What do you know about Dia de los Muertos?
Let me share a brief description of what this is…
Día de los Muertos is a holiday celebrated in Mexico and by Mexican Americans living in the United States and Canada. The holiday focuses on gatherings of family and friends to pray for and remember friends and family members who have died. The celebration occurs on November 2 in connection with the Catholic holidays of All Saints’ Day (November 1) and All Souls’ Day (November 2). Traditions connected with the holiday include building private altars honoring the deceased using sugar skulls, marigolds, and the favorite foods and beverages of the departed and visiting graves with these as gifts. Due to occurring shortly after Halloween, the Day of the Dead is sometimes thought to be a similar holiday, although the two actually have little in common. The Day of the Dead is a time of celebration, where partying and eating is common.Scholars trace the origins of the modern holiday to indigenous observances dating back thousands of years and to an Aztec festival dedicated to a goddess called Mictecacihuatl. In Brazil, Dia de Finados is a public holiday that many Brazilians celebrate by visiting cemeteries and churches. In Spain, there are festivals and parades, and, at the end of the day, people gather at cemeteries and pray for their dead loved ones. Similar observances occur elsewhere in Europe and in the Philippines, and similarly themed celebrations appear in many Asian and African cultures.
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On this Friday Field Experience we are going to the National Museum of Mexican Arts to see the exiting and colorful “Dia de los Muertos” exhibition.
I’d like you to please take a few minutes and share your thoughts and/or comments.
GRACIAS!!!
After the Visit
What did you learn about Day of the Dead? Which was your favorite ofrenda? Why? If you have the chance to create an ofrenda, to what or to whom would you dedicate your ofrenda? Why?