Day of the Dead background
http://www.thefreeresource.com/day-of-the-dead-history-and-resources-about-the-holiday and
http://www.azcentral.com/ent/dead/articles/dead-history.html
Day of the Dead: History, Facts, and Resources Research by S.Lee
What is the Day of the Dead Holiday?
Day of the Dead, or Dia de los Muertos, is a ritual celebrated in certain areas of the United States and Central
America, and Mexico. It is a celebration of loved ones who have already died. It honors them. It has evolved from a
ritual that the Aztecs started, who weren’t afraid of death. Festive gathering takes place every year on November 1st
(All Saints Day, or El Dia de Todos los Santos) and November 2nd (All Souls Day, or El Dia de los Muertos). The
Day of the Dead originated from the indigenous population in Mexico (Purepecha, Nahua, Totonac, and Otomi),
who believed that the souls of the dead come back to visit their living family members every November 2nd to eat,
drink, and be in a merry mood. The celebration is to remind those who are still living of how it was when their loved
ones were still alive. The entire Dia de los Muertos holiday is filled with a positive feeling, rather than mourning.
The indigenous people in what is now called Mexico had been practicing a ritual for at least 3000 years. This ritual
changed after the Spanish Conquistadors landed somewhere in Mexico more than 500 years ago. The Spaniards were
willing to get rid of the celebration that looked like they were mocking death. Thus, they tried to annihilate it and
were unsuccessful at it. The Day of the Dead celebration was evolved by merging with Catholic theology but it still
maintains the basic principles of the Aztec ritual, such as the use of skulls.
Using Skulls for Dia de Los Muertos
The Aztecs and many other Meso-American civilizations kept skulls, which symbolize death and rebirth, displayed
them for others to observe. The skulls were utilized to honor the dead, whom were thought would come back to visit
the Day of the Dead ritual. Today, people don wooden skull masks called calacas and dance in honor of their
deceased relatives. The wooden skulls are also placed on altars that are dedicated to the dead. In today’s times, these
skulls are made with sugar, and decorated with sequins, tinted frosting, feathers, and other elaborate decorations. The
sugar skulls, which are made in many sizes and colors are displayed over the Day of the Dead holiday as a symbolic
nod to the traditional past. They may be made with the names of the dead person on the forehead, and are eaten by a
relative or friend, according to Mary J. Adrade, who has written three books on the ritual.
Embracing Death for Day of the Dead
The indigenous people, pre-Hispanic people, viewed death as the continuation of life. In contrast, the Spaniards felt
death as the end of life. The pre-Hispanic people embrace death; thus, they idealized it thinking that’s when they
would be truly awake. Moreover, death was embraced, not feared. Duality was honored as being dynamic by the pre-
Hispanic people. For example, they did not separate death from pain, wealth from poverty like the Western cultures
has done.
Spaniards Wanted to Change
The Spaniards considered the rituals to be blasphemous. The pre-Hispanic people were considered barbaric and
pagan. So, in the Spaniards’ attempts to convert them to Catholicism, the ritual was attempted to be vanished.
However, they failed and the Day of the Dead rituals lived on. To make the ritual more Christian, the Spaniards
moved the celebration to coincide with All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day ((Nov. 1 and 2), which is when it is
celebrated today). Prior to that, it fell on the ninth month of the Aztec Solar Calendar, which is about around the
commencement of August, and was celebrated for the entire month. The ancient festivals were presided over by the
goddess Mictecacihuatl, also known as “The Lady of the Dead.” The story is about her being dead when she was
born.
Present-day Mexico and the United States and the Day of the Dead
On the Day of the Dead holiday in Mexico, the streets near the cemeteries would be filled with decorations of papel
picado, flowers, candy calaveras, and parades. Families of the dead make altars and place offerings of food such as
pan de muertos baked in shapes of skulls and figures, candles, incense, yellow marigolds. The altar, called an
offrenda, must also have a photo of the deceased displayed next to it.
In rural Mexico, people visit the cemetery where their loved ones are buried. They decorate gravesites with marigold
flowers and candles. They bring toys for dead children and bottles of tequila to adults. They sit on picnic blankets
next to gravesites and eat the favorite food of their loved ones.
In the United States and in Mexico's larger cities, families build altars in their homes, dedicating them to the dead.
