25 Facts About The day of the Dead

25 Facts About The day of the Dead

• Families will decorate the graves and tombs of their loved ones, and then hold celebrations including food and music right in front of them.
• Skulls feature prominently in Day of the Dead celebrations, even down to making little sugar skulls to place on alters. In pre-Hispanic times, the indigenous Mexican population viewed the skull as both a symbol of death and re-birth.
• While Spanish culture has heavily influenced Mexico, it has also adopted several Mexican traditions, one of which is the Day of the Dead. 
• On November 1st, the Day of the Little Angels is celebrated. This is the day children who have died are believed to visit their loved ones. On November 2nd, Day of the Dead is celebrated.
• Altars or offerings are created in honor of the loved ones who have departed. It is a way to honor, receive, and remember loved ones who are no longer on this earth.
• La Calavera Catrina or "La Calavera Garbancera" that today is associated with the Day of the Dead was created by the Mexican cartoonist José Guadalupe Posada between 1910-1913. La Catrina is a satirical representation of rich indigenous people who believed they were better than poor indigenous people. The word "Garbancera" was a nickname for people who denied their indigenous origins and imitated European styles.
• Early Mexicans beliefs were that the dead can travel back and forth between worlds. Thus, participants believe that their dead relatives are actually present during the festivities.
• While alters are made by participants to highlight the unique personalities of their deceased family and friends, each must also include the four elements of nature: wind, water, fire and earth.
• You’ll see many depictions of a skeleton dressed in high class clothing during the Day of the Dead. This is la Calavera Catrina, and she originally was used as a symbol of class warfare during the Mexican Revolution.
• Humor plays a huge role in the Day of the Dead, as participants believe their deceased loved ones are laughing at their jokes along with them. At the same time, the celebration is also meant to prompt somber reflection of the lives of those who’ve passed on.
• Even though they are both commemorated on the same day, the Day of the Dead actually has very little to do with Halloween. In fact, it was originally a summertime event. However, after the Spanish colonized Mexico, its observance was moved to October 31 to associate it with the Catholic commemoration of All Hallows’ Eve.
• Celebrations for the Day of the Dead begin on October 31. The following day is known as Dia de los Inocentes, during which the lives of deceased children are celebrated. Finally, November 2 is All Souls Day, when adults who have passed on are remembered.
• Depictions of the Xoloitzcuintli (or the Mexican hairless dog) are often featured in Day of the Dead decorations as these animals will lead the dead back to heaven after the party is over.
• The Day of the Dead is not the same as Halloween. Halloween is an Anglo-Saxon tradition with origins that come from Ireland. In Ireland, formerly, they celebrated the Samhain (end of summer), where it was believed that the spirits of the dead came out.
• Flowers, skulls, and butterflies have symbolism. The Aztecs believed that the marigold flower had spiritual properties that help guide the souls of the deceased. The word cempasúchil comes from the Nahuatl “cempoal,'' twenty, and “xóchitl,” flower. This flower is also known as the flower of the dead. Skulls represent the cycle of life. The arrival of the monarch butterflies or Quetzalpapálotl as the Aztecs called them to Mexico in November coincides with the Day of the Dead, and it was believed that these butterflies kept the souls of the dead.

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