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Day of the Dead
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As practised by the
indigenous communities of Mexico
, el Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) commemorates the
transitory return to Earth
of deceased relatives and loved ones. The festivities take place each year at the end of October to the beginning of November. This period also marks the completion of the annual
cycle of cultivation of maize
, the country’s predominant food crop.
Families facilitate the return of the souls to Earth by laying
flower petals
, candles and offerings along the
path leading from the cemetery to their homes
. The deceased’s favourite dishes are prepared and placed around the
home shrine
and the tomb alongside flowers and
typical handicrafts
, such as paper cut-outs. Great care is taken with all aspects of the preparations, for it is believed that the dead are capable of bringing prosperity (e.g. an abundant maize harvest) or misfortune (e.g. illness, accidents, financial difficulties) upon their families depending on how satisfactorily the rituals are executed. The
dead are divided into several categories
according to cause of death, age, sex and, in some cases, profession. A specific day of worship, determined by these categories, is designated for each deceased person. This encounter between the living and the dead affirms the role of the individual within society and contributes to reinforcing the political and social status of Mexico’s indigenous communities.
The Day of the Dead celebration holds great significance in the life of Mexico’s indigenous communities. The fusion of
pre-Hispanic religious rites
and Catholic feasts brings together two universes, one marked by indigenous belief systems, the other by worldviews introduced by the Europeans in the sixteenth century.
[1]
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