Day Of The Dead Research Paper

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The Day of the Dead used to be in the summer, but because of Christian holidays All Souls Day and All Saints day, it was moved. Día de los Muertos and now stars on October thirty first and ends on November second. They believe that the gates of heaven are opened at midnight on October 31, and the spirits of all deceased children (angelitos) are allowed to reunite with their families for 24 hours. On November 2, the spirits of the adults come down to enjoy the festivities that are prepared for them. There will be many parades with people in brightly dressed skeleton costumes. People will also be visiting gravesites, having picnics at cemeteries, and decorating graves. Some people even spend the night at their family member's grave. The Spaniards arrived in central Mexico in the 16th century. Day of The Dead was started by the Aztecs some 3,000 years ago, and the Spaniards viewed the ritual as sacrilegious. The Spaniards thought the dead should be mourned rather than celebrated. But the festival couldn't be destroyed, In fact Dia de los muertos didn’t just survive, it came back thriving. …show more content…
It also merged with elements of Christianity. Originally celebrated in the summer, it moved to Nov. 1 and 2 to coincide with All Saints Days and All Souls Day. The Christian concept of the importance of the individual soul collides with All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day, which are practiced in the Catholic and Anglican traditions. Dia de los Muertos in Mexico keeps some of the tradition of honoring souls of the dead. All Souls Day remembers and prays for “all the faithful departed”. Día de los Muertos welcomes the return of the dead for a yearly

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