A Day To Commemorate the Dead | The Open Book | Education Videos

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The Mexican civilization dates back in years of the Aztecs and Incas and some of the rituals followed by them are in vogue in Mexico even today. One such is the Day of the Dead.
In this video we look at some strange facts about this festival. An initial look at it would seem as though it is the same as Halloween but the truth of the matter is that it is not the same.
Let us first check out the background to this festival. It is a holiday celebrated in most parts of Mexico especially in the southern and central parts where family gather together to pray and remember the friends and family who have left for their heavenly abode.
Prior to colonization by the Spanish this used to be celebrated in the beginning of summer but later it came to be celebrated in the end of October and first two days of November to coincide with the Western Christian tradition.
There are a number of traditions that go with this especially building of altars for the dead and filling them with objects that the dead loved and enjoyed. Sometimes they leave some of the objects used by the dead.
It is a belief that the dead visit their graves on this day and are happy to see their family and friends having remembered them.
Scholars trace this holiday to the times of the Aztecan festival dedicated to the Goddess Mictecacihuatl. The holiday has spread throughout the world, being absorbed into other deep traditions in honour of the dead.
This has become a national symbol and is taught in schools.
Here are some more interesting facts that go with this day. A day before the actual day of the dead is celebrated as a day of remembrance of dead children.
The day of the dead is much bigger than even Christmas in Mexico. It is marked with huge parades and processions and in some cases individual celebrations at the homes of the dead.
It is said that in some parts they spend almost two months in the preparation. There is food specific to be made on this day.
The day of the dead is considered not as a day of mourning but one of celebration of life. The Mexicans believe that the dead would feel insulted if they were in mourning.
One of the most important rituals carried out on this day is the cleaning of the graves. This is particularly necessary as they feel the dead will know they are not forgotten.
Cempazuchitl, the official flowers of the Day of the Dead, are used in massive quantities to decorate the graves and altars — a practice that has its roots in pre-Columbian traditions. These flowers (nicknamed el flor del muerto – “the flower of the dead”), sometimes said to represent the sun and rebirth, are also believed to help guide the spirits back home. In English, they are known as Mexican Merigolds.
It is believed that the Monarch butterflies which are found in plenty during this period in Mexico are the dead returning to visit their homes.
The skulls and skeletons in the form of masks etc can be seen everywhere and some are even edible.
The most famous of them is La Catrina. This was originally drawn as a political statement satirizing the Mexicans adopting western standards but has now com e to stay as a representative art of the Day of the Dead.
The day of the dead is a universal phenomenon and is practiced differently in different cultures but the underlying principle of all of them is to appease the dead.