The Day of the Dead is commonly referred to as the “Mexican Halloween”, however this is a common misconception. Halloween and The Day of the Dead may be celebrated near each other in the calendar and share many similarities, but they are also very different in their separate histories and origin. The Day of the Dead originates from the Aztec’s in the 16th century. While Halloween originates from the ancient Celtic rituals. The Day of the Dead celebrates that this specific period during the year allows the dead to enjoy the luxuries of life, approximately from October 28, to November 2nd. While on the other hand, Halloween’s modern purpose is to go door to door in a costume asking for sweets in the common saying “Trick or Treat!”. The main traditions commonly practiced in this week is to visit deceased family members graves’, and leave food, spices, and even beautiful flowers in the hopes that the dead will be able to enjoy these luxuries for a short time. While Halloween is not as sophisticated as The Day of the Dead, it still has a few traditions to go along with it, such as dressing up and having celebrations.
Moving on to the more specific specific parts of The Day of the Dead, the
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Sweets are even available for the children, what could a child wish for more than a sugar skull? This is a skull made of sugar, what a happy memory to remember the dead by! While Americans tend to have a negative view on death people who celebrate The Day of the Dead, have a more optimistic view on death. They believe dieing is just the next great adventure. While Halloween is simply viewed as, the amount of candy you procure or how big your party can be. While both holidays share very similar qualities, they are each very different and they should not be
To better understand the history of the two holidays, we should look at where it all first began. An ancient Celtic festival of Samhain about 2,000 years ago was when Halloween was first created. This celebration took place on October 31st and it marked the end of summer, the harvest and the beginning of winter. During this time, winter resembled a cold and dark time which was often
Finally, el Día de los muertos is much more spiritual than halloween. El Día de los muertos is a time for people to pray and honor their dead family members and friends, while halloween has no spiritual or religious importance. One thing that I learned from the video that I didn’t know before is that el Día de los muertos is a happy and joyful holiday. I always thought that it was a sad holiday.
During this holiday, family members and friends of the deceased visit their graves and place marigolds on them. Small toys are placed on children’s graves, and bottles of tequila are given to the deceased adults. The relatives then spend the rest of the day at the cemetery. They may have a picnic and enjoy the deceased person’s favorite
Dia de los Muertos and Halloween can often be confused because they are celebrated within very close dates, but in reality they have distinct characteristics. Dia de los Muertos was originally introduced in Mexico with the Aztec Festival of the Dead, but the traditions have been tweaked over the years. Likewise, Halloween originated in Ireland, beginning with the Celtic Festival called “Samhain”. Now, the popular holiday, Day of the Dead, is celebrated from October 31st through November 2nd by visiting the graves of dead friends or family members. People who participate in Dia de los Muertos leave food, candles, incense, a poem, or a picture at the altar to honor the past lives of people they love.
Overall DotD and Halloween have many differences and similarities that people like and dislike from Chocolates, Skeletons and Costumes. It can be confusing but it shows lots of culture and what people like to celebrate. Comparing Day of the Dead and Halloween with similarities and differences. Many areas of the world celebrate Halloween in ways through Chocolate, Skeletons and Bread. Day of the Dead and Halloween are the most alike
Aside from being depicted in Mesoamerican artwork, the concept of death in Mexico also tells the story of the imposition of Catholicism on Mesoamerican civilizations during colonial Mexico. Artwork during this time period illustrates images of death, such as a deceased nun, a masked death, devil and devil dancers, and ancient decorated skulls (Carmichael and Slayer 1992, 36). According to Stanley Brandes, scholars often have a difficult time minimizing the role of the Zapotec natives while simultaneously emphasizing on the European origins of the Day of the Dead holiday. Much of the pre-Columbian antecedents steams from the iconography of ancient civilizations living throughout Mesoamerica. This includes its huge amounts of skulls and skeletons during the modern Day of the Dead rituals as well as the variations of the meaning of the skeletal depictions as it differs from region to region.