They surround these altars with flowers, food and pictures of the deceased. They light candles and place them next to
the altar.
http://crystal-cure.com/holiday-samhain.html
Samhain: Celtic Feast of the Dead
Samhain Eve is one of the principal festivals of the Celtic calendar, and is thought to fall on or around the 31st of
October. It represents the final harvest. The Celtic year began in November, with Samhain (meaning summer's
end").
Samhain is the most magical time of the year.
This is the time to honor loved ones who have passed away. It is called the day which does not exist because the
walls that hold the material world apart from the spiritual world are dissolved. This happens when Skathach (the
great female Celtic warrior) lowers her shield during the night.
Samhain is a time of great joy and union with a higher world.
At this time the spirits of the dead and those who have not yet been born join those of us living in the material
world. Ancient Celts provided food and entertainment for these spirits, inviting them to walk among them in this
festival in their honor.
Meaning of Samhain
Samhain is celebrated on a material as well as a spiritual level. Materially, it represents a time of gathering resources
for the long winter months that are coming. For those who had a bad season through the fall, Samhain is a time to
prepare for the perils that winter may bring.
Spiritually, Samhain is a time for reflection and meditation on death, and the honor of your ancestors who have
passed to another plane. It is an opportunity to be at one with your past, present and future. The Great Feast of the
Dead is celebrated on Samhain Eve to offer tribute to those who lived before you, and those who will come after
you.
Samhain predates the Roman feast of the Dead, Lemuria, and All Hallow's Eve - the eve of the Christian holiday to
honor the saints, All Saint's Day. The secular holiday today is known as Halloween. All of these festivals, though
called by different names, are celebration of the awe, communication with, and respect of the dead.
Day of the Dead homework
After reading the Day of the Dead background handout on a separate piece of paper write a summary of the
articles using the following questions as your guide. You may type it if you wish. Do not just answer the
questions. Your summary needs to have complete sentences and be in a logical sequence, and in paragraph
form.
1. What is the ritual called in Spanish?
2. What does the ritual celebrate? Explain.
3. For how long had the ritual been practiced by the Pre-Hispanic people of Mexico?
4. What is the main basic principal of the Aztec’s ritual?
5. According to the Aztecs and many other Meso-American civilizations, what did the skulls symbolize?
6. What are the skull masks called? What are they made of? Where are they placed?
7. How did the Pre-Hispanic people view the concept of death? How did the Spaniards and the majority of
the Europeans view the concept of death?
8. Why now is the ritual celebrated on November 2nd? Explain.
9. When was the ritual celebrated during the Pre-Hispanic times? How long was the ritual during the Pre-
Hispanic times?
10. By what Aztec goddess were the festivities presided? What other name was she known by?
11. Nowadays, how do the Mexican people of the rural areas celebrate the Day of the Dead? What do they
do?
12. Nowadays, how do the Mexican people of the larger cities celebrate the Day of the Dead? What do they
do?
13. What are the similarities between the Pre-Hispanic and current Day of the Dead celebration and that of
Samhain: Celtic Feast of the Dead?
Day of the Dead Glossary Day of the Dead - Dia de los Muertos - Glossary - azcentral.com Study these terms
alfenique - a special confection used to fashion skulls, fruits and other figures
altar de muertos - the offering that family and/or friends prepare for their dead loved ones
angelitos - the souls of the children who have died; literally "little angels"
arco - decorated arch sometimes placed on the graves or on the altar de muertos
atole - an ancient drink made from corn meal and water and flavored with various fruits
calacas - whimsical skeleton figures that represent death
calavera - a skull; also a slang term for "daredevil"
calaveras - songs and poems about the festival
calaveritas de azúcar - sugar skulls made for the Día de los Muertos
careta - mask worn by dancers to scare the dead away at the end of the celebrations
catrina - Famed Día de los Muertos artist José Guadalupe Posada's icon of death. Catrina means "a
wealthy woman" and it is said in a sarcastic manner.
cempazuchitl - a yellow marigold, the symbol of death, also known as cempasuchil or zempasuchitl
copalli - a scented resin used to make incense
Día de los Muertos - Day of the Dead
Día Todos los Santos - All Saints' Day
golletes - a doughnut shaped bread, glazed with pink-colored sugar and placed on the altar
Iluminación - the ceremony that takes place in the cemetary, where hundreds of candles are lit to guide
the souls to their altars
mole - a thick sauce made from a variety of ingredients, including chilis, sesame seeds, herbs, spices,
chocolate and fruit
ofrenda - an offering; refers to the goods set out on the altars
pan de los muertos - bread of the dead
papel picado - colorful tissue paper with intricate, festive designs cut out