day of the dead presentation
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The ofrenda is a huge part of the celebration of day of the dead. In the weeks leading up to the holiday, families will begin to decorate their homes for the holiday. The centerpiece will be the Ofrenda, a display meant to commemorate the lives of loved ones. The traditional Ofrenda is divided into various levels to represent the various stages of life and death. two levels - representing heaven and Earth, three levels - representing heaven, Earth, and the underworld. seven levels - representing the seven stages souls have to cross to reach eternal rest. In the days leading to the holiday, they build a shrine to honor. They are covered in orange and purple, the holiday's traditional colors,
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and decorated with flowers, including marigolds, and decorated paper crafts, including "papel picado." which can be found on altars and in the streets, they represent the wind and the fragility of life. Placed on rhese altars are photographs of the deceased, objects that were precious to them, and foods they enjoyed in life. These sit alongside sugar skulls, candles, crosses, and statues and icons of Jesus and Saints. During the holiday, Ofrendas are not only placed in homes, but also in schools, offices, and public squares. In cities around Mexico, public Ofrendas become a spectacle in itself, attracting dozens of people to view these gorgeous, large-scale altars placed within public view. They are often made by well-known artists, adopt a yearly theme, and are meant to honor important figures in Mexican history and culture.
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According to tradition, the gates of heaven are opened at midnight on October 31 and the spirits of children can rejoin their families for 24 hours. The spirits of adults can do the same on November 2. Many of us see death as a sad event but those who celebrate Day of the Dead view death as a welcomed part of life. It is seen as a two day holiday that reunites the living and dead. That is why you will see brightly colored skeletons and skulls everywhere during the holiday.
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Believe it or not, Mexicans are not the only ones to celebrate Day of the Dead. It is a widely celebrated holiday all over the world. Day of the Dead celebrations tend to vary from place to place. It is not uncommon for different towns or countries to have their own unique traditions.
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Day of the Dead isn't somber, it is a celebration - While many would expect Day of the Dead to be a sad 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. Humor has played an important role in the holiday- Given that Day of the Dead is a festivity, it has become common to interject classic Mexican humor to add to the light-heartedness of the occasion. Day of the Dead art often features skeletons drinking, dancing since the 19th Century, the holiday has grown with the art of Mexican cartoonist José Guadalupe Posada, who created this skeleton-based art that is now what we associate with day of the dead.
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Day of the dead is not, as is commonly thought, a Mexican version of Halloween, though the two holidays do share some traditions, they are far fro alike. On the Day of the Dead, it's believed that the border between the spirit world and the real world dissolves. During this brief period, the souls of the dead awaken and return to the living world to feast, drink, dance and play music with their loved ones. In turn, the living family members treat the deceased as honored guests in their celebrations, and leave the deceased's favorite foods and other offerings at gravesites or on the ofrendas built in their homes.
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Although Day of the Dead is celebrated throughout Mexico and central america, it's also celebrated in many parts of the United States with large Latino populations, such as California and Texas. and the celebration has begun spreading rapidly around the world. Within the past 10years or so Hollywood has made many adaptations of Day of the Dead festivities in movies to bring culture and new traditions to the movie screens. One of the most popular is Disney's Coco, which was made in 2017 that grossed over $807 million dollars worldwide, and became the 16th highest-grossing animated film ever. Hollywood Popularity has brought much more popularity to the holiday outside of Mexico. The Hollywood attention has also brought greater commercialization to Day of the Dead, with products ranging from Day of the Dead Barbie dolls to sneakers, and celebrations sprouting up among places like the U.S.Pixar's "Coco" is considered to be one of the most culturally significant children's movies in history and is even credited for introducing new generations to Day of the Dead, reawakening meaning of celebration.
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Day of the Dead is an extremely social holiday that spills into streets and public squares at all hours of the day and night. Dressing up as skeletons is part of the fun. People of all ages have their faces artfully painted to resemble skulls, with suits and fancy dresses. Many wear shells and noisemakers to amp up the excitement. Costumes are a more recent tradition, likely influenced by the popularity of Halloween. These celebrations have become a big part of the holiday season in large Mexican cities and draw many visitors. Some of them include the parade in Mexico City that has been running for the past three years.
