What if there is an afterlife after you die?

What if there were two days out of the year you get to come back and visit your family?

“Dia De Los Muertos is a celebration of the lives of those who have passed on. A day to remember their loved ones and the time you had with them. To honor them in a special way so it’s really a celebration and not a morbid holiday,” Señorita Pittenger said.

The Day of the Dead celebrates life in its embrace of death. These traditions started from the Aztecs, Toltec’s, and Mayans. These were native groups who believed that there was an afterlife where your loved ones who passed away would go.

Over time, this tradition spread all over the world, it is celebrated mainly in Mexico or Spanish speaking countries, but throughout the world certain people will hold celebrations for this day.

When asked why she feels it’s important to celebrate the Day of the Dead, Señora Chimbo stated;

“It is important to celebrate the day of the dead because it is a time to remember loved ones, family, and friends that have passed away. Also, it helps you feel connected to someone in the afterlife,” Chimbo said.

The 1st day of November is All Saints Day, which is about celebrating all the saints that made it to heaven. On this day people go to church to pray to the saints that have passed away.

Everyone also learns about the history of the saints and who they were.

Some people also pray to the ancestors who used to be saints. They pray to them and ask if they will some day be a saint too.

The 2nd day of November is All Souls Day, and on this day people celebrate the death of their ancestors. They do this through prayer, ofrendas, and visits to the cemeteries where the ancestors were buried.  An ofrenda is a table that is filled with pictures of ancestors, objects that represent them, candles, paper decorations, and food for when their spirits come to visit during this day. Also on the ofrenda they have objects that represent the elements of fire, water, earth, and wind.

Señora Weeks explained why she thinks it’s important for students to learn about the Day of the Dead: “It’s important to teach students about the Day of the Dead because it runs their horizon and exposes them to another culture. It lets them compare and contrast what we do in the states versus what Spanish speaking countries do to honor and celebrate the dead,” Weeks explained.

This is an amazing tradition that has been around for decades, and this tradition shows the amazing cultures people have around the world!