El Dia de los Muertos - The Day of the Dead

Also shared with All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day, El Dia del los Muertos, or the Day of the Dead, is celebrated in Mexico and by Latin Americans all over the world. The holiday is meant to honor the souls of the deceased. It is similar to Halloween, but is not meant to be a scary holiday, but a day to welcome the souls of those loved ones that have passed on back to earth for a short time.

People honor their passed loved ones by creating and decorating altars in their homes. These altars are decorated with pictures and belongings of their loved ones that have died. Favorite foods of the deceased will be prepared and placed on the altar and served at celebrations.

People often put out blankets and pillows so that the souls of those who died will have a place to rest on their travels. It is also believed that they eat the food that is offered. Those still living eat the food that is prepared, but it is believed to be lacking in nutritional value because it has been consumed by the souls of the dead.

Family members of those passed on visit graves and leave favorite foods and objects as offerings to the deceased. The graves are cleaned and decorated. Often families may picnic at the graves and sometimes spend entire nights by the grave sites. It is thought that these special days bring the souls of the dead and the living closer together. Prayers can be better heard by those that have died on these holy days, because they are allowed to visit those that are still living.

Parades take place for El Dia de los Muertos. Oaxaca, Mexico has a huge celebration every year where people dress up and carry urns for prayers to be placed inside and then burned. Decorative skulls are carried and placed on porches and in homes for El Dia de los Muertos.

Catrina is a popular image for El Dia de los Muertos, "The Lady of the Dead." She is to be the skeleton of an upper-class woman, symbolizing the outcome of death for everyone including the rich.