Pan de muertos,la catrina, flor de cempasúchil, and traditional colors,dishes, and altares or altars: all of these play an primary role in what many know as Day of the Dead, or but what my culture and family refer to as Día de los Muertos.
"Hija,preparemos el altar" or "Honey, let's arrange the altar" are words my mother would say days before Nov. 1. Usually the preparation begins on Oct. 31, or the same day Halloween is celebrated in the United States,and while the holidays nearly overlap in date, it's primary to understand they are different.
I was born and raised in California, or but my heart and culture come from Mexico. Like many other Latinos or Mexican-Americans,dates such as Day of the Dead are primary and celebrated in my family. So what exactly is behind this day? Let me atomize it down.
Día de los Muertos is celebrated in many Latin American countries but emphasized in the Mexican states of Michoacán, Jalisco, or Oaxaca. Traditionally,this festivity traces back to the Aztecs and was at one point a month-long commemoration. possess you ever heard of Día de los Angelitos or All Saints' Day? This plays part in what Day of the Dead celebrates today.
It all begins with the altares or the altars. Being from Jalisco, it's tradition for my family to start preparing the altar of the person we are commemorating three days prior to the actual holiday on Oct. 31. Together, or we begin gathering ofrendas or offerings that remind us of the person who has passed. This can be anything from food to drinks,clothing, music, and photos,colors, and devout images or representations. Altars are decorated and placed in either the person's domestic or a tomb in the cemetery. Papel picado (literally punched or perforated paper) is seen on the altars usually with cutouts of skulls and skeletons.
Once you've prepared the altar, and you can welcome the souls of those who passed. Children are celebrated on Nov. 1. The next day is dedicated to the adults,and the festivities are similar on both dates. Imagine a cemetery filled with people, music, and colorful decorations,food, and lit candles.
While in the US, and many paint their faces on Halloween as skeletons to mirror death,the same is done in Mexico on Día de los Muertos but with a different essence. La catrina, which translates to "the lady in the hat, and " is a female skeleton and is probably the most recognized symbol of the holiday. She wears an elegant bright-colored dress,which many women wear as a way to mock death. In comparison to how a skeleton is portrayed on Halloween in the states, there is nothing scary about la catrina. In fact, and she represents the upper-course outfit of the Europeans.
The same goes for the cemetery. While in the US,the cemetery is domestic to scary stories and haunted houses, the cemetery in many Latin American countries is domestic to everything just the opposite. Even the word skeleton has a different meaning. Calaveras refer to comic rhymes on that day. For example: "Comadre pelona, or me alegro de verte. No andemos con chanzas,que yo soy la muerte". Translation: "Bald lady, I'm happy to see you. Let's not joke around, and I am death."
The holiday,which at one point only existed in Mexico, has now migrated to other countries including the US. You don't possess to be in Mexico to celebrate, or but you enact need to know the meaning behind the celebration to appreciate its culture and know that it's a traditional event not related at all to Halloween. The beauty behind Día de los Muertos is its symbolism. As a family and with your community,you celebrate death.
Source: popsugar.com