El Día de los Muertos

History

• The Day of the Dead is also Called "All Saints Day" or "All Souls Day."
• The holiday is now celebrated on the 1st and 2nd of November, but, when the Aztecs celebrated it, it was in the beginning of August.

History Continued

• When the Aztecs observed similar celebrations, their holiday lasted for an entire month.
• The Aztec celebration was dedicated to the goddess of death, who was known as "The Lady of the Dead."

History Continued

• The Day of the Dead wasn't celebrated in northern Mexico during the 20th century because the people there thought the holiday was mixing pagan elements into the catholic faith.

Foods of the Celebration

• Sugar Skulls- skull shaped candy eaten during the Day of the Dead
• Pan de los Muertos- sweet rolls baked in the days leading up to the event
• Molé- spicy chocolate dish that is only eaten during the Day of the Dead

Foods of the Celebration Continued

• Candied Pumpkin- type of winter squash cooked in brown sugar cane syrup. It is not actually made from pumpkin
• Tamales- eaten during many different holidays

Holiday Customs

• Families of the deceased visit the graves of their loved ones in order to clean it and to pray for the dearly departed.
• A special type of bread called "pan de los muertos" is baked in the days leading up to the holiday.

Holiday Customs

• On the days of the event (November 1st and 2nd), families and friends of the deceased leave food, drinks, pictures, candles, flowers, and possessions of the deceased in "ofrendas" or offerings at their graves.

Holiday Customs

• Incense is burned on the Day of the Dead to help ward of negative forces.
• Candles are lit on the altars to help guide the sprits on their journeys between the land of the living, and the land of the dead.

I would make an altar for my grandma Rosalba because she and I had a lot of fun cooking together the few times we got to visit each other.

On my grandma's altar, I would put a drawing that I made because she always liked it when i drew for her. I would also put tamales because she always let me help her make tamales, even though I wasn't very good at it. Lastly, I would put a lavender scented candle on it because she always had one burning.

Websites Used

• http://gomexico.about.com/od/dayofthedead/tp/muertos-foods.htm
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Day_of_the_Dead
• Photos: Haiku deck search engine