Day of the Dead
Today is November 1st and not only does that mean that rent is due but it also means that today is the Mexican Holiday- Day of the Dead, emphasizing on celebrating and honoring the lives of the deceased, and celebrating the continuation of life; the belief is not that death is the end, but rather the beginning of a new stage in life. Some Mexicans feel that death is a special occasion, but with elements of celebration, because the soul is passing into another life. Plans for the festival are made throughout the year, including gathering the goods to be offered to the dead. On November 1st (All Saint's Day) and 2nd (All Soul's Day) families usually clean and decorate the graves and visit the cemeteries where their loved ones are buried and decorate their graves with ofrendas, or offer
ings, which often include orange marigold called "cempasuchil," in modern Mexico this name is often replaced with the term "Flor de Muerto", Spanish for "Flower of the Dead". These flowers are thought to attract souls of the dead to the offerings. Some families build altars or small shrines in their homes which usually have pictures of deceased relatives and other persons, and scores of candles. Traditionally, families spend some time around the altar praying and telling anecdotes about the deceased. A common symbol of the holiday is the skull which are often made of sugar and can be gifts of both the living and the dead. Last year, we celebrated Day of the Dead ourselves at Aunt Travis' house (Carly's aunt who has adopted all of us). We had a sugar skull decorating contest and even made our own shrine where we told stories and brought pictures of loved ones that have passed (i.e. the 13 pet goldfish Carly and Megan killed last year). The best part was the costume contest in which we were told to dress up like Mexicans... Jordan and I won best costume!
Today is November 1st and not only does that mean that rent is due but it also means that today is the Mexican Holiday- Day of the Dead, emphasizing on celebrating and honoring the lives of the deceased, and celebrating the continuation of life; the belief is not that death is the end, but rather the beginning of a new stage in life. Some Mexicans feel that death is a special occasion, but with elements of celebration, because the soul is passing into another life. Plans for the festival are made throughout the year, including gathering the goods to be offered to the dead. On November 1st (All Saint's Day) and 2nd (All Soul's Day) families usually clean and decorate the graves and visit the cemeteries where their loved ones are buried and decorate their graves with ofrendas, or offer
ings, which often include orange marigold called "cempasuchil," in modern Mexico this name is often replaced with the term "Flor de Muerto", Spanish for "Flower of the Dead". These flowers are thought to attract souls of the dead to the offerings. Some families build altars or small shrines in their homes which usually have pictures of deceased relatives and other persons, and scores of candles. Traditionally, families spend some time around the altar praying and telling anecdotes about the deceased. A common symbol of the holiday is the skull which are often made of sugar and can be gifts of both the living and the dead. Last year, we celebrated Day of the Dead ourselves at Aunt Travis' house (Carly's aunt who has adopted all of us). We had a sugar skull decorating contest and even made our own shrine where we told stories and brought pictures of loved ones that have passed (i.e. the 13 pet goldfish Carly and Megan killed last year). The best part was the costume contest in which we were told to dress up like Mexicans... Jordan and I won best costume!
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