Day of the Dead

 Today is a Day of the Dead.

No, it is not a George Romero horror movie. Day of the Dead, or Dia de los Muertos, is a Mexican multi-day holiday that is traditionally celebrated in the first two days of November. 

It's a day for families to gather together to remember loved ones that have passed away. These celebrations can take a festive tone. Families on this day will build alters called ofrendas. These ofrendas will often be decorated with the honored dead's favorite foods and drinks. Family members will also visit the graves of lost loved ones and leave said foods as gifts for them. The deceased are also honored with calaveras and marigold flowers. These have become a symbol for the holiday, much like holly for Christmas, or turkeys for Thanksgiving. It's kind of appropriate that this comes right after Halloween, when the veil between the living at the dead is at its weakest. 

Day of the Dead celebrations can be festive, and it's heavily observed in Mexico. Places with lots of Mexican populations also can observe it, like the United States. The origins of the holiday are rather uncertain. Some scholars link it to rituals from indigenous populations, but others say that the day can be traced back to the early 20th century rebranding of a Spanish tradition developed under the presidency of Lazaro Cardenas to help give Mexico to help promote Mexican nationalism. Either way, Dia de los Muertos has become one of the most famous aspects of Mexican culture.

I hope you learned something neat about this holiday from here. Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves and each other! See you next time!