Dia de los muertos Dia de los muertos Day of the dead Day of the dead 2 de noviembre 2 de noviembre
Dec 16, 2015
Dia de los muertos,Dia de los muertos, «DEE ah deh lohs MWEHR tohs»,«DEE ah deh lohs MWEHR tohs»,
• Dia de los muertos, is a Mexican holiday that honors the dead.
• The holiday is celebrated in many Mexican American communities.
Dia de los muertosDia de los muertos is Spanish for is Spanish for day of the dead.day of the dead.
• During this celebration, families gather in churches, at cemeteries, and in homes to pray for and remember their deceased loved ones.
A time of remembrance A time of remembrance
• Dia de los muertos is usually celebrated on November 2, the Roman Catholic feast of All Souls' Day.
• In some communities, the dead are remembered over several days, including November 1, All Saints' Day.
• The celebration combines ancient native beliefs and Catholic traditions.
La ofrendaEl pan de muertos
El cementerio La familia El altar
Los dulces
skeletons, or calacas.
Velas y flores
La ofrendaLa ofrenda
• Many families prepare an elaborate altar, known as an ofrenda (offering), in their homes and in cemeteries for the holiday
• The ofrendas are decorated with flowers, fruits, popular foods, sweets, and drinks.
• They are created to welcome back, for a day, the souls of departed family members and friends.
El pan de muertoEl pan de muerto (bread of the dead) (bread of the dead)
• Special candies and pan de muerto (bread of the dead), a sweet bread, are popular treats served in the shape of skulls, skeletons, and other symbols of death.
Death is a part of lifeDeath is a part of life
• The day of the dead reinforces the ancient belief that death is a part of life.
• It is an important tradition through which families pass on their oral histories.
• Recalling stories of past family members helps keep these ancestors alive for future generations.
• Death is seen as another stage following life, not something to be faced with fear.
La Familia La Familia
• In this photograph, a family in Patzcuaro, Mexico, decorates the graves of deceased family members with flowers.
La fiestaLa fiesta• The occasion is festive, rather than morbid.
• Death isn't seen as the end of one's life, but as a natural part of the life cycle; the memory of the departed continue to exist in the minds and hearts of the living. Their lives are celebrated each year during this festival.
• Los mariachis (band) play Mexican songs
The cemeteryThe cemetery
• The gravesite is cleaned and nicely decorated with flowers in preparation for this holiday.
• The cemetery is not a spooky place for many families in Mexico during this holiday. Rather, it is a place to gather and celebrate with candles, songs & stories as the deceased relatives are remembered.