Muertos

 =[|Día de los Muertos]=

media type="custom" key="4162909" It is not Halloween. It is not even scary.

[|Día de los Muertos] or [|Day of the Dead] is celebrated in most of the [|Spanish speaking countries]. The holiday lasts from October 31st to November 2nd every year. Everything leads up to November second, the main day. The holiday is not meant to be sad. The families are celebrating the lives of loved ones who have died. They are not focusing on death.

The following are some of the parts of the holiday:

=Ofrendas= media type="custom" key="4165769"

A table is decorated with all the things that a loved one liked. This could include their favorite food, personal items, pictures, toys, flowers, and/or candles. They believe that on November 2nd the spirit of the loved one joins them. They want the spirit to be happy so it returns the next year. //What did these people like?//

Check out an interesting California in honor of TV shows that were canceled.

Not only do they set up an ofrenda in their house, they also clean up the cemetery and decorate the graves. Sometimes families pack a picnic and spend the day celebrating in the cemetery. =[|Calaveras]=



As you probably could have guessed, skulls and skeletons are associated with Day of the Dead. However, they are NOT like Halloween decorations. The Spanish skulls are often brightly colored and almost cheerful looking. They even make a [|sugar skull candy]. The picture to the left shows a batch of decorated sugar skulls. The candies are delicious.

Some of the most famous skeleton images were drawings by [|José Guadelupe Posada]. He was a political cartoonist in Mexico in the 1880’s. His most famous character is Catrina.

Today many people create similar characters based on Catrina.

= [|Marigolds] =

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These flowers are considered the symbolic flower for the dead in many Spanish countries, especially in Mexico. In the United States the lily is the symbolic flower for the dead, not the marigold. In Mexico, they have used marigolds since the time of the [|Aztecs]. They thought the flower had [|medicinal and magical powers].



Day of the Dead is also celebrated by [|Spanish speakers in the United States], especially in states like [|California]and [|Arizona]. If you were visiting these states you might see a parade or dances honoring the dead.

The Day of the Dead might be celebrated the same time as Halloween, but the similarities end there. If Day of the Dead could be compared to a holiday, it would be [|All Saint’s Day], which is November 1st. While it might be different from holidays in the United States, it is still a very interesting celebration.