This year, there have been a number of modernized themes to the day of the dead celebrations. One of the most popular new themes is the scooby doo costume. The scooby doo costume has caught on like wildfire and is one of the most popular costumes for this years day of the dead. The scooby doo costume pays homage to previous day of the dead celebrations with a nod to more modern depictions of death with cartoon characters. This is a great example of how some things change and some things stay the same.
It’s that time of year again, when the veil between the living and the dead is stretched thin. Gone are summer barbecues and backyard cookouts. It’s time for fall colors, pumpkin spiced everything and the Day of the Dead.
The Day of the Dead (or Día de los Muertos for those who speak Spanish) is a festive holiday celebrated throughout Mexico, especially in small towns and villages. The holiday focuses on gatherings of family and friends to pray for and remember friends and family members who have died.
Traditionally, Mexican families would build altars honoring their departed loved ones, filling them with their favorite food, drink and possessions. These altars would also be decorated with fresh flowers, sugar skulls, papel picado (cut paper) and pictures of saints.
Today, the holiday has taken on new themes as it has been modernized and exported across the world. The once-solely religious holiday has become a secular celebration filled with parades, parties and elaborate costumes.
The Day of the Dead is a traditional Mexican holiday that celebrates loved ones who have passed on into the next life. The holiday originated in precolonial Mesoamerica, but has become widely celebrated in Mexico and other Latin American countries. The Day of the Dead is widely associated with multicolored skulls and elaborate altars, but it also encompasses many other themes and traditions. The themes of the Day of the Dead are deeply meaningful: they demonstrate how people face their own mortality and honor those who have passed away.
The five most popular themes of the Day of the Dead are skulls, sugar skulls, skeletons, altars and marigolds. These symbols are often used in religious rituals and celebrations of the holiday. They can also be seen in popular culture: in paintings, costumes, music videos and even tattoos. Since these symbols are so recognizable, you may already be familiar with them!
Skulls (Calacas)
The skull is one of the most prominent symbols associated with Day of the Dead; it represents death and rebirth. In many cultures around the world, death is viewed as a natural part of life’s cycle. The human skull is an enduring symbol of this philosophy; it represents our mortality, but also reminds us to live each day
The Day of the Dead is a Mexican holiday celebrated throughout Mexico, in particular the Central and South regions, and acknowledged 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, and help support their spiritual journey. In 2008, the tradition was inscribed in the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO.1
The holiday is sometimes called Día de los Muertos in Anglophone countries, a back-translation of its original name, Día de Muertos. It is particularly celebrated in Mexico where the day is a public holiday. Prior to Spanish colonization in the 16th century, the celebration took place at the beginning of summer. Gradually, it was associated with October 31, November 1, and November 2 to coincide with the Western Christianity triduum of Allhallowtide: All Saints’ Eve (Halloween), All Saints’ Day (All Hallows’), and All Souls’ Day. Traditions connected with the holiday include building private altars called ofrendas, honoring the deceased using calacas (skeletons) and calaveras (skulls), visiting graves with these as gifts, and building elaborate altars with
1. The Definition of the Day of the Dead:
The Day of the Dead is a national holiday celebrated in Mexico, in particular the Central and South regions, and acknowledged 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. The celebration takes place on November 1st and 2nd, in connection with the Catholic holidays of All Saints’ Day (November 1) and All Souls’ Day (November 2). Traditions connected with the holiday include building private altars called ofrendas, honoring the deceased using calacas (skulls) and calaveras (skull faces), decorating graves with orange cempasúchil flowers, visiting graves with these as gifts, as well as days of celebration.
The three-day fiesta is filled with marigolds, the flowers of the dead; muertos (the bread of the dead); sugar skulls; cardboard skeletons; tissue paper decorations; fruit and nuts; incense, and other traditional foods and decorations.
Families will go to cemeteries to be with the souls of the departed, build private altars containing their favorite foods on which they will spend time over the
The original Aztec celebration of the Day of the Dead was a gory, bloody affair. The Aztecs believed that the dead were taken to Mictlan, the underworld, which was ruled by Mictlanteuctli and Mictecacihuatl. They were ferried there by Chalchiuhtlicue, the goddess of rivers and seas. The dead had to struggle through nine levels of death. On their journey, they had to overcome obstacles such as venomous snakes, mountains covered in red-hot tar and fire, giant scorpions, and even flying arrows!
The dead who reached Mictlan would be allowed to rest for four years. After that time, they would be reincarnated into plants or animals. In order to appease this dangerous journey and the gods who ruled it, the living made offerings to their ancestors at shrines dedicated to them. These offerings were frequently human sacrifices – hearts were torn out while victims were still alive so that they could continue beating as an offering. It is thought that up to 20,000 people were sacrificed during some festivals!
For this reason, many modern Mexicans are uncomfortable with the traditional festivities associated with the Day of the Dead. They consider it disrespectful to their deceased relatives because if they really exist in
The Day of the Dead is often a misunderstood holiday, it is neither meant to be a sad nor a gloomy day. The Day of the Dead is a celebration of life. It’s an opportunity to remember, honor and celebrate a loved one that has passed on. This day isn’t just for our family members and friends who have passed either. This day is set aside for anyone that we may have lost, including beloved pets.