Day of the Dead…. A terrifying, beautiful and exciting Mexican national holiday

At the end of October and the beginning of November each year, many civilizations celebrate their death in different ways. A unique national beauty and excitement.
In this article we will learn about the day of the dead in detail, and identify the origin of this holiday and its meanings, as we will learn about the beautiful way that Mexicans celebrate this holiday.

What is the day of the dead?

The Day of the Dead is a Mexican national holiday celebrated throughout Mexico, especially in the southern and middle regions, and is celebrated in several parts of South America, and is celebrated by the Mexican community around the world. The celebration begins on the night of 31st October and lasts until the 2nd of November, where the gates of Paradise or the world of the dead are believed to open on the night of 31st, so the souls of the children who died on the first day of November cross into our world to reunite with their families. This is called Children's Day, and the lives of adults on November 2 cross into our world to meet with their loved ones again.

What is the origin of the Day of the Dead?

The day of the Day of the Dead dates back to the ancient civilizations of Central America and Latin America, especially the Aztec civilization, where the Aztecs held a festive festival dedicated to the goddess Mictēcacihuātl, which means "Lady of the Dead", as the inhabitants of Mexico have always celebrated throughout their history of their death, but this celebration had no history It was held regularly at the beginning of summer.

After the arrival of Christian Catholicism to Mexico through the Spanish colonies, the Feast of the Dead resulted from the merging of the celebration of Mexicans by their death - which the Church saw as a rejected pagan feast - of All Dead and All Saints. This resulted in the Day of the Dead.

The Day of the Dead has long been unacceptable in northern Mexico, because most of the population there is committed to Christianity and would have preferred to celebrate traditional Catholic holidays.However, in the 1960s, the Mexican government established the Day of the Dead as a national holiday that unites the country and is derived from local traditions and heritage.

Is the Day of the Dead the same as Halloween?

There is a misconception that the Day of the Dead is the Mexican version of Halloween, and this belief stems from the convergence of the dates of Eid and the similarity of some ways to celebrate them, both Eid include wearing costumes and masks, and the two also include parades, but in fact the origins of Eid are completely different, as Their present traditions are very different and have different symbolism.

Although the origin of Halloween is to celebrate the dead as well, as it originated in the civilizations of the Celts, the current traditions were invented in America during the last century and aims to turn it into a family holiday that brings the whole family, while the traditions of celebrating the Day of the Dead stem from Mexicans believe that the gate of the world of the dead has opened and that their dead have rejoined them.

How is the Day of the Dead celebrated?

As we said, Mexicans believe that their dead visit them on the Day of the Dead because the gate of the world of the dead opens at this time, so the entire tradition of this feast aims to encourage the dead to come to Earth, as well as to commemorate and celebrate them, and they do so in several ways.

On the day of the dead, Mexicans go to the tombs to be with the spirits of their dead, and build special altars on the graves of their dead, while some build these altars in their homes.These altars usually include pictures and souvenirs of the dead, as well as their favorite food, drink and sweet. These massacres are usually carried out with an orange flower called Cempasúchil, and candles are also used, and Christian families wear Christian symbols such as crosses and icons.

Drinks placed on altars usually include traditional Mexican alcoholic beverages such as polka, muskal and tequila.It also includes traditional beverages such as atoll, a hot drink commonly consumed during Christmas.The dessert includes pumpkin desserts, and traditional pastries called dead bread. On these altars is called the phoenix skull, a human skull made of candy, especially sugar cane, decorated with chocolate or dried fruit.

In the event of a dead child, these massacres usually include in addition to the above some toys that the child liked to play, in addition to the massacres, some families put a mattress or pillow outside their homes to ensure all kinds of comfort for the dead.

Of course, as food and drinks are offered to the dead in these massacres, neighborhoods celebrate the Day of the Dead by eating the same delicacies that are served in the massacres. The neighborhoods usually wear colorful costumes and wear masks in the form of skulls, where they sing and dance in the yards and streets of cities, while some villages are organized And cities parade parades.

What is the origin of the costumes and masks worn by Mexicans on the Day of the Dead?

The origin of the skeletons and skulls on the Day of the Dead dates back to Mexican painter Jose Godadlubi Posada, who at the beginning of the last century drew a famous painting he called La Calavera Catrina, an elegant skull, depicting a skeleton wearing nothing but a hat on his skull.

Many believe that José made this work the embodiment of the gods of the dead Mictēcacihuātl. Day of the Dead every year.

What is the value of the Day of the Dead in our time?

Previously, the Feast of the Dead was just a traditional feast celebrated in rural Mexico rather than in its big cities, but the government's interest in this feast, as well as the fact that UNESCO placed it on the list of human heritage, attracted worldwide attention. This holiday, perhaps the most notable of these films is Coco and Specter.

The opening spectacle of Specter, which was released in 2015, shows a big screening of the Day of the Dead taking place in Mexico City, but in fact there was no such show in the city, but after the screening of the city in 2016 Of this type, about 250 thousand people participated.

In fact, what makes this holiday truly exciting is its preservation of its traditions and symbolism, as well as its continuous development and the addition of exciting and very beautiful celebration methods in spite of its horrific content. Tourism contributes to the well-being of neighborhoods.