Have you ever wondered how Día de los Muertos is celebrated and the history behind this amazing holiday

of festivities and honor your loved ones in a beautiful way? Well keep reading and learn the meaning of Día de los Muertos.

Día de los Muertos is a 2-day holiday that begins on the 1st of November and ends on November 2nd. It is mostly celebrated in Mexico. This holiday is a combination of Aztec ritual with Catholicism. The two days are celebrated differently because on the first day of November it is Día de los Inocentes (which is the day of honoring the children who have passed) on this day the grave of the child is decorated with white orchids and baby’s breath and on the second day of November, it’s Día de los Muertos which is the day of honoring the adults and graves are decorated with marigolds because of the strong scent that can help guide the soul’s home. The way you honor the dead on Día de los Muertos is by decorating an ofrenda which is an altar something you put on the ofrenda are things that your loved one has left behind or put things that they used to like. The altar is decorated with 4 elements which are water, food for earth, a candle for fire, and Papel picado (colorful tissue) for wind. 

People may confuse Día de los Muertos as Halloween in Mexico, but they are two completely different holidays with different meanings, Halloween is a day of terror and mischief while Día de los Muertos is a day of color and festivities to celebrate and make offerings to your lost loved ones. This holiday is to show respect and remember that your loved ones are with you all the time and is celebrated with bright colors and music and is when a community or the people you love come and just be together. 

This holiday can be celebrated by anyone if celebrated with respect. Things that are disrespectful would be taking something off the altar and painting your face as a calavera which is a skull that is used during Día de los Muertos that is meant to represent a human skull it is usually made with sugar or clay the colors on the skull each have a different meaning and people usually paint their faces as calaveras to show the sweetness of life the different colors used, and their meanings are white represents hope, yellow represents unity, red represents life, purple represents mourning and pink represents happiness.

In conclusion, Día de los Muertos is a day of respect and honoring our loved ones who have passed away and is a tradition not a costume.