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Although founded in Latin America, Día de Muertos (Day of the Dead) is mostly celebrated in Mexico. The celebration is a combination of an Indigenous Aztec ritual and Spanish Catholicism.
Instead of mourning the deaths of loved ones, the Day of the Dead celebrates the lives of the ones we have lost with a nation wide festival that recognizes death as a natural part of the human life cycle. -
On the day of the dead, people believed that the border between the living world and the spirit world opens up, this means the dead can feast and celebrate with their living family members. It was believed that the spirit world was difficult and dangerous so families of the deceased often buried the dead with food and precious items to help them through their journey and the Day of the dead acted as a way for the dead to reunite and celebrate.
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The Most Prominent symbols, related to the day of the dead are skeletons, skulls and La Calavera Catrina (A painting by the cartoonist José Guadalupe Posada), the Mexican representation of an elegant skull.
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The day of the dead was originally celebrated by the Aztecs and Nahua people 3000 years ago. They believed that upon dying, a person travelled to 'Chicunamictlán' (the land of the dead). Only after getting through the nine challenges of the land of the dead, could the soul of the person reach it's final resting place.
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Modern Day of the Dead festivals entail dressing up as a skeleton or wearing skull masks or faceprint whilst eating skull shaped candy called 'pan de muerto'.
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Although most people that celebrate the Day of the Dead don't believe in the old myths and tales, they still participate in the old rituals for fun and to keep their history and culture alive.
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Although originally celebrated by the Aztecs in August, the day has changed multiple times over the years, due to the further understanding and advancements of the world calendar. As of present It is now celebrated on November the 2nd.