Since you’ve got your Halloween decorations out, I thought I would talk about another fun holiday, Day of the Dead or better known as Dia de los Muertos.
It is celebrated on November 1, the day after all Hallows’ Eve. November 1 is also All Saints’ Day, which is a holy day of obligation for us Catholics and the Eastern Orthodox Church and some protestant churches.
It’s basically a day dedicated to the saints of the Church. Of course, Day of the Dead is not a new holiday.
It has been around for, oh, about 3,000 years. It has recently gained a lot of popularity in the US, mainly as a party-theme, but it is bringing some attention to it nonetheless. If you haven’t see the movie Cocoa, you need to it’s fantastic and does a pretty good job explaining Day of the Dead.
Dia de los Muertos is predominantly celebrating in Latin America as it celebrates the lives of the deceased with food, drink, parties and activities the dead enjoyed in life. On this day, the dead are a part of the community, awakened from their eternal sleep to share celebrations with their loved ones.
Before our friends moved out of state they hosted a Day of the Dead party.
It was so much fun getting dressed up and painting our faces. It was kind of nice too, because at the time our kids were small, so it didn’t interfere with any of their Halloween activities. To have your own Dia de los Muertos party all you need are lots of colorful flowers (silk and paper are fantastic) and skeletons (calacas) and skulls (calaveras). Unlike Halloween, the skeletons and skulls are portrayed as enjoying life. You will also want to include a lot of candles.
Be sure to use very bright colors like turquoise, hot pink, orange and purple. I’ve actually seen some decorations at Hobby Lobby recently and since they are knee-deep in Christmas decorations I’m sure they are half off by now.
So, go out on a limb and host a fun, new family tradition, Day of the Dead party.