Dia de los muertosDia de los muertosDay of the deadDay of the dead

2 de noviembre2 de noviembre

Dia de los muertos,Dia de los muertos,    «DEE ah deh lohs MWEHR tohs»,«DEE ah deh lohs MWEHR tohs»,

• Dia de los muertos, is a Mexican holiday that honors the dead.

• The holiday is celebrated in many Mexican American communities.

ÉÉste es el paste es el paíís de Ms de Mééxicoxico

• El día de los muertos se celebra en México

Dia de los muertosDia de los muertos is Spanish for is Spanish for day of the dead.day of the dead.

• During this celebration, families gather in churches, at cemeteries, and in homes to pray for and remember their deceased loved ones.

A time of remembrance A time of remembrance

• Dia de los muertos is usually celebrated on November 2, the Roman Catholic feast of All Souls' Day.

• In some communities, the dead are remembered over several days, including November 1, All Saints' Day.

• The celebration combines ancient native beliefs and Catholic traditions.

La ofrendaEl pan de muertos

El cementerio La familia El altar

Los dulces

skeletons, or calacas.

Velas y flores

La ofrendaLa ofrenda

• Many families prepare an elaborate altar, known as an ofrenda (offering), in their homes and in cemeteries for the holiday

• The ofrendas are decorated with flowers, fruits, popular foods, sweets, and drinks.

• They are created to welcome back, for a day, the souls of departed family members and friends.

El pan de muertoEl pan de muerto (bread of the dead) (bread of the dead)

• Special candies and pan de muerto (bread of the dead), a sweet bread, are popular treats served in the shape of skulls, skeletons, and other symbols of death.

Death is a part of lifeDeath is a part of life

• The day of the dead reinforces the ancient belief that death is a part of life.

• It is an important tradition through which families pass on their oral histories.

• Recalling stories of past family members helps keep these ancestors alive for future generations.

• Death is seen as another stage following life, not something to be faced with fear.

La Familia La Familia

• In this photograph, a family in Patzcuaro, Mexico, decorates the graves of deceased family members with flowers.

La fiestaLa fiesta• The occasion is festive, rather than morbid.

• Death isn't seen as the end of one's life, but as a natural part of the life cycle; the memory of the departed continue to exist in the minds and hearts of the living. Their lives are celebrated each year during this festival.

• Los mariachis (band) play Mexican songs

The cemeteryThe cemetery

• The gravesite is cleaned and nicely decorated with flowers in preparation for this holiday.

• The cemetery is not a spooky place for many families in Mexico during this holiday. Rather, it is a place to gather and celebrate with candles, songs & stories as the deceased relatives are remembered.

Adios y hasta luegoAdios y hasta luego

• La bandera de México