Photo | Margarita Lopez
Día de los Muertos is a two-day traditional festival celebrated in Mexico, Peru, and other cities in the United States and South America. During these days, people celebrate their loved ones who passed away.
The first day of November is known as el Día de los Angelitos (Day of the Little Angels), where families remember children and celebrate them. For adults, the same goes for Nov. 2, except it’s called el Día de los Inocentes (Day of the Innocents). Children are celebrated because people believe they are eager to return and arrive a day ahead.
El Día de los Muertos (Dia of the Dead) is nothing compared to Halloween, even though it is around the same time. The meaning behind these two festivals is different. Families set up a ofrenda which is an offering altar for their loved ones at homes or cemeteries.
In Mexico, families visit their loved ones’ cemeteries and spend the night there. They decorated their tombs with candles, cempasuchil flowers, perforated paper, pan de Muerto (bread of the dead), sugar skulls, photographs, and anything the deceased liked. El Día de los Muertos overall are two days to celebrate and remember those who passed away.
