| The Day of the Dead celebrations held on November | | | | picnic in the cemetery, bringing the deceased's favorite |
| 1st and 2nd acknowledge the culmination of the life | | | | food and drink. |
| cycle, and that death will come to us all. While it directly | | | | When the Church granted magical curative powers to |
| follows Halloween, the holiday is not designed to scare | | | | relics, it was extended to the use of milagros, Spanish |
| or bring sadness. | | | | for miracles, metal charms in the shape of body parts |
| The Day of the Dead allows the living to honor those | | | | that need healing. This gave rise to specially shaped |
| who have died - family, friends, ancestors, and pets. | | | | Day of the Dead foods, such as sugar skulls and pan |
| While its origins are from ancient Meso-American | | | | de muerto, sweet egg bread baked in the shape of |
| cultures, which range from Mexico to Honduras and El | | | | skulls or bones. These can be offerings to the dead or |
| Salvador, anyone can adopt this annual observance | | | | eaten by the living. |
| and tailor this colorful celebration to remember their | | | | Colorful parades are held with people dressed as |
| own deceased loved ones. | | | | skeletons, a reminder that in death, we actually |
| History | | | | continue life. Skull masks and artwork of skeletons |
| Starting with the Halloween connection, going back | | | | doing everyday activities, such as dancing, bicycle |
| about 3,000 years, the ancient Celtic people believed | | | | riding, and eating and drinking, remind us that the |
| that on October 31st the boundary between the living | | | | everlasting soul continues on, separate from the body. |
| and the dead dissolved, allowing spirits of the | | | | The celebration continues in the home, welcoming the |
| deceased to cross over into the living world. To | | | | dead with respect and devotion. Some families will |
| combat the Druid festival Samhain (pronounced | | | | make an elaborate dinner, set out the food and not eat |
| Sow-wen) held this time of year, the Catholic Church | | | | it until the next day, to let the spirits eat first. They may |
| moved All Saints' Day - a.k.a. All Hallows' Day - from | | | | also make the bed with fresh sheets to allow the |
| mid-May to November 1. Halloween comes from | | | | spirits to rest after their long journey to earth. And they |
| abbreviating All Hallows' Even, the evening before the | | | | construct ofrendas, individualized altars with offerings |
| day. | | | | to maintain relations with the dead. |
| Meanwhile, over in the Western Hemisphere, | | | | Making an Ofrenda or Altar |
| indigenous peoples such as the Aztec, Maya, Olmec, | | | | You don't have to be Mexican to honor your loved |
| Toltec and other tribes in Mexico held rituals celebrating | | | | ones with a Day of the Dead altar in your home and |
| the deaths of ancestors during the month of August. It | | | | welcome their spirits for a visit. Start by setting up a |
| corresponded with a festival dedicated to a goddess | | | | table with photos of the deceased, and their ashes if |
| called Mictecacihuatl, The Lady of the Dead. When | | | | you have them. Don't forget to include departed pets! |
| Catholic Spanish Conquistadors came to the New | | | | Decorate around the photos with flowers and candles. |
| World more than 500 years ago, they tried to | | | | Set out foods and beverages that they used to enjoy. |
| eradicate these native rituals that seemed to mock | | | | Play the music they loved. Put art objects they |
| death and symbolized death and rebirth. | | | | collected or artwork they created on or near the altar. |
| The ancient rituals refused to die in the face of forced | | | | Write messages to them and place the notes next to |
| conversion. So to make the ritual more Christian, the | | | | their photos. Include items from pets' lives, such as |
| Spaniards moved it to correspond with All Saints' Day | | | | toys, leashes, treats, and tags. |
| and All Souls' Day, November 1 and 2. In Mexico, Dia | | | | Traditional ofrendas have items that represent the four |
| De Los Muertos as it is known in Spanish, often honors | | | | elements of earth, air, fire and water. A glass of water |
| deceased children and infants on the first day, and | | | | is included, to give the spirits a drink after their long |
| deceased adults on the second day. | | | | journey. Tissue paper sheets with elaborate cutout |
| The early Meso-American attitude was that life is a | | | | designs, called papel picado, represent air, as they |
| dream, and death is the awakening to real life. The | | | | move with the gentlest breeze. Flowers and a bowl of |
| dead are considered to have semi-divine status, given | | | | salt often represent the earth, and candles provide fire. |
| permission to return once a year. They are to be | | | | Marigolds are the flower of choice for Day of the |
| welcomed, not feared. | | | | Dead decorating. Their pungent scent is said to guide |
| How Day of the Dead is Celebrated | | | | souls to earth, and marigolds are often still blooming in |
| Today, Day of the Dead celebrations are held in | | | | late October. Flowers can be arranged in an arch, |
| Mexico, parts of Central and Latin America, in the | | | | along with sheets of papel picado, representing the |
| Southwest U.S., and some European countries. In | | | | connection from earth to heaven. |
| Mexico, the celebrations are elaborate, even more so | | | | Create the altar prior to Halloween, and keep it up for |
| than Christmas observances. Parades and profuse | | | | as long as it feels right. Photograph the altar for |
| decorations in homes and cemeteries make this time | | | | posterity. Each year presents a new opportunity to |
| of year a tourist spectacle. | | | | remember and honor those who meant so much to us |
| Families visit cemeteries to clean the graves of loved | | | | while they lived. Inevitably, there will be new faces to |
| ones, decorate them with flowers and candles, and | | | | add as the years go by. |
| commune with the spirits of the departed. Often, they | | | | |