Common Misconceptionsabout

 The Day of the Dead El día de los muertos                                   

by May Herz http://www.inside-mexico.com/noes.htm

• It is not the

Mexican version

of Halloween.

• Mexicans have

celebrated the

Day of the Dead

since the year

1800 B.C.

• It is not scary or

morbid.

• There are no images

of dead people,

ghosts, witches, or

the devil.

• Calaveras, or

skeletons, are a

modern artistic

representation of the

of the annual event

Posada, Jose Guadalupe Calavera depicting contemporary newspapers as skeleton cyclists

c. 1889-1895Type metal engraving

• It is not a cult.

• This ritual has nothing

to do with cults.

• It is a Catholic

Christian ritual

intermixed with

indigenous culture.

• For many, going to

mass is an essential

aspect of this

celebration.

• It doesn’t honor death or

dying, but remembers the

life and love of dead

relatives.

• If offers the opportunity to

reflect upon life, heritage,

ancestors, and the

meaning and purpose of

human existence.

• Altars or ofrendas

are not worshipped.

• Ofrendas offer love

and remember

departed family

members as they

were in life and

family.

• Memory and life

comingle.

• It is not a sad ritual.

• It’s a day of happiness and remembering loved ones.

• It is not a party.

• When in the graveyard, people assume an introspective attitude.

• There is love without grief.

It is about Love not Fear

• It is not a

careless or

fearless

confrontation

of death.

• It is a moment

to reflect upon

one’s life and

the cycle of life

and death.

• It is not a “strange”

ritual.

• It is very similar to

going to a grave and

leaving flowers,

stuffed animals, flags,

or lighting a candle.