The Day of the Dead

El día de los muertos

Vamos a ver…

• http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/10/1031_051031_video_muertos.html

What is the day of the Dead?• + 500 years ago - Spanish Conquistadors

landed in Mexico; native Indians practicing a ritual that seemed to mock death.

The Day of the Dead• Practiced by the local people for

at least 3,000 years. • Spaniards try to stamp out ritual

= unsuccessful. • Celebrated in Mexico and certain

parts of the USA today.

The Day of the Dead

• It is a time when Mexican families celebrate and remember their dead, and the continuity of life.

The Day of the Dead

• The original celebration can be traced to the festivities held during the Aztec month of Miccailhuitontli

• Goddess Mictecacihuatl ("Lady of the Dead")

• Aztec calendar = the end of July and the beginning of August.

• Spanish priests moved the ritual to coincide with Halloween.

• As a result, the Mexicans now celebrate the Day of the Dead during the first two days of November.

When is the Day of the Dead?

Day of the dead masks: Caretas

What happens in the celebration?

• Visits by families to the graves of their close kin.

• At the gravesites, family members decorate the grave with flowers, have a picnic, and talk with other family and community members who have gathered.

Decorating the gravesiteGravesites or family altars are decorated

w/large, bright flowers & adorned with religious jewelry.

Decorations• Papel Picado

Las decoracionesVelas/Candles

Calacas• Skeletons are often shown in everyday

activities which depict a dead person’s profession or interests. Calacas are placed on altars.

Calacas

Eating

• The meals prepared for the picnics are sumptuous, usually featuring meat dishes in spicy sauces, a special egg-batter bread, cookies, chocolate, and sugary confections in a variety of animal or skull shapes.

Eating

Pan de muerto

Eating

Sugar skulls

Socializing

• Families remember the departed by telling stories about them.

• The festive interaction between the living & the dead is an important social ritual and a way of recognizing the cycle of life and death.

A cycle?

• The Day of the Dead is a time for the dead to return home and visit loved ones, feast on their favorite foods and listen to their favorite music.

• In the homes, family members honor their deceased with ofrendas or offerings which may consist of photographs, bread, other foods, flowers, toys and other symbolic offerings.

Gravesites and Ofrendas

Artwork of the Day of the Dead

David CationArtist

Procession to the cemetery

Many towns have parades including processions on

horseback

A group of músicos entertains at the cemetery

Calaveras - songs and poems about the holiday

The cemetery

Customs Around the World

In the USA, most people avoid talking about

death.

Many other cultures around the world have

rituals for remembering loved ones.

Glossary• alfenique - a special confection

used to fashion skulls, fruits and other figures.

• angelitos - the souls of the children who have died, literally "little angels"

• atole - an ancient drink made from corn meal and water flavored with various fruits.

• calavera - a skull, also a slang term for "daredevil"

Glossary

• calaveras - songs and poems about the festival

• careta -a face mask • cempazuchitl - a yellow marigold,

the symbol of death • copalli - a scented resin used to

make candles

Glossary

• mole - a thick sauce made from a variety of ingredients including chilis, sesame seeds, herbs, spices, chocolate/fruit.

• ofrenda - an offering, refers to the goods set out on the altars

• pan de los muertos - bread of the dead

Sources

• Images and information taken from www.mexconnect.comand www.azcentral.com and http://holidays.pppst.com/dayofthedead.html

• Images and information taken from www.mexconnect.comand www.azcentral.com and http://holidays.pppst.com/dayofthedead.html