DIa de los Muertos

El Día de los Muertos

What is the Day of the Dead?

Día de los Muertos, or “Day of the Dead” in
English, is a celebration to honor our ancestors.

Those who celebrate it believe that at midnight
on October 31, the souls of deceased children
return from heaven and visit their families on
November 1, and the souls of deceased adults
visit on November 2.

Multiple Choice

Day of the dead is called what in Spanish?

• Dia de dead

• Dia de los muertos

• Halloween

• Semana de muertos

Day of the Dead is celebrated in
central and southern Mexico.
Some cities in the United States
have parades as well.

Where is it celebrated?

Multiple Choice

Is Day of the Dead celebrated in the United States?

• Yes

• No

How is it celebrated?

Día de los Muertos is, in fact, Los Días de los
Muertos—the holiday is celebrated for two
days.

November 1 is April Fool's Day, which honors
dead children. The tombs are decorated with
white orchids.

November 2 is Day of the Dead, which honors
dead adults. Their tombs are decorated with
live marigolds.

There are many calacas
(skeletons) and calaveras (skulls).

Sugar skulls are placed in the
offerings.

What are the special
symbols?

Multiple Choice

A pumpkin is a symbol of Dia de los Muertos

• Yes

• No

Is is similar to Halloween?

The two are not very similar.

For Day of the Dead,
everyone dresses in bright
colors and celebrates the
dead. Skulls are painted on
their faces.

What are the important
traditions?

In preparation for “important visitors” (the deceased
family), people clean their homes before October 31st.

They decorate the graves of their relatives.

In big cities, there are festivals with

parades and music.

Many women dress very elegantly as catrinas (19th

century women).

What is an ofrenda?

An offering is made to honor past family members. They
are decorated with flowers, candles, people's favorite
food and bread of the dead.

What is an ofrenda?

Salt and water feed the
souls because they are
tired of traveling to
Earth.

Bread of the dead is a
sweet bread that is placed
in offerings so that the
spirits can eat.

The light of the candles guides
the spirits to return to Earth.
Flowers represent life and
incense represents heaven.

Ofrendas in Guatemala

What is the history of
Día de los Muertos?

The celebration of the dead goes back hundreds of
years. In Aztec culture, the celebration was in August
and lasted for a month.

The Aztecs believed in Catrina, the
goddess of Death, who is represented
like a skeleton

Multiple Choice

The celebration started with the _____ civilization.

• Inca

• Aztec

• Mayan

• Egyptian

What is the history of
Día de los Muertos?

When the conquerors arrive
In Central America, they think
that the practice is against
of the church.

Eventually, the mixture of
social groups and evolution
of ideas they give us on Mother's Day
Deaths that we celebrate today.

Video of Día de los Muertos

Multiple Choice

The altar must have a picture to honor those who have passed?

• Yes

• No