Mexico's main holiday - Day of the Dead
Mexico's main holiday - Day of the Dead

Video: Mexico's main holiday - Day of the Dead

Video: Mexico's main holiday - Day of the Dead
Video: instamillionaire EP 41 50 - YouTube 2024, November
Anonim
Skeletons on city streets and dancing in cemeteries on Day of the Dead
Skeletons on city streets and dancing in cemeteries on Day of the Dead

Mexicans are a special people. Who else, if not the ancestor of the Maya, would dream of turning the memory of the dead into a holiday, and even the most popular holiday in the country? On the "Day of the Dead" in the Mexican cemeteries they drink, dance and have fun, so why wonder at the carnivals of skeletons?

The tradition of celebrating Day of the Dead dates back to 2500-3000 years. The celebration took place in the ninth month of the Aztec calendar. But since the Spaniards joined the "Day of the Dead", the holiday was postponed to the end of October - the beginning of November. Today the holiday is also celebrated on October 31st. On this day, it is customary to commemorate dead children. For this reason, the first two days of the holiday are called "Little Angels Day". On November 1 and 2, adults are already commemorated.

Day of the Dead is celebrated all over Mexico on a grand scale
Day of the Dead is celebrated all over Mexico on a grand scale

On "Day of the Dead", people dressed in costumes of female skeletons called Katrina take to the streets of Mexico. Colorful street processions take place in different ways. In some parts of the country, they take place in the form of funeral processions - people arrange gloomy torchlight processions. In others, people prefer to have fun - singing, drinking and dancing.

In the evening, people go to the cemeteries where their loved ones are buried. In a humorous tone, Mexicans communicate with the souls of the dead. Then the fun begins in the cemetery - people drink, eat, dance, and also tear off their clothes and sprinkle ashes on their heads. In the morning, the interlocutors of the deceased go home.

Gloomy torchlight processions
Gloomy torchlight processions

The main symbol of the holiday is the skull. Also, people willingly buy gloomy lanterns and treat children to creepy-looking candy canes. This Mexican tradition is reminiscent of Halloween.

The holiday attracts tourists from all over the world. In 2004, the "Day of the Dead" was recognized by UNESCO as a heritage of mankind. The holiday is mentioned in the Guinness Book of Records - in the same year, students built a wall of 5667 edible skulls.

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