. I’d venture to say that it’s both simultaneously.

And therein lies the crisis of identity currently facing Mexico’s Day of the Dead. The influence of Hollywood is making it more and more difficult to credibly say “Día de los Muertos is not a Mexican Halloween.”

What’s next for Day of the Dead

The fusion between the two holidays is happening in rural and urban areas, and in the borderlands and deeper parts of Mexico. It’s altering Day of the Dead’s popular festive qualities and its ceremonial customs.

Cultural conservatives will no doubt bemoan this as “pollution” of a sacred tradition. But they forget that transformation and adaptation are what ensure any tradition’s survival. Día de los Muertos may live eternally, but it’ll be thanks to the vampire bite of Halloween.

The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts. The Conversation is wholly responsible for the content.

Casey is a producer for NewsHour's digital video team. She has won several awards for her work in broadcast journalism, including a national Edward R. Murrow award.

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32: How I Celebrate Life on the Day of the Dead (González)

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Linda González

#argument, #sharedvalues, #ethos, #pathos, #descriptive, #kairos, #logos, #currentevents, #advice, #artsandculture #global

Every year as November 1 approaches, I do the math to remember how long ago my father passed away on Día de los Muertos. This year, I dutifully pulled up my calculator and subtracted 1996 from 2017. Twenty-one years. And then the obvious hits me. I can always know how long it has been since he passed on to his next life by subtracting one year from my twins’ age. They are 22 and were just a year old when their abuelo died. I remember carrying Gina down the aisle behind the casket, her and Teo’s new life blooming while that same year Tot’s had faded.

I set up my altar this week, pulling out the pictures of my dearly departed and adding new ones from this year. The first step is always laying out the cross-stitched mantle with years of stains and a dark mark from when a candle burned too hot. I tape papel picado above the altar, remembering this ritual is not a dirge; it is an opening of the veil to celebrate the lives that touched me and my comunidades. It is a time to think about why I miss them and ponder how to keep them alive in the present moment.

I imagine my dad’s disappointed spirit hovering over the Dodgers as they lost in the World Series. I invoke my mom’s stovetop magic as I figure out what to do with a bag of zucchini that must be cooked tonight. I remember the mothers who grieve their sons’ vibrant spirits every day, and I take a moment to send Snapchats to my beloved cuates.

Día de los Muertos is so ingrained in my being that I am startled to see people in costume; my mind wonders for a second, “What’s that all about?” This is amazing because I was so involved in Halloween while my children were growing up—making costumes, figuring out the healthiest candy to hand out, trading my children’s candy for money so they were not overloaded with sugar (and I could store their loot for the next Halloween).

In years past, I have hosted gatherings to decorate sugar skulls, loving this tradition of blending death with creativity. I treasured giving my children and their friends the chance to be playful and imaginative with something that so many people fear. As a writer, I live in that crevice of light and shadow, writing drafts only to end their existence for another version and then another and then yet another.

I love the transparency of life and death, the calaveras that dance and meditate and watch TV. Each skeleton could be anyone of us, and one day we will know what our antepasados experienced after their last out-breath. One day we will see there is no separation between any of us, alive and dead.

The first and only altar in my parents’ home was the one we created on a cake after my dad’s funeral, laying out the detallitos of his life that he allowed to be visible. The secrets were still within him, wisps of energy that over the years encircled us with cariño or strangled our voices or tripped us as we ran.

As I set up my altar year after year, I breathe in the musty smell of the newspapers I have carried from home to home. These crinkled papelitos wrap and unwrap memories and give space for those I loved and lost to whisper consejos in the stillness. I unbind my heart wounds and apply the salve gained from another year of living—that little bit more of perspective and wisdom nestled in my corazón that wraps around me like a soft, colorful rebozo.

____________________

Linda González is the author of the memoir The Cost of Our Lives. She has published essays in literary journals and books, is a storyteller, and received her MFA from Goddard College. This essay is an excerpt from Endangered Species, Enduring Values: An Anthology of San Francisco Area Writers and Artists of Color , edited by Shizue Seigel, Pease Press, 2018. www.peasepress.com . It was published in Yes! Magazine, 31 October 2018.

How I Celebrate Life on the Day of the Dead by Linda González is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License .

