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Day of the Dead (Spanish: Día de Muertos) is a Mexican holiday celebrated
throughout Mexico and around the world in many cultures. The holiday focuses on
gatherings of family and friends to pray for and remember friends and family
members who have died. It is particularly celebrated in Mexico, where it
attains the quality of a National Holiday, and all banks are closed. The
celebration takes place on November 1–2, in connection with
the Catholic holidays of All Saints' Day (November 1)
and All Souls' Day (November 2). Traditions connected with the
holiday include building private altars honoring the deceased using sugar
skulls, marigolds, and the favorite foods and beverages of the departed
and visiting graves with these as gifts.
Scholars trace the origins of the modern Mexican
holiday to indigenous observances dating back hundreds of years and to
an Aztec festival dedicated to
a goddess called Mictecacihuatl. The holiday has spread
throughout the world: In Brazil, Dia de Finados is a
public holiday that many Brazilians celebrate by visiting cemeteries and
churches. In Spain, there are festivals and parades, and, at the end of
the day, people gather at cemeteries and pray for their dead loved ones.
Similar observances occur elsewhere in Europe, and similarly themed
celebrations appear in
many Asian and African cultures.
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