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Day of the Dead

These days we think of Dia de los Muertos as a "Mexican holiday", but the origins of the Day of the Dead can actually be traced back several millennia before Mexico even existed as a country.
The Spanish invaded Mexico in 1519 - but we need to step back even further to understand Dia de los Muertos history.
Before the Spanish invasion, many indigenous cultures rose andfell in the land now known as Mexico: the Olmecs, the Mayans, and the Aztecs were just some of these Mesoamerican civilizations that flourished for nearly 40 centuries.
Now that's a long time!
Although there were several different civilizations rising and falling over those 4000 years, they all shared a common thread: a belief in the afterlife. When people died, they didn't cease to exist instead,their soul carried on to the afterworld.

The belief in the cyclical nature of life and death resulted in a celebration of death, rather than a fear of death. Death was simply a continuance of life, just on another plane of existence. Dia de los Muertos history can be traced back to these indigenous beliefs of the afterlife.
Once a year the Aztecs held a festival celebrating the death of theirancestors, while honoring the goddess Mictecacihuatl, Queen of the Underworld, or Lady of the Dead. The Aztecs believed that the deceased preferred to be celebrated, rather than mourned, so during the festival they first honored los angelitos, the deceased children, then those who passed away as adults. The Mictecacihuatl festival lasted for an entire month, starting around the end of July tomid-August (the 9th month on the Aztec calendar), during the time of corn harvests.
Dia de los Muertos is a holiday for remembering and honoring those who have passed. It is a festive, joyous time of celebration. Day of the Dead is Mexico's most important holiday, which means they invest a lot of time and money into celebrating Dia de los Muertos, moreso than any other holiday.

When is Day of theDead?
The Day of the Dead falls on November 1 and 2 of each year, coinciding with the Catholic holidays All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day.
Although November 2nd is the official date for Day of the Dead, it is celebrated between October 31st and November 2nd. Usually the preparations (and some festivities) start even earlier than that. So really, the "Day" of the Dead can also be called the"Days" of the Dead, because the holiday spans more than one day.
Traditionally, November 1 is the day for honoring dead children and infants, and November 2 is the day for honoring deceased adults.

Where is Day of the Dead celebrated?
The Day of the Dead is celebrated in both public and private spaces. It is most often celebrated in homes and graveyards.

In homes, people create altars tohonor their deceased loved ones. In some places it is common to allow guests to enter the house to view the altar.
In graveyards, families clean the graves of their loved ones, which they then decorate with flowers, photos, candles, foods and drinks. People stay up all night in the graveyards, socializing and telling funny stories about their dead ancestors. Musicians are hired to stroll throughthe graveyard, playing the favorite songs of the dead.
In the public sphere, Day of the Dead celebrations can also take the form of street parties, parades, and festivals on university campuses.
Why do people celebrate Day of the Dead?
People celebrate Dia de los Muertos to honor their deceased loves ones. It is a loving ritual, full of joy and remembrance.

Dia de los Muertos allows the deadto live again. During this time it is believed that the deceased return to their earthly homes to visit and rejoice with their loved ones.
The Days of the Dead are celebrated as a way of retaining connections with the unseen world – a world we will all return to one day.
Most people celebrate Day of the Dead out of love and commitment to their loved ones, but some people celebrate this...