{"id":3977,"date":"2019-11-01T13:45:08","date_gmt":"2019-11-01T13:45:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/conversaspanishinstitute.com\/?p=3977"},"modified":"2019-11-01T13:45:09","modified_gmt":"2019-11-01T13:45:09","slug":"dia-de-los-muertos-%d1%87%d1%82%d0%be-%d1%8d%d1%82%d0%be-%d0%b7%d0%b0-%d1%81%d0%b0%d1%85%d0%b0%d1%80%d0%bd%d1%8b%d0%b5-%d1%87%d0%b5%d1%80%d0%b5%d0%bf%d0%b0","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/conversaspanishinstitute.com\/ru\/blog\/dia-de-los-muertos-what-it-is-beyond-sugar-skulls\/","title":{"rendered":"D\u00eda De Los Muertos: What It Is Beyond Sugar Skulls"},"content":{"rendered":"

Yes, I\u2019m gonna go ahead and say it. If you\u2019ve recently watched Disney\u2019s Coco<\/a>, you probably already consider yourself an expert on D\u00eda de los Muertos<\/em>. But let me tell you, there are still a lot of misconceptions about this day, and we\u2019re here to clear them out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Believe it or not, Day of the Dead is not Mexican Halloween. And although this festivity is mostly associated with Mexico, we can find it in other parts of Latin America and even the US. So, what is D\u00eda de los Muertos and where does it come from?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Origins of D\u00eda de los Muertos<\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"CONVERSA
\u0427\u0438\u0442\u0430\u0442\u044c \u0434\u0430\u043b\u0435\u0435<\/strong>Video: Spanish-English false friends<\/span><\/div><\/a><\/div>

Death has always been admired, feared, explored and celebrated by humankind. And so, Day of the Dead began to take root about 3,000 years ago by Latin American indigenous populations, like the Aztecs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They honored Mictecacihuatl<\/a>, the goddess of death or, literally, \u2018the lady of the dead\u2019, and the celebrations originally took place during the summer months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"CONVERSA
\u0427\u0438\u0442\u0430\u0442\u044c \u0434\u0430\u043b\u0435\u0435<\/strong>Online Activity: Conjugate Spanish Verbs in Present<\/span><\/div><\/a><\/div>

The Spaniards, being the conquistadores<\/em> (\u2018conquerors\u2019) that they were, could not fathom the paganity of it all. So obviously the celebration didn\u2019t stay the same. It moved to November 1 and 2, matching the Catholic holidays of D\u00eda de Todos los Santos<\/em> (\u2018All Saints Day\u2019) and D\u00eda de los Fieles Difuntos<\/em> (\u2018Day of the Faithful Departed\u2019).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Or so the story goes. It\u2019s not easy to really know how accurate this representation is, as most traditions that we know from Pre-Columbine times were mostly written by those who wanted to abolish them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How To Celebrate Today<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Much like Cinco de Mayo<\/a>, Dia de los Muertos has become quite popular in the US due to the large Latino Community, especially Mexican-Americans. When different cultures come into contact with each other, it\u2019s quite difficult to avoid celebrating festivities as if they were our own. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What we have to bear in mind is that Day of the Dead is a spiritual time, filled with traditions and practices meant to honor death. The way Mexicans do this is quite different from what we may be used to in the US. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s all about la familia<\/a><\/em>, getting together to bond over the loss of our loved ones. We loved them, we miss them. And yet it\u2019s not the time to mourn, but to celebrate their lives with music, food, drinks and dancing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If D\u00eda de los Muertos<\/em> is not part of your culture, but you want to celebrate with the community, that\u2019s absolutely fine! Remember to be respectful, stay informed, and show interest in the traditional practices of this holiday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

D\u00eda de los Muertos<\/strong><\/em> Concepts 101<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n