Mexico’s Day of the Dead

This essay will provide an overview of Mexico’s Day of the Dead (Día de los Muertos) celebration. It will explore the cultural and historical significance of the holiday, its traditional practices, and symbols, such as ofrendas (altars), calaveras (skulls), and marigolds. The piece will discuss how the celebration honors the deceased and reflects Mexican attitudes toward death, life, and ancestry. Moreover, at PapersOwl, there are additional free essay samples connected to Day Of The Dead.

How it works

The Day of the Dead is a Mexican holiday that starts on October 31st and ends on November 2nd. I have not personally experienced this cultural event but, I have a friend who is Mexican and travels to Mexico every year for this celebration. When she told me about the Day of the Dead, I researched videos online and was able to get a glimpse of the festival.

The Day of the Dead which is also called “Día de los Muertos”, which originated from the ancient traditions of the pre-Columbian cultures.

These rituals would celebrate the death of ancestors that dates back from 2,500 to 3,000 years ago. Everything was dedicated to the goddess “Lady of the Dead” who in modern day is named “La Calavera Catrina”. In the late 20th century, November 1st would honor deceased children and infants called Día de los Innocents (Day of the Innocents) and Día de los Angelitos (Day of the Little Angels). Meanwhile, on November 2nd, the adults who are deceased would be honored. This day is called Día de los Muertos or Día de los Difuntos (Day of the Dead).

According to (Day, 2003), “on October 31, All Hallows Eve, the children make a children’s altar to invite the angelitos (spirits of dead children) to come back for a visit. November 1st is All Saints Day, and the adult spirits will come to visit. November 2 is All Souls Day, when families go to the cemetery to decorate the graves and tombs of their relatives. The three-day fiesta is filled with marigolds, the flowers of the dead; Muertos (the bread of the dead); sugar skulls; cardboard skeletons; tissue paper decorations; fruit and nuts; incense, and other traditional foods and decorations.”

Individuals would go to cemeteries to be with those who have passed and build private alters with the loved one’s favorite food and drinks, as well as pictures and memorabilia. This would encourage the souls to hear the prayers of the living. Throughout the three-day period, the families would clean and decorate the grave sites. Toys would be brought to the deceased children’s graves and alcohol would be brought to the adults.

During the festivities, food is eaten by the living and given to the spirits. Tamales are on of the most common dishes prepared. The main alcoholic beverage that would be drank during the festival is pulque, which is also called agave wine. It’s fermented sap from the agave plant, with the color of milk and a sour yeast-like taste, (Pulque, 2018). Also, Jamaican iced tea is popular. The main symbols that resemble this day are skeletons and skulls.

After watching several videos on YouTube, there is a parade that goes in the middle of the Mexican cities. People would dress up as the dead and would dance down the round. Different colors of face paint would cover their faces and rag and torn clothing to depict the dead. Some are in fancy clothes portraying as enjoying life.

The Day of the Dead is also like China’s Tomb Sweeping Day. Unlike the holiday in Mexico, China celebrates their holiday in April. It falls on the first day of fifth solar term of the traditional Chinese lunisolar calendar which makes it the 15th day of the Spring Equinox (April 4th or 5th). Tomb Sweeping Day is also called “Qingming or Ching Ming Festival”, (Qingming Festival, 2018). During this time, the Chinese people would visit the grave sites to sweep the tombstones. For over 5,000 years, all levels of these people from royal to peasantry would gather together to remember those who have passed.

Rituals would be performed to honor those who died. Those of all ages would kneel to offer prayers at the tombstones of the ancestors, offering burning incense sticks and silver leafed paper, sweep the tombs and offer food, tea, wine, chopsticks memorabilia of the ancestors just like they do in Mexico. Depending on the type of religion, some would pray to a higher deity to honor their ancestors while many others would pray directly to their ancestral spirits. Pomegranate and willow branches are popular religious symbols that symbolize purity. An example of how these two events differ, is that the Qingming festival is a time when couples traditionally start courting. Also, the act of burning spirit money or “hell money”. Hell money is a form of joss paper printed to resemble legal tender bank notes. This paper has no official form of currency since the sole purpose is to be offered as burnt offerings to deceased individuals, (Hell money, 2018).