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Guatemala People in Guatemala have a very unusual way of honoring their dead. Every year on the first day of November, Guatemalans celebrate the Festival de Barriletes Gigantes. This literally translates to the Festival of Giant Kites. This is where locals of the town of Sumpango gather to fly enormous, extravagant kites in honor of loved ones. Why are kites at the forefront of this celebration? In Guatemala, the indigenous people believed kites were used to communicate with the dead. This tradition dates back thousands of years. Today, people still fly kites in honor of this tradition but also as a way to show their love for the deceased. Through these pictures you can see that altough they are celebrating in different ways, both places use bright and vibrant colors, proving death is a part of life, and is this day is not meant for mourning.
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In many major cities, during the day of the dead a festival takes place in the most important streets, usually by a parade with many beautifully decorated floats that are often like floating clouds of flowers with specific themes. These parades last hours and are filled with color, music and dancing. As you make your way, you will be greeted by large mystical colorful looking creatures the size of dinosaurs that are called Alebrijes. In Mexico, they're considered the creatures of our dreams and even of the realm of the dead.
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It is customary for many to visit the graves of loved ones during the holiday and to celebrate Day of the Dead in the cemetery. Beforehand, family members clean the graves of their deceased. They decorate the graves with marigolds and candles, often placing Ofrendas right next to them. Then, on the holiday, people bring offerings of food and drink to honor their loved ones, as well as precious objects belonging to them. In the case of children, toys and sweets will be brought to their graves. Prayers are recited upon arriving at the graves, and are often preceded by candlelight processions. These vary from region to region. It is also not uncommon for families to share a holiday meal and drinks at the cemetery beside the graves of the deceased. In many cases, celebrations go all day and all night, with music and dancing. Brass bands, Mariachis, and other traditional Mexican musicians will line the cemeteries playing songs for both the living and the dead, and visitors will often request songs beloved by their departed.
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Mexican Marigold is a bright orange flower that grows around Mexico during autumn. It has become an important symbol of the Day of the Dead. Around the time of the holiday, it is seen everywhere, from Ofrendas, to public buildings, and even parks. The reason for this is not only the fact that it is a seasonal flower, but also because of the flower's uniquely strong smell. This smell is believed, according to Mexican folklore, to attract spirits. For this reason, it is traditionally placed in Ofrendas to attract the souls of the deceased to their living relatives' homes. The flower is also strongly associated with the sun and rebirth, given its orange color. It is believed that the spirits of the dead visit the living during the celebration. Marigolds guide the spirits to their altars using their vibrant colors and pungent scent.Marigolds, or flowers in general, also represent the fragility of life.
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Mexico- This is the part of the world where Día de los Muertos is most popular, and it's what most people think of when they hear this holiday. On this day, families create a Day of the Dead altar in their home with mementos and photos from deceased relatives to draw spirits of the deceased like I showed you all before. This is a day when the border between the living and the dead is said to disappear, allowing souls to visit relatives for a limited time. In Mexico, death is a part of life. The ties that bind families are so strong that even death can't keep them apart.
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The Day of the Dead (el Día de los Muertos), is a Mexican holiday where families welcome back the souls of deceased relatives for a reunion that includes food, drinks and celebration. There are technically 3 days to day of the dead....
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The origins of Day of the Dead, go back about 3,000 years, to the rituals honoring the dead in pre-Columbian Mesoamerica. The Aztecs and other Nahua people living in what is now central Mexico held a recurring view of the universe, and saw death as a very present part of life.
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Upon dying, a person was believed to travel to Chicunamictlán, which is the Land of the Dead. Only after getting through nine challenging levels, a journey of several years, could the person's soul finally reach Mictlán, the final resting place. In Nahua rituals honoring the dead, traditionally held in August, family members provided food, water and tools to aid the deceased in this difficult journey. This inspired the contemporary Day of the Dead practice in which people leave food or other offerings on their loved ones' graves, or set them out on makeshift altars called ofrendas in their homes that the deceased can then visit.