Facts about the day of the dead?

Answer 1

10 Facts about Day of the Dead

1) Leftover food is placed on the graves of dead relatives.

2) Celebrated mainly in Mexico.

3) A popular figure of the Day of the Dead celebrations that take place in Mexico is a catrina - a skeletal female vision that usually wears elaborate hats upon her head and is often seen carrying a bouquet of flowers.

4) Special loaves of bread called hojaldra are baked.

5) Celebrated on Nov. 1 and 2.

6) Happens at the same time as All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day.

7) November 1 honors children and infants. Deceased adults are honored on November 2.

8) Sugar skulls are eaten on this day.

9) Celebrations begin with the construction of an altar decorated with marigolds.

10) Favorite drink of this day is tequila.

Answer 2

The Day of the Dead (El Día de los Muertos or All Souls' Day) is a holiday celebrated in Mexico and by Latin 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 1st, and November 2nd in connection with the Catholic holiday of All Saints' Day which occurs on November 1st and All Souls' Day which occurs on November 2nd. Traditions 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.

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.

Similar holidays are celebrated in many parts of the world; for example, it's a public holiday (Dia de Finados) in Brazil, where 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 loved ones who have died. Similar observances occur elsewhere in Europe and in the Philippines, and similarly-themed celebrations appear in many Asian and African cultures.

Due to its time being close to Halloween, The "Day of the Dead" is commonly thought to be similar to Halloween, although the majority of it is completely different. The "Day of the Dead" is a time of celebration, where partying is very common, although this is not very well understood in the U.S. because they celebrate Halloween as a "scary" holiday, where people will put up scary decorations and have children knock on doors for candy. It is also the same vice-versa.

The Day of the Dead celebrations in Mexico can be traced back to the indigenous peoples such as the Olmec, Zapotec, Mixtec, Mexican, Aztec, Maya, P'urhépecha, and Totonac. Rituals celebrating the deaths of ancestors have been observed by these civilizations perhaps for as long as 2500-3000 years.

1) Leftover food is placed on the graves of dead relatives.

2) Celebrated mainly in Mexico.

3) A popular figure of the Day of the Dead celebrations that take place in Mexico is a catrina - a skeletal female vision that usually wears elaborate hats upon her head and is often seen carrying a bouquet of flowers.

4) Special loaves of bread called hojaldra are baked.

5) Celebrated on Nov. 1 and 2.

6) Happens at the same time as All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day.

7) November 1 honors children and infants. Deceased adults are honored on November 2.

Answer 3

v Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) is a festival celebrated on November 2nd by people in Mexico, parts of Central and South America, and increasingly throughout the United States.

v Day of the Dead is not a sad or scary occasion, but a spirited holiday when people remember and honor family members who have died. All of this is part of the philosophy that death is not something to be feared, but a natural part of life.

v People celebrate in their homes, creating altars (called ofrendas in Spanish) that display portraits, favorite foods, and special possessions of their loved ones.

v Altars are also decorated with candles and marigolds-the light of the candle and scent of the flowers (called cempasuchitl) are said to attract the souls of the deceased and draw them back for a short time to take part in the pleasures they once enjoyed in life.

v Families also visit the graves of their loved ones, cleaning the headstones, and decorating with flowers, and bringing food and music

v The roots of Day of the Dead are pre-Colombian, and many of the symbols and practices are derived from the indigenous groups of Meso America (Maya and Aztec, e.g.).

v Images of skeletons dancing or doing other comical things are common.

v Octavio Paz, a native of Mexico and winner of the 1990 Nobel Prize in literature, observes "The word death is not pronounced in New York, in Paris, in London, because it burns the lips. The Mexican, in contrast, is familiar with death, jokes about it, caresses it, sleeps with it, celebrates it, it is one of his favorite toys and his most steadfast love."

Answer 4

Day of the dead is a Mexican holiday where they make food and decorations. There is a big celebration, then they go and decorate their ancestors grave stones. It is a way they honor the dead.