Day of the Dead

Day of the Dead is a Mexican holiday that honors family members who have died. In Spanish, it is called Día de los Muertos. The holiday takes place every year on November 1 and November 2. People in Mexico and in many parts of Latin America celebrate it. So do many Mexican American families in the United States.

The holiday mixes very old and newer ideas. Long before Spanish settlers arrived, the Aztec people of central Mexico held month-long ceremonies to remember the dead. They believed that the spirits of loved ones came back to visit each year. When Spanish Catholics arrived in the 1500s, they brought two religious days called All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day. Over hundreds of years, the two traditions blended into the holiday people celebrate today.

Day of the Dead is not a sad holiday. Families believe that on these two days, the spirits of the dead come back to visit. So they prepare a warm welcome. The most important part is the ofrenda, which means "offering." An ofrenda is a special altar set up in the home or at the cemetery. Families cover it with photos of relatives who have died. They add the foods and drinks those people loved most in life.

Certain things appear on almost every ofrenda. Bright orange marigold flowers line the altar and form paths from the door. Candles are lit to help spirits find their way. Sugar skulls, called calaveras, are decorated with colorful icing and the names of the dead. A sweet bread called pan de muerto, or "bread of the dead," is baked just for this holiday. Glasses of water are set out so visiting spirits can drink after their long journey.

One of the most famous symbols of the holiday is La Catrina, a tall skeleton wearing a fancy hat and dress. She was drawn in the early 1900s by a Mexican artist named José Guadalupe Posada. La Catrina reminds people that death comes for everyone, rich and poor alike. Today many people paint their faces to look like her during festivals and parades.

Day of the Dead is sometimes confused with Halloween because both happen near each other and both involve skeletons. They are not the same. Halloween is about scares and costumes. Day of the Dead is about love, memory, and inviting the people we miss back home for one more visit.