Days of the Dead

prepared by Regina Gillam

Sugar Skulls (Image: Tomás Castelazo)má

All Saints' Day on November1, All Souls' Day on November 2, and Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), which spans both days,  mark two days of the year when deceased family and friends are remembered. All Saints' and All Souls' days are observed by many people around the world. These days are often spent in prayer for deceased family and friends. People also go to cemeteries to clean up and decorate the gravesites of loved ones on these days. The observance of All Saints' and All Souls' days is of Catholic origin.

Día de los Muertos, celebrated in Mexico and throughout Latin America in different forms, is more of a celebration. Family members and friends often create altars in remembrance of the deceased. The altars usually have candles, food and drink items, and sometimes bright orange flowers called marigolds. The celebration of Día de los Muertos is of pre-Hispanic origin. In her paper "Making Arts of the Day of the Dead: "MexiCatalan Cultures"," Marlen Mendoza-Morteo states “The Day of the Dead is a celebration that syncretizes the “mixed indiosyncrasy of the Mexican People” (Mendoza-Morteo 250).

Día de los MuertosAltar (Image: Steve Bridger)

“On the one hand its indigenous and pre-Hispanic origin” from “cultures like the Maya, Mixtec, Zopotec, Totonac and Purepecha, among others had something in common: a cult of death. On the other hand” it has “Catholic elements as a result of the Spanish colonial heritage” (Mendoza-Morteo 250). Due to this dual influence, “the celebration recreated itself and created a fusion of the pre-historic ritual into the Catholic religion” (Mendoza-Morteo 250).

Mexican immigrants have traveled to and settled in several different places around the world. Through their migrations, they have taken the celebration of the Day of the Dead with them. There are several Día de los Muertos celebrations throughout California and the rest of the world. Several books have been written on the topic, including those listed below.

Juvenile books:

• Day of the Dead by Tony Johnston and Illustrated by Jeanette Winter
• I Remember Abuelito: A Day of the Dead Story by Janice Levy and Illustrated by Loretta Lopez with Spanish translation by Miguel Arisa

Non-fiction books:

• All Saints, All Souls and Halloween by Catherine Chambers
• The Day of the Dead: When Two Worlds Meet in Oaxaca by Shawn D Haley and Curt Fukuda

Día de los Muertos Kite Festival (Image: Nimrod Zaphnath)

Work Cited
Mendoza-Morteo, Marlen. "Making Arts Of The Day Of The Dead: "Mexicatalan Cultures"." Sociology Study 1.4 (2011): 248-258. SocINDEX with Full Text.