dia de muerto ingles

Introduction:

Day of the Dead is a Mexican holiday observed throughout Mexico and around the world in other cultures.

The holiday focuses on gatherings of family and friends to pray for and remember friends and family members who have died. It is particularly celebrated in Mexico where the day is a bank holiday. The celebration takes place on October 31, November 1 and November 2. Traditionsconnected with the holiday include building private altars called ofrendas, honoring the deceased using sugar skulls, marigolds, and the favorite foods and beverages of the departed, and visiting graves with these as gifts. They also leave possessions of the deceased.
Scholars trace the origins of the modern Mexican holiday to indigenous observances dating back hundreds of years and to an Aztecfestival dedicated to the goddess Mictecacihuatl. The holiday has spread throughout the world.

In Brazil Dia de Finados is a public holiday that 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 dead loved ones. Similar observances occur elsewhere in Europe, andsimilarly themed celebrations appear in many Asian and African cultures. But the most recognized is the holiday of mexico.










DAY OF THE DEAD TRADITIONS
Common Day of the Dead traditions include creating altars to honor the dead, laying out offerings, sharing stories of the deceased, as well as cleaning and decorating gravesites. Because Day of the Dead is a very festive, creative holiday, currentDay of the Dead customs also include festivals, parades, and the making of Dia de los Muertos crafts.
The key purpose behind these Day of the Dead customs is to make contact with the spirits of the dead, to let them know that they are not forgotten and that their loved ones on earth still care about them. It is a way of keeping the connection between loved ones alive, though they may be physicallyseparated by death.
Day of the Dead traditions can vary from town to town, with each community embracing their own unique blend of rituals, customs, and celebrations. Although the Day of the Dead customs in a small village in Mexico may differ from the Day of the Dead customs in a large American city like San Francisco, there are still several common Day of the Dead traditions that are carriedout no matter what the location.
Here are the most common and important Day of the Dead traditions:
Creating an altar with offerings (known as ofrenda)
Visiting, cleaning, and decorating gravesites
Telling stories about the deceased
Making food for the deceased, to be placed on altars
Making or buying sugar skulls and pan de muerto
DAY OF THE DEAD ALTARS
Creating Day of the Dead altars is one of themost important Day of the Dead traditions. Day of the Dead altars are typically created inside people's homes to honor the spirits of their deceased loved ones. When Dia de los Muertos is embraced by the community, non-secular altars are also created in schools, government offices, and other community spaces.
Day of the Dead altars are set up on the two days leading up to Dia de los Muertos.Altars contain "offerings" for the dead, known as ofrenda. These include items such as:
candles
fresh flowers or flowers petals (usually marigolds)
photographs of the deceased, along with other memorabilia
the favorite foods and drinks of the deceased (lovingly-prepared)
incense
water
sugar skulls
pan de muerto (bread of the dead)
statues of saints
other items
DECORATING GRAVESITES
On the Day of theDead, many families will congregate in graveyards to clean the graves of their loved ones who have passed. They decorate the graves with Mexican marigolds called cempasúchil, often lovingly arranged into huge arches. The arches and graves are adorned with photos, mementos and gifts, such as the dead person's favorite foods and drinks. These gifts, or offerings, are meant to attract the dead,...