On the 1st and 2nd of November, people all over the world, especially of Mexican heritage, celebrated the Day of the Dead. The Day of the Dead, also known as Día de los Muertos, is a sacred annual festival that originated as an Aztec custom. Tradition says that loved ones come back from the dead for a short time, and, in their honour, families give offerings, for example; food, drinks etc. to remember them. Thousands of people gather every November to celebrate this festival in Mexico City; three out of four Mexicans celebrate the Day of the Dead. The women dress themselves in colorful dresses and paint their faces. The men also get their face painted (or wear skull masks) and normally wear black suits. This is a public holiday in Mexico and in several parts of central America, where it sometimes also celebrated either on 31st October or 6th November.
All Souls Day also celebrated on the 2nd of November, is an important day for Christians. It is also called The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed and is a day of prayer and remembrance for close family that have passed away. It originated in Christianity in the 11th century, where they believed praying for the dead ones would help clean their souls and prepare them for heaven. It has been celebrated longer than the Day of the Dead, which only began being celebrated in the 1500s.
The day of the dead does not only coincide with All Souls Day, but also with Halloween in some parts of the world! You might be thinking, what do they do when Day of the Dead is celebrated on Halloween? The thing is, that people do not actually celebrate Halloween in Mexico. There might be some people who celebrate, but normally this day is a sacred and cultural event for the Day of the Dead.
In the Canary Islands, Finaos, the Spanish name for All Saints’ Day, is a celebration to meet loved ones and tell stories of family that have passed away. This is a combination of Halloween and All Souls Day and is celebrated between the 31st of October and 2nd of November.
Whatever the name, the tradition of remembering the dead annually is a practice widely celebrated across the world. The second of November is all about remembering the dead.
Do you celebrate the Day of the Dead?