 El Dia de Los Muertos is the celebration of death. Unlike our American culture, many Central American cultures believe death to be the beginning of a new life. Deceased souls are reborn in in another world.  Those who celebrate the day often wear wooden masks known as calacas or sugar masks with a deceased relative’s name made into the forehead.

 On November 1 st and 2 nd, El Dia de Los Angelitos and El Dia de los Muertos are celebrated, respectively. El Dia de Los Angelitos honors the departed souls of children as opposed departed adults.  These days coordinate with the Catholic All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day.  The day is also meant to honor the Aztec goddess Mictecacihuati, the Lady of the Dead, who was said to have died at birth.

 Peoples all across Central America have celebrated El Dia de Los Muertos for 3,000 years.  Aztecs were practitioners of the day and withstood Spanish attempts to eradicate the holiday.  Aztecs and other Meso-Americans wore frightening calacas and kept the skulls of the deceased in their honor.

 Because of the apparent sacrilege and mocking of death involved in El Dia de Los Muertos, Spaniards long ago attempted to remove the day from existence, but the will of the Central American natives was too strong.  Prior to Spanish intervention, the holiday was traditionally celebrated throughout the entire 9 th month on the Aztec Solar Calendar, which aligns with modern-day August.  Though they failed to end the celebration, the Spaniards were still able to align the holiday with All Saints’ and All Souls’ Days.

 Today, many of those who celebrate attend the graves of the deceased to bring offerings of all kinds ranging from clothes to food or drinks.  Sugar skulls are made and eaten by relatives of the deceased as a form of honoring them.  Calaveras and catrinas are often made in honor of the Mexican illustrator José Guadalupe Posada.

 The celebration has also reach parts of the United States today. While the whole country dos not readily recognize it, much of the southwest participates in the festivities.  Great parties and festivities are held in memory and respect of those who have passed on, in the hopes that their new lives are better than their first lives.

This delicious, sugary treat is a staple in the celebration of El Dia de Los Muertos. Essentially a loaf of bread covered in sugar, it’s difficult to go wrong with the tasty snack on a day for festivities.

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