Mexican Day of the Dead

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In Mexico and in some Mexican communities elsewhere, the 1st and 2nd November are celebrated as the Day of the Dead (Día de [los] Muertos), the first day being devoted to children (El Día de los Angelitos or Day of the "little angels") and the second those who have died as adults (El Día de los Difuntos). These days are related to All Saints Day and All Souls Day, which are mainly Catholic celebrations of the Western church.

Although the modern day celebrations coincide with the Catholic feasts of All Saints and All Souls, the festivities themselves are much older, going back at least 2,500 years to a time when the festival would last a whole month.

The extremely colourful and unusual celebrations for the Day of the Dead in Mexico have become well known around the world. To Western eyes many of the traditions associated with these days may seem quite macabre, but they reflect the general attitude to death in that country - where it is regarded as the beginning of a new stage in life - and certainly remove much of the element of grief associated with remembrance of the dead elsewhere.

Just as shops in the US and UK stock many strange items in the run up to Halloween (celebrated on 31st October), stores and market stalls in Mexico offer an enormous selection of death-related paraphernalia in the days leading up to the celebration. These include such things as sugar skulls, coffins and similar items, sweet rolls that look rather like hot cross buns, but decorated with pastry in the shape of bones instead of crosses, paper and silk flowers as well as fresh ones, dolls in the shape of skeletons or La Catrina (the Lady, Death) and many other similar items.

Many people build altars or shrines in their homes to honour their dead, and these are decorated with flowers, wreaths, photographs of the deceased, dolls and toys, as well as a cross and a picture or statue of the Virgin Mary. The favourite food and drinks of the dead person are carefully prepared and placed on the altar, along with sugar skulls etc, paper cutouts of their favourite things, incense and many candles or votive lights. Cigarettes might also be provided - as well as washing facilities, so that the deceased can wash before dinner.