During the end of October, mostly what everybody is looking forward to is Halloween. But for some people who have lost someone close to them, look forward to the beginning of November for Dia De Los Muertos (Day of the Dead). Day of the dead originated in Mexico, as an indigenous celebration, but is now celebrated in most Spanish speaking countries. And although a lot of people celebrate it, not a lot of people know what it is or when it is. Because Halloween is so hyped up, Dia de los Muertos is usually overlooked.

Excited and looking forward to Day of the Dead this year, my family visited my uncle and we decided to put something at his grave, celebrating the life he lived. For those who did not pay attention in Spanish class or did not take a Spanish class, Day of the Dead is a day to celebrate the lives our beloved lost ones once lived. For some people this may be weird, remembering a lost one is difficult and can put them in a sad mindset, but Day of the Dead is to remember the life they once lived. We put out their favorite foods, drinks, a cross made out of flowers called, cempasuchil, but if you cannot find any then any flower will do. We also put out religious candles and pan de muertos (bread of dead) which most of the time is made specifically for Day of the dead. Now if you want to add any personal things of the person, that is something up to the family, but most of the time it calls out to the spirit more and the spirit knows where to go due to the personal connection they once had with it.

The belief of Day of the Dead is that, due to the altar that you make for them, their spirit will come and visit their family and spend the day with them. November 1st is the day for the innocent, so the day that the spirit of dead children come to visit their family. November 2nd is the day the spirits of the adults come to visit their family and spend the day with them, like the days when they were alive.

Although Andrea Franco does not celebrate it personally, she believes, “What makes Dia de los Muertos so special is the different ways people choose to honor the life of loved ones that passed away.” It truly is something beautiful, “Every altar is unique because the people they’re dedicated to had different personalities and stories. Also each region in Mexico has different traditions, so we’re all celebrating the same holiday but differently.”