El día de los muertos

El Día de los Muertos

Some interesting facts about El Día de los muertos.

Open Ended

Do you think it is important to remember those that have passed on? Why or why not?

• Day of the Dead is a Mexican holiday, celebrated on the first two days of November.

• Its purpose is to celebrate the lives of the deceased on the days of the year when their spirits are believed to return to our world

• It is a national holiday,

• it is growing in popularity around the world

Multiple Choice

When is el Día de los Muertos?

• El primero y dos de noviembre.

• el treinta y uno de noviembre

• el treinta y uno de mayo

• el cinco de mayo

Multiple Choice

What is the purpose of El Dia de los Muertos?

• To celebrate the deceased.

• To scare people.

• To go door to door and get candy.

• To dress up in costumes.

Where did El Día de los muertos come from?

• Contrary to what is often portrayed in popular culture, the Day of the Dead is not Mexico’s version of Halloween.

  
  

• Halloween and el Día de los Muertos are different holidays with separate origins and unique traditions.

• Halloween has its origins in the Celtic harvest festival of Samhain

• Day of the Dead is rooted in the ancient religious traditions of Mesoamerica’s indigenous population.

• Day of the Dead focuses on receiving the souls of dead relatives with joy and hospitality.

  
  

Multiple Choice

El Día de los Muertos is like Halloween.

• Verdad

• Faslo

Why are there so many skulls during El Día de los Muertos?

• Day of the Dead dates back to the days before the Spanish conquest. who believed different afterlives existed depending on how people died.

• Pre-columbian civilizations had a variety of celebrations aimed at honoring the dead.

• Many of the traditions we know today come from the religious practices of the Aztecs

• It is believed that Mictlán is the final destination for those who died of natural causes and ruled by the goddess Mictecacíhuatl, often represented by a skull.

Multiple Choice

Which pre-Colombian culture influenced the traditions of el Día de los Muertos?

• Aztecs

• Inca

• Zapotecs

• Olmec

Multiple Choice

Mictlán is often represented by a

• skeleton

• skull

• flower

• food

• The Aztecs believed that in order to reach Mictlán, souls had to complete an arduous journey.

• To help the deceased along this journey, the Aztecs would make offerings of useful objects at their relatives’ burial sites.

• Several Aztec holidays involved rituals to honor the deceased, including decorating tree stumps and placing offerings for dead relatives.

• 
  

Multiple Choice

The journey of the deceased to Mictla was easy

• Verdad

• Falso

• These traditions set the precedent for the Ofrendas, or Day of the Dead altars placed by Mexican families today.

  
  

• After colonization, these traditions were Christianized and became incorporated into the Catholic holidays of All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day, producing a unique syncretism of traditions.

• The traditions were moved from summer to November 1st and 2nd to coincide with these two days.

Multiple Choice

Traditions for El Día de los Muertos is a mix of Spanish/Catholic traditions and Aztec traditions.

• Verdad

• Faslo

What is the ofrenda or altar?

• In the days preceding the holiday, it is customary to build a shrine to honor one’s deceased relatives.

• These shrines, referred to in Spanish as “Ofrendas,” are bright, colorful, and ornate.

• They are adorned in orange and purple, the holiday’s traditional colors, and decorated.

How is the ofrenda or altar decorated?

• The ofrenda is decorated with flowers, including marigolds, and decorated paper crafts, including the traditional “papel picado.”

• Placed atop these altars are photographs of the deceased,

• Objects that were precious to them

• Foods they enjoyed in life.

• These sit alongside sugar skulls, candles, the traditional Pan de Muertos,

• Also crosses, and statues and icons of Jesus and Saints are placed on the ofrenda or altar.

Where else would I see an ofrenda?

• Secular, and non-Catholic Mexicans will often avoid placing this religious items on their Ofrendas.

• During the holiday, Ofrendas are not only placed in homes, but also in schools, offices, and public squares.

• In cities around Mexico, public Ofrendas attract people to view these gorgeous, large-scale altars placed within public view.

• They are meant to honor important figures in Mexican history and culture.

Multiple Choice

What does an altar look like?

• Colorful, decorated with marigolds.

• Foods that the deceased liked

• Photographs of the deceased.

• All of the above.

• While many would expect Day of the Dead to be a solemn memorial day, it is actually a joyous occasion, meant as a celebration of life.

• Instead of everything being dark and somber, as is commonly associated with mourning rituals, the holiday is bright and colorful, with decorations filling nearly every home and public space in the country.

• It is common to have celebratory meals with family, as well as street parties with music and dancing. In many towns.

• there are celebratory processions involving masks, puppets, and colorful costumes.

Multiple Choice

El Día de los muertos is

• a sad, somber day

• Like Halloween

• A day of celebration

• A day when people mourn.

Why are cemeteries decorated?

• A central part of the holiday involves going to the cemetery and spending time at the graves of loved ones.

• In preparation for Day of the Dead, families will clean and wash the graves of their departed, and decorate them with candles, and flowers such as marigolds.

• They will bring offerings of food that the deceased enjoyed and objects that were meaningful to them in life.

• In the case of children, toys will be brought to the grave site.

• In many parts of the country, families will share a meal alongside the graves of their relatives, while sharing stories and memories about the loved ones they have lost.

Multiple Choice

El Día de los muertos is

• a sad, somber day

• Like Halloween

• A day of celebration

Why is it celebrated on two days?

• The first day celebrates infants and children who have died. This is a group which is believed to have a special place in heaven, and are referred to as "Angelitos" or little angels.

• The second day is in honor of adults who have passed away.

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El primero de noviembre

• Celebrates the children that have died.

• Celebrates the adults that have died.

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El dos de noviembre

• Celebrates the children that have died.

• Celebrates the adults that have died.