Dia De Los Muertos Research Paper

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How do you see death? Is it something you celebrate or is it something you don’t talk about and mourn? What if there was a special day that was just dedicated to the deceased and to honor them with parties and celebrations. Well there is such day and it’s a holiday called Dia de los Muertos. Dia de los Muertos, which is also called Day of the dead, was originally a ritual practiced by indigenous Aztec people for at least 3,000 years. Skulls were displayed during the ritual and were seen as trophies. It was also a symbol of death but also as rebirth, something the Aztec embraced and didn’t fear of. They believed that the dead came back to visit and became part of the community once again. When the Spanish conquistadors landed in Mexico, which was more than 500 years ago, they saw the ritual as…show more content…
In the rural parts of Mexico, many family members decorate their loved ones gravesite with flowers and candles at the cemetery where they are buried at. If the loved one was a child, family members will put toys. If the loved one was an adult, family members will put bottles of tequila. Family members also take food to the gravesite, it’s usually the favorite food of the loved one. But, it’s not a sad celebration, it’s a day with music, parties at each gravesite and activities that the loved one enjoyed in life. In the larger cities in Mexico and in the United States many family members build alters in their homes that are dedicated to their loved one. They put flowers, the loved one favorite food, pictures of the deceased and lit candles that are placed next to alter. Sometimes, family members place these alters at dinners tables, this means that they are welcoming their loved one to come and eat their favorite foods. Many pull out the chairs of the dining table just a little to symbolize that they are offering them to sit and many pray to bless the food that they served for the

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