Dia de los Muertos is very different from Halloween because of the way they celebrate, the way they decorate, and its culture and origin. They may seem similar from the outside, but as you learn about them you thinking might change. Another way they’re different is the way they celebrate is because on Dia de los muertos it is celebrated all throughout the day into the night and in America Halloween is only celebrated during the night time. Dia de los Muertos is a celebrated as a celebration of life not death for them and for us Halloween is a fun reason to get free candy. You also get to dress up and go around with your friends.
These decorative skulls have the name of the deceased on the forehead and are decorated with stripes, dots, and swirls of icing to enhance the features of the skulls. These designs are usually whimsical and brightly colored, not morbid or scary. Feathers, beads or colored foils are "glued" on with the icing to create highly ornate skulls. Some companies manufacture small, edible skulls to be eaten during the holiday and many artists sculpt, paint or create beautiful and ornate skulls to be used as decorations, jewelry, and cloth design. Dia de los Muertos was an Aztec ritual that celebrated the lives of those who have deceased.
On Day of the Dead, people go to markets to buy certain foods and items, some include las flores (flowers), El Mole (spicy chocolate), and El pan de Muerto (bread of the dead). People buy theses items because Day of the Dead is a very important holiday in Mexico and it usually takes 2 months salary to buy all of these things, it’s crazy. Along with people making altars, they must also prepare favorite foods of that loved one and also prepare themselves for the huge parties that they have on this special day. Halloween however, is prepared for by people going out and buying house items for the interior and exterior of the house. Parents also buy their kids costumes for this holiday to go out on halloween night and get candy.
To many people skulls represent death and negativity however, for Mexicans that celebrate Day of the Dead sugar skulls represent death in a positive manner. In Mexico it is believed that death is not the final stage in life but rather a step forward onto a higher level of consciousness. This is similar to the beliefs of the Aztecs. The Aztec skulls were a positive symbol, not only of death but also of rebirth. The symbolism of sugar skulls is rooted in the decoration around the eyes.
Nowadays, many people wear items of clothing decorated with sugar skulls or skeleton prints, such as shirts, dresses, or leggings on Día de los Muertos. You can also wear shells and dance so that the noisiness "wakes up" the dead or even dress up as the deceased. •Some women also dress as Calavera Catrina in long, flowing, brightly-colored lace dresses paired with flower crowns and sugar skull makeup. •Sometimes, children dress in costume and ask people on the street for a calaverita (a small gift of money). Unlike Halloween, though, they don't knock on doors.
However, there is a distinct difference between the two holidays. In America, Halloween has shifted from focusing on death to focusing on trick-or-treating. The Day of the Dead celebrates the fact that death does not destroy the unity between those alive and those dead. While both celebrate with dressing up, eating with loved ones, and spending time with family, they gather for vey different reasons. In keeping with their culture, Americans celebrate being with those still alive, while Mexicans include deceased individuals in their
The first day, called “Día de los Angelitos” (Day of the Little Angels), is dedicated to the souls of deceased children, while November 2nd is set aside for the souls of adults. In preparation for these days, families may clean their homes to welcome the arrival of the souls of their loved ones. Many people also visit cemeteries to decorate the graves of the dead with their favorite items and flowers. Graves and ofrendas are decorated with papel picado, photographs, cherished objects, marigolds (cempasúchitl), and skeletons made of paper or clay. Food and drink are placed on the ofrendas for the dead – people commonly believe that they can still enjoy the tastes and smells.
I was putting my Halloween costume on when I heard something moving in my closet. I turn to the closet door half dressed with a curious look on my face. In my mind, it being Halloween, I thought I was just hearing things or my little brother was playing a prank on me. I walk out the door to my room, down the stairs and as I was about to walk out the front door my father caught me, “Where are you going?” he asked “Out, it’s
The mortuary feasts is ceremonial that honoring the spirit of the deceased and other ancestor spirits, at which these goods are given to heirs of the deceased in acts of public, ritual generosity. With the help of enchantment and custom, Vanatinai people amass awesome amounts of stylized assets, pigs, privately made family products, and sustenances, for example, yam and sago starch so as to host a years long arrangement of elaborate morgue feasts. The feast is a way for the Vanatinai people to communicate with the ancestor spirits. The assets exhibited at the zagaya and at all previous mortuary feast events, including the funeral, are trades between the living and dead. If the feasts is properly done all mourning taboos are clear from individuals