Day Of The Dead Research Paper

The Aztecs had many different customs they followed in their daily life. One of those is that they baptize their children as soon as they are born. The midwife who performed the delivery would then act as the priest. The midwife would also name the child after preforming many rites in front of the family. Another custom the Aztecs did was when you passed away, what was then done with your body would be determined by how you died. If you were a woman that passed during child birth, you would be

Dia de Los Muertos, also known as the Day of the Dead, is an internationally recognized Mexican holiday which consists of the gatherings of friends and family to honor those who have passed. Similar rituals commemorating those who have deceased are believed to have began around 3,000 years ago. Dia de Los Muertos takes place three days from October 31st to November 2nd. October 31st is known as All Hallows Eve and is a time when the children invite the spirits of deceased children to come back. November 1st is All Saints Day and is when the adult spirits are said to return. November 2nd is All Souls Day and is when families go and decorate the graves of their lost loved ones. The building of private altars in cemeteries containing the

There were a variety of different cultures of people who were part of the Aztec empire.

They were fearful of natural disasters, and tried to keep their gods pleased to prevent the end of the world. Similar to the Mayans, the Aztecs performed blood sacrifices for the war god of the sun, Huitzilopochtli. They believed that he was fighting the darkness, and needed blood sacrifices to rise up in the afterlife and fight with him. The Aztecs held strong value in oratory skills, and tales of their gods were taught and passed down. They also built sculptures of all different sizes depicting their gods. In terms of technical skill, the Aztecs built steep-sided pyramids similar to the Mayans. They had many temples for their gods. Like the Mayans, the Aztecs built a large calendar on which they recorded important dates - particularly religious

II. Relevance to the audience: Everyone has had a loved one or someone they know pass away and have gone to the cemetery to honor their death, which is why Dia de los Muertos is celebrated in all parts of the world.

Ancient Aztec religion was different interaction of gods, dates, directions and colors. The most preoccupation in the religion of the Aztecs had to do with fear of the nature, and a fear of the end of the world. The Aztec religions believed that it took five gods to create the world. According to the Aztecs the attempts were preventing because if the hidden conflict among the gods

The belief in the afterlife involved with this holiday is very similar to that of the mesoamericans. The aztecs in particular had a month long celebration, very similar to that of Day of the Dead, in which they honored and delivered offerings to the deceased. When the spaniards arrived they did a fair job of popularizing their faith among the mesoamericans. The mesoamericans moved their month long celebration of death to coincide with the catholic holidays of All Saints and All Souls(November 1st and 2nd). Today, Day of the Dead is about celebrating death by creating altars carpeted with offerings to the souls of loved ones. Today, an iconic symbol of Día de los Muertos is the skeleton, one of the most significant skeleton characters is La Catrina. Day of the Dead is now picking up bits and pieces of Halloween tradition. Children are now participating in pedir los muertos, or ask the dead, during which children dress in costumes and meander, receiving candy as well as things from people’s day of the dead altars, in some places.

Villalba states that, the celebration begins as early as midnight on October 31 because they believe that the gates of heaven open and the deceased children are welcomed back to earth for 24 hours to celebrate with their families. The following day, 2nd of November, “adults come down to enjoy the festivities” (Villalba). Within those two days, there are many expenses and lot of planning for families who celebrate this holiday. They begin with going to the cemeteries where they clean and decorate the tombs of their deceased members. Families then create beautiful ofrendas at their homes, which are alters, with some of the most important decorations such as bright colored marigolds, pan de muerto (bread of the dead), white candles, candy skulls, calacas (skeleton figures), a portrait of the loved one, with a few of their favorite dishes and drinks, and burning copal. “The white candles are lighted up so that the deceased can see their family members around the tomb” (The Day of the Dead in Mexico,2005). These alters require the most expenses, sometimes people even spend months’ worth of savings for this specific date because they believe their posada should be resplendent, just as their beloved ones would want. To end the day, families return to the cemeteries to gather around the tomb of their loved one where

Religious rituals were often used by the Aztec civilians in an attempt to communicate with their god. The Aztec religion was heavily based around pleasing the gods and being rewarded. Aztecs had often believed that pleasing the gods and patron deities, would ensure smooth operations of the world, and greater success in business. They were often complicated to honour the powerful deities. It is said, that at least half of each month was dedicated to religious rituals.

The Aztecs were polytheistic; believing in many different gods, while the Spanish were monotheistic; believing in only one god. After the Spanish inquisition the country was 100% devoted Catholics. The Catholic Spanish had many religious practices; after the birth a child is baptized, it is a ceremony where water is sprinkled on their head symbolizing purity, this Christian ceremony was for both genders. The Aztecs however, had more traditional ideas in gender roles in a society, and introduced them after the birth of a child. After birth, baby boys were given a bow and arrow, and girls were given a weaving tool, a broom, and a basket. The Aztecs practiced blood sacrifices to feed their gods, going to the temple was a part of their daily lives. The leaders of the Aztec religion were the high priests, and the emperor. The Spanish did not practice blood sacrifices, but were devoted Christians. They had rituals such as weakly rites of confessions, and Sunday mass. Another catholic ritual is after the death of a person a priest performs a prayer. The religious leader of the Catholic faith is the pope. Both the Aztecs and Spanish although had different beliefs and practices the similarity was that they were highly devoted to their

Major Religious Influences The past culture of the Aztecs and the Spanish influence of Roman Catholicism play a huge role in what the Mexican culture believes today regarding religion and tradition. Life and death were viewed as two very opposite ideas that were complimentary of one another; they were both parts of the life cycle. Death is still viewed in the Mexican culture as an extension of life; this in turn places great value on the bonds that the family will continue to have with their loved ones after they have passed. There is the belief in their culture that there is a connection between the physical and spiritual realms, and that you maintain a bond with your loved one through that connection (Russell-Kibble, 2011).

Under these three gods were four gods that were invisible to the human world. Below these gods were many other gods. The important ones were Tlaloc the rain god and Chalchihuitlicue the god of growth. Aztecs worship about 1,000 gods but the most sun was the most important. Their religious ceremonies were held in a temple with pools for ceremonial cleansing and living quarters for their priests. The temple also had racks to hold skulls of victims that were used as sacrifices to their gods.

In the Latino death rituals are influenced by their catholic beliefs. They have a continuing relationship with the dead through prayer and visits to the grave. Grief can be expressed by crying. Women are allowed to wail while men are not to a lot of emotion. Death for Mexicans in Mexico has more understanding of death because the country is religious, real, poor, and young. Death is shown by statues, art, literature, and history portray death. Mexican children start at an early age to accept death. Mexicans and Latinos celebrate “Dia de los Muertos (day of the dead) to remember and honor the dead Lobar, Youngblut, & Brooten, 2006, p. xx-a)

Day of the Asleep is a Mexican break that is commended on October 31 - November 2 of every year.

Day of the Dead is some thing I have been learning about in Spanish class. Now I am going to tell you some facts about Day of the Dead. The Day of the Dead is celebrated by Mexicans and some Hispanic cultures around the world. It’s a celebration remembering their dead loved ones. This year the Day of the Dead will be November 1 and 2.