-
1550 BCE
What is the Day of the Dead?
The Day of the Dead is a cultural celebration in Mexico. They celebrate this day as a way to honour people who have passed away. In Mexico, it is known as Día de Los Muertos.
This important Mexican celebration is held from October 31 to November 2nd, which coincides with the Catholic feast days of All Saints and All Souls. -
1550 BCE
Where did it originate from?
Historically, the festival's origins are elements drawn from indigenous beliefs and Catholic teachings. It evolved as time passed, with the addition of new ideas and practices. The Day of the Dead is celebrated in Mexico and among Mexican American. Nowadays, Americans also celebrate it. -
1550 BCE
How is this Day celebrated in Nahua?
In Nahua, the southern part of Mexico and Central America, their rituals for honouring the dead, is held in August, and it includes family members providing food, water, and tools to help the soul in this difficult journey. This event inspired the modern Day of the Dead practice in which people leave food or other offerings on their loved ones’ graves. -
1550 BCE
History
This Mexican celebration dates back to 3,000 years ago. People living in Central Mexico view the universe as a cycle and identify death as an integral, ever-present part of life. When a person would die, it was believed that their soul would travel to Chicunamictlán, the Land of the Dead. After getting through the nine challenging levels of the afterlife, a journey that lasts for several years, only then, could the dead person’s soul finally reach the final resting place called Mictlán. -
20 BCE
Ancient Europe
In ancient Europe, celebrations of the dead also took place in the fall, and the celebration included dancing, feasting and bonfires. These pagan customs survived even after the rise of the Roman Catholic Church, which turned these celebrations into two minor Catholic holidays called “All Saints Day” and “All Souls Day”. These two days are celebrated on the first two days of November. -
16 BCE
Spain
Moreover, in Spain, people would bring wine and bread called pan de ánimas (spirit bread) to the graves of their loved ones on “All Souls Day. Another ritual is that would cover graves with flowers and candles to illuminate the dead souls’ way back to their homes on Earth. Spanish conquerors in the early 16th century brought such traditions with them to the New World.
-
16 BCE
Rituals and festivities
The rituals and festivities of the Day of the Dead consist of:
-Writing and making rhymes
-Face paint
-Making sugar skulls
-Carpenters make beautiful flower tapestries
-People leave blankets and pillows for the dead
-People prepare their loved ones favourite food and leave it for them -
Modern Day of the Dead
The Day of the Dead is a holiday which is in constant evolution. Urban Mexicans will buy the stuff they need instead of making the traditional items like the mass-produced objects on their altars, candy skeletons and skulls. In the late 60s, the Chicano movement identified the Day of the Dead as an important element of their heritage, but as it is in the United States, it is a subject of change that comes from American culture.
