An article covering Dia Dos Les Muertos
Top picture: couple disguised as dead poses at a cemetery in Metepec, Mexico/ bottom left: flower vendor awaits customers, Lima, Peru/ bottom center: children fly kites at a cemetery, San Maria de Jesus, Guatemala/ bottom right: siblings partake in Zombie Walk for Day of the Dead on Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
It’s that time of the year again! The pool is closed, long sleeves come out of retirement… hot tea and soup are now popular items on the menu. Light breezes of wind guide a foliage of leaves into the direction of a new journey, autumn.
A special night has come in America; we call it Halloween. Little kids are ecstatic to dress up in adorable costumes and ring the doorbells in a neighborhood. They’ll hold out their bags and say, “Trick-Or-Treat. Trick-Or-Treat… Give me something to eat! And for the young adults, festivities are also taking place. Homecoming vibes are spread throughout the city. Parents are visiting from out of town, of course there is bumper-to-bumper traffic on the way to every event. This is normal, it’s our culture. But have you ever stopped to think how another culture celebrates what they consider to be “Halloween.”
Right at the border there is a whole new world of culture. In Latin America, Halloween is celebrated as well, “Day of the Dead.” I am pretty sure you have this misconception of this Latin holiday which probably drove you to judge the culture based off of personal beliefs, but I am here to shed new light! Now I have to admit I too was judgmental of this holiday, the name alone is spooky! After doing some in depth research, I began to realize that the Day of the Dead isn’t so bad after all. Families and friends gather to pray in remembrance for loved ones who have passed away. This happens over a three day span. It is tradition to build private altars (or ofrendas). They bring gifts of their deceased loved ones favorite things to gravesites, including food. Similar themed celebrations also take place in Asian and African Cultures.
So you see, Halloween is a holiday that is celebrated in different types of ways. We live in a world that is rotating at a 360 degree angle, which means everything is recycled, repeated, and replenished! The grass isn’t greener on the other side. Think of it like this;it’s the same grass watered in a different way!