History

1
Día de Los Muertos

• History
• Traditions
• Customs
• How Compared to Halloween
• How compared to Halloween
• Resources
• Just click on the topic or a picture to advance
  through the slides.

2
History

• The Day of the Dead dates back to before the
  conquistadors of Spain arrived to the New World
  in the 1500s. The conquistadors found the native
  peoples practicing a ritual that seemed to
  ridicule death.
• The native peoples had been practicing this
  ritual for more than 3,000 years before the
  Spanish landed in South America. Día de los
  Muertos, as it came to be called, outlasted
  several attempts by the very Catholic Spanish to
  stamp it out.
• It is believed that this is the one day of the
  year when the dead can come back to Earth and be
  with their families again. It is celebrated on
  the 1st and 2nd of November.

3
Customs

• In honor of those loved ones who have died,
  families build ofrendas (altars) to commemorate
  the lives of these individuals.
• Food is also an important aspect to the
  celebration of the holiday. Families join
  together and enjoy such treats as, pan de muerto
  (bread of the dead), calabaza en tacha (candied
  pumpkin), posole (a type of chicken soup), and
  flan. Families also enjoy the favorite dish of
  the relative they are remembering.
• Cities often have parades to celebrate the
  holiday.

4
Traditions

• Day of the Dead is a time to remember those
  relatives who have died. Families get together
  and visit the cemetery to clean the graves of the
  deceased. They then decorate the site with fresh
  flowers, candles, and pictures. After they are
  finished they have a picnic at the site.
• Families create ofrendas to remember the
  deceased. These are decorated with pictures of
  the dead, candles, food, and lots of treats.
• It is believed that the souls of young children
  return on October 30th and 31st. Families create
  little ofrendas for them and even include little
  pan de muertos.
• Skeletons are a common sight during this time.
  Calaveras, as they are called, are used as
  decorations and as toys. They are depicted in
  life-like situations and are often dressed as
  humans. Children sometimes dress as a calavera
  and paint their face to look like a skeleton.

5
How Compared to Halloween

• Day of the Dead
• Celebration of deceased family members and loved
  ones.
• Families create ofrendas to honor the lives of
  the deceased.
• Special food is made and shared.
• Often times there are parades that families go
  to.
• Calaveras are used as decoration and can be found
  displayed in windows, on cookies and cakes, and
  as toys for the children.

6
How Compared to Halloween

• Halloween
• Celebration of the Feast of All Souls Day.
• Children dress up as scary creatures or pretty
  princesses.
• Candy is passed out as children go from house to
  house.
• Originally began as the day that the souls
  trapped on Earth were released.
• Has become a scary holiday.

7
Resources

• Picture Citations
• http//www.houstonculture.org/imgcr/diathumb.gif
• http//www.lacasadeartes.org/images/ddlmcal1.gif
• http//www.mexonline.com/Culture/images/daydead-de
  adbones.JPG
• http//www.folkart.com/skeletons/ac-aa-07.jpg
• http//www.groton.k12.ct.us/WWW/fsr/student/fall02
  /Mexico/dia.jpg
• http//www.csudh.edu/dearhabermas/dogandkitty-333-
  302.jpg