It’s November. Time for Thanksgiving, National Saxophone day, and Hanukkah. It is also time for … Día De Los Muertos! In this article you will learn all about the history of Día De Los Muertos, where it originated, and how it is celebrated. Enjoy!
Día De Los Muertos originated in Mexico. It lasts from October thirty-first to November second and occurs once a year. During this time there are two separate days on which certain spirits visit. Children’s spirits visit on November first and adult’s spirits visit on November second. On these days the spirits can rejoin their families for twenty-four hours.
According to history, when someone dies they travel to the Land of the Dead also known as Chicunamictlán. This is the first of two resting places after dying. Only when someone completes nine challenges over the course of several years can they pass over to the final resting place also known as Mictlán. Here, the spirits are at peace. In order to help their loved ones safely make the journey to these places families leave offerings of food, water, tools, and other things that the person loved in life to aid them on their journey.
*Image by maxpixel.net
People celebrate Día De Los Muertos in many different ways, in many different places. However, all of these ways of celebrating have one thing in common. They all honor those who have passed and celebrate their lives.
Día De Los Muertos is a very special and unique holiday. There are no right or wrong ways to celebrate it.
There are, however, some more common ways of celebrating. These include; setting out offerings for the spirits on makeshift altars called ofrendas and creating paths of marigold petals to guide the spirits home. Altars will often include pictures of the loved ones who have passed and candles in addition to the offerings. Ofrendas are many different sizes and colors as well. Some schools will put up an ofrenda for all of the students’ loved ones and will have a celebration for the holiday.
A common symbol associated with Día De Los Muertos is skulls, also known as sugar skulls or calaveras. These are often colorful and have intricate designs.
*Image by openclipart.org
I hope you have learned more about this Día De Los Muertos from reading this article and some of the ways it is celebrated. Happy Día De Los Muertos everyone! Have a great holiday! To learn more about this holiday visit https://www.history.com/topics/halloween/day-of-the-dead.
