There's Always An Excuse to Fiesta
Amigos! It’s time for a story, a story of the dead! This story is about a day called El Dia de los Muertos, or better known as The Day of the Dead. It all began with the Aztecs who celebrated the dead by hosting rituals to commemorate them. When Spanish Conquistadors came to the New World, they tried to get rid of the rituals, but instead they just ended up influencing the traditions.
Because the Spaniards tried to convert the indigenous people into Catholicism, they moved the date of El Dia de los Muertos, which was originally celebrated in August, to November 1st and 2nd, coinciding with All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day.
El Dia de los Muertos is celebrated by using skulls with various activities. People use skulls by wearing skull masks called calacas and dance in honor of the deceased. Wooden Skulls are also placed on altars dedicated to the spirits. People even eat sugar skulls, branded with the name of the deceased on the forehead!
People even spend the day setting up picnics at the cemetery next to the relatives that have passed to the afterlife. Although it’s held at a cemetery, the atmosphere is not grim, but happy and lively! The people that celebrate El Dia de los Muertos don’t mourn but rejoice the cycle of life.
The day celebrated the goddess Mictecacihuatl. Mictecacihuatl was known as “Lady of the Dead” and believed to have died at birth. This was relevant to the rituals of El Dia de los Muertos because it celebrated the continuation of life. The Aztecs believed that life was a dream and only in death did they awake.
So the next time El Dia de los Muertos comes around, don’t be afraid of the skeletons dancing in the moonlight. It’s just to celebrate life and the joys of it!
