Dia De Los Muertos Research Paper

The Mexican holiday of Dia de los Muertos (or Day of the Dead) and the American holiday of Halloween are two different holidays that often confuse people to be the same thing. One of the many differences is that Day of the Dead and Halloween are celebrated for two different periods of time. Another difference is that Halloween and Day of the Dead are celebrated for two totally different reasons. One final difference is that the two holidays use of skeletons are very different. So, despite the few similarities, Dia de los Muertos and Halloween are very unique holidays and are very different from each other.

One of the many differences between Dia de los Muertos and Halloween is that even though they are celebrated around the same time in October, the two holidays are celebrated for different periods of time. The Mexican holiday, Dia de los Muertos, is celebrated for a three day period, from October thirty-first through to November second. Yet, the American holiday of Halloween is celebrated on a …show more content…
On Day of the Dead, people create la ofrendas(altars), for their loved ones who have passed away. They would go to el cementerio(the cemetery), and decorate la tumbas(the tombs) with caléndulas(marigolds). Then, everybody gathers together and fiestas(parties) throughout the whole night. On Halloween, we originally celebrated to mark the end of summer and the beginning of harvest season. Now, people would decorate their houses in ghosts, ghouls, and other scary monsters. Children dress up in costumes, differing from scary to character costumes. Then, they walk around the neighborhood, knocking on peoples doors, asking for candy until it gets too dark to see anything. Therefore, Dia de los Muertos and Halloween are more different than similar because they are celebrated for two different reasons and in two different