ALL SOULS DAY - THE DAY OF DEAD CELEBRATED IN MEXICO IN GRAND MANNER NOVEMBER 2

ALL SOULS DAY - THE DAY OF DEAD CELEBRATED IN MEXICO IN 

GRAND MANNER NOVEMBER 2

Day of the Dead (Spanish: Día de Muertos) is a Mexican holiday celebrated throughout Mexico, in particular the Central and South regions, and by people of Mexican ancestry living in other places, especially the United States. It is acknowledged internationally in many other cultures. The multi-day 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]

Woman lighting copal incense at the cemetery during the "Alumbrada" vigil in San Andrés Mixquic

The holiday is sometimes called Día de los Muertos[2][3] 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 Christian triduum of Allhallowtide: All Saints' Eve, All Saints' Day, and All Souls' Day.[4][5] Traditions connected with the holiday include building private altars called ofrendas, honoring the deceased using sugar skulls, marigolds, and the favorite foods and beverages of the departed, and visiting graves with these as gifts.[6] Visitors also leave possessions of the deceased at the graves.

Scholars trace the origins of the modern Mexican holiday to indigenous observances dating back hundreds of years and to an Aztec festival dedicated to the goddess Mictecacihuatl. The holiday has spread throughout the world, being absorbed within other deep traditions for honoring the dead. It has become a national symbol and as such is taught (for educational purposes) in the nation's schools. Many families celebrate a traditional "All Saints' Day" associated with the Catholic Church.

Mexican cempasúchil(marigold) is the traditional flower used to honor the dead

Cempasúchil, alfeñiques and papel picado used to decorate an altar

Originally, the Day of the Dead as such was not celebrated in northern Mexico, where it was unknown until the 20th century because its indigenous people had different traditions. The people and the church rejected it as a day related to syncretizing pagan elements with Catholic Christianity. They held the traditional 'All Saints' Day' in the same way as other Christians in the world. There was limited Mesoamerican influence in this region, and relatively few indigenous inhabitants from the regions of Southern Mexico, where the holiday was celebrated. In the early 21st century in northern Mexico, Día de Muertos is observed because the Mexican government made it a national holiday based on educational policies from the 1960s; it has introduced this holiday as a unifying national tradition based on indigenous traditions.[7][8][9]

Day of the Dead
Día de Muertos altar commemorating a deceased man in Milpa Alta, México DF.
Observed by	Mexico, and regions with large Hispanic populations
Type	Cultural Syncretic Christian
Significance	Prayer and remembrance of friends and family members who have died
Celebrations	Creation of altars to remember the dead, traditional day of the dead's food
Begins	October 31
Ends	November 2
Date	October 31
Next time	31 October 2017
Frequency	Annual
Related to	All Saint's Day