Day Of The Dead Comparison

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Nationally, holidays are people’s favorite pastime. Halloween and the Day of the Dead are both holidays that require dressing up and eating yummy treats, but they are different in many ways. A few of the differences in these two spooky holidays are the lore, how they are celebrated, and the symbols. One of the differences between these holidays are their lore. Halloween or All Hallows’ Day is always celebrated on the 31st of October. The Halloween holiday started back in the ancient Celtic days, but they called it Samhain (Halloween History 1). Samhain is the Gaelic term for “summer’s end.” This time represented that the “dark half” of the year has arrived and all the farmers have to harvest their crops and prepare for the harsh, cold winter (Trevarthen 1). The Gaels believed that on October 31st the bridge between the living and the dead would meet. During this time, their lifeless ancestors would cause illness or damage their crops. Some people wore masks and costumes to imitate evil spirits and others wore costumes to calm them (Halloween History 1). Dia de los Muertos has a completely different lore than Halloween. The Day of the Dead is still celebrated today; mostly in Mexico and the Southern United States. “The Holiday is a…show more content…
Many countries have adopted Day of the Dead as their own holiday; for example, South America, Europe, and Asia. The ways people celebrate Day of the Dead include preparing an alter for a long lost loved one, decorating all the graves with ornaments and sugar skulls, give each other candies and other treats, or by hosting community festivals. Setting up an alter that reminds a family of their deceased loved one is a big part of this holiday. Offerings are set out on alters like decorations. If abundant amount of offerings are not left on the alter, the spirit will become irritated and bring bad fortune to the family who have overlooked him (Day of the Dead Facts
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