This cultural event has been influenced by other cultures including the Aztec traditions honoring the dead. Majority of the Latin American countries were Catholics, while northern America was Protestant. All Saints Day and All Souls Day are mostly practiced by Catholic religion which originated by the Spanish and French nations.

The Day of the Dead has influenced Pop Culture. Hollywood movies, zombie shows, Halloween and politics have been a huge influence on this holiday, (Stevenson, 2016). For example, Mexico City was the background in the James Bond movie “Spectre”. In the background, you can see the city celebrating the Day of the Dead with a parade and people in skeleton outfits and floats. Another example is the children’s short film “Día de los Muertos”. This three-minute film shows a young girl placing flowers on the grave of her mother and gets pulled into the underworld of friendly skeletons. She gets hands on of the true meaning behind the holiday which also teaches us what the holiday really means, (Vargas, 2015).

The holiday is recognized in other Latin American countries including Brazil, Belize, Guatemala, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia. All countries have similar celebrations but, also with some minor differences. For example, in Belize, Day of the Dead is practiced by the Yucatec Maya ethnicity. The celebration is known as “food for the souls”. Altars are made and decorated with food, drinks, candies, and candles. Where as in Bolivia, this holiday is called Día de las Natitas (Day of the Skulls) on May 5th. In pre-Columbian times, the Andeans had a tradition of sharing a day with the bones of their ancestors on the third year after their family member was buried. Today, those families keep the skulls for these rituals. On November 9th, the families would crown the skulls with fresh flowers and different garments just to make offerings of cigarettes, coca leaves, alcohol and other items to thank the dead for that year’s protection. But, in Peru, people only visit the cemetery and bring flowers to decorate the graves of dead relatives and even sometimes play music for them. In the United States, states such as Texas and Arizona typically do the most traditional form of this holiday. The Hispanic-Americans still wear masks, carry signs, and wear skeleton costumes during the celebrations.

In Conclusion, the Day of the Dead is widely celebrated all over the world. Some countries share the same way they celebrate this holiday and other countries such as China and other Asian countries celebrate their holiday at a different time of the year.

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Mica Miller’s pastor husband claims he tried to ‘raise her from the dead’ in emotional eulogy

T he South Carolina pastor whose wife fatally shot herself last month told mourners in a eulogy that he visited her body four separate times — and even tried to “raise her from the dead.”

Mica Miller, 30, was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head in Lumber River State Park, NC, on April 27 after she was reportedly heard crying for several minutes.

Her death was casually announced by her husband John-Paul Miller, 44, during a sermon to his congregation at Solid Rock Church in Myrtle Beach.

During a 20-minute speech at the funeral service on May 5, the pastor recounted to mourners how he visited his wife’s body following her suicide.

In a video of the eulogy shared online by Solid Rock on Saturday, Miller said he made several trips to the morgue — four to be exact — in the week after her death.

“Each time it still didn’t hit me, I thought she was going to wake up — I even tried to raise her from the dead one time this week,” he told mourners a memorial service at Solid Rock Ministries in Myrtle Beach.

Miller said he visited a mall later that day, where he noticed a woman resembling his late wife.

Miller said he couldn’t help himself and shouted, “Mica” — only to find out it was one of her sisters.

“I thought I raised her from the dead… I can’t wait to see her again one day,” he said, breaking down in tears.

The pastor said that many people noticed Mica’s beauty, but “only a spouse knows how beautiful a person is on the inside.”

“If I had 10 hours it wouldn’t be enough to tell you all the great things about her,” he added.

Miller’s death came two days after her husband was served divorce papers from her, according to court documents.

She had also alleged to relatives and other church members that she was abused by her partner, according to her sister’s affidavit.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts, you can dial the 24/7 National Suicide Prevention hotline at 988 or go to  SuicidePreventionLifeline.org .

Home — Essay Samples — Life — Halloween — Day of the Dead vs Halloween: a Comparison

Day of The Dead Vs Halloween: a Comparison

• Categories: Day of The Dead Halloween

About this sample

Words: 700 |

Published: Sep 5, 2023

Words: 700 | Pages: 2 | 4 min read

Table of contents

Origins and cultural background, traditions and customs, meaning and symbolism, cultural significance and global impact, conclusion: embracing diversity in cultural celebrations.

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