Day of the Dead

Have you ever heard of the ‘Day of the Dead’? The Mexican holiday what lasts 3 days! Starting on the Halloween itself and ending on the 2^nd of November. The holiday allows the dead to live again during this time. The dead can come back more than one day? OMG!

The holiday is for family and friends to pray for those who are dead. They honour the deceased using sugar skulls, marigolds, and the favourite foods and beverages of the departed, and visiting graves with these as gifts. They also leave possessions of the deceased and tell funny stories of the dead. Sugar skulls are so colourful and wonderful you can easily recreate the beautiful designs on your face for Halloween!

The origins of this holiday date back hundreds of years, where the holiday is spread throughout the world and dedicated to the Goddess Mictecacihuatl herself the Lady of the Dead.

Mictecacihuatl is Queen of Mictlan, (the underworld) ruling over the afterlife with her husband Mictlantecuhtli. Her role is to watch over all the bones of the dead and watch over the ancient festivals of the dead. It is believed that she was born, and then sacrificed an infant. Maybe you could use the ‘Lady of the Dead’ as a Halloween costume?

Mexican’s believe that the gates of heaven are opened at midnight on Halloween where the all the spirits of deceased children in the form of angels, another idea for a costume? Are allowed to reunite with their families for 24 hours, on the November 2^nd, the spirits of the adults come down to enjoy the festivities that are prepared for them, where in the afternoon these festivities are taken to the cemetery. So people can clean tombs, play card, listen to the village band and reminisce about their loved ones.

The Day of the Dead are celebrated as a way of connecting with an unseen world, where we will go one day. Most people celebrate this holiday out of love, but others celebrate out of fear. Mexico has folk tales to tell what happens if any one neglects to honour their ancestors on this day.

If a spirit returns to find that no one has built an altar for them, or that their loved ones only left them paltry offerings, they will feel sad and angry, especially when they see what bounteous offerings other spirits have received. These spirits may seek vengeance who those who have forgotten them, many folk tales describe how those who ignore their dead loved ones fall immediately ill and even meet their death shortly after the holiday. HOW CREEPY IS THAT?