"Day of the Dead"
 

The first two days of November Mexico and some parts of the United States celebrates the ritual know as Dia de los Muertos or Day of the Dead. This is a 3000 year old custom honoring deceased relatives and ancestors.

Celebrations are held in Mesa, Chandler, Guadalupe and have since merged with Catholic theology although it still incorporates the use of skulls from the ancient Aztec ritual. 

Wooden skull masks called calacas are used in dances and placed on altars dedicated to the dead. Skulls made of sugar have the names of relatives on their foreheads are eaten by a relative or friend at graveside. The belief is that the spirits of the deceased come back to visit during the month long ritual. The natives of Mexico believed life was a dream and death was the continuation of life and only in death did they become truly awake. The Aztecs and other Meso-American civilizations kept skulls as trophies, symbolizing death and rebirth, displaying them during the rituals. 

The Spaniards, trying to convert the natives to Catholicism, felt the ritual was pagan and barbaric. In an effort to make the ritual more Christian, they moved the holiday to coincide with All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day (Nov. 1 and 2). It used to fall on the beginning of August and carry on for the entire month. The celebrations were watched over by the "Lady of the Dead," the goddess Mictecacihuati, who was believed to have died at birth.

In the rural parts of Mexico celebrants visit the cemetery where relatives and friends are buried. The graves are decorated, usually with the yellow Marigold, a symbol of death, and candles. Toys are placed on the graves of children and Tequila on the graves of adults. The favorite foods of the deceased are eaten, along with Pan de Muertos, All Souls Bread (for recipe, click here). In some places, pictures of the dead are placed in altars built for the celebration and candles are placed by them.