Day of the Dead
The 1st. and 2nd. of November every Mexican family celebrates the "Día de Muertos", in which the first day is dedicated to the dead children (also known as "angelitos" (little angels)) and the following day is dedicated to the grown-ups. People pray for their no longer living relatives and they expect their dead relatives' souls to come back home. The souls are guided by the offered lights and odors that lie on the altar.
There is a mixing of contrastable feelings during this Mexican celebration. An example of this mixing is the pain of a beloved relative and the fun of the party itself.
The celebration is fulfilled by several traditions like taking some flowers to the dead's tombs. The graveyards are fully iluminated with flowers and offerings which are given by the relatives of the dead persons. Even now, there are families who stay all night at the graveyard making some company to their dead relatices.
For some people, this ritual starts at dawn when families put their altars up. These altars have a great meaning to the people who believe that the altars help the deceased to find a good way during the path to death.
This altar is a place dedicated to worship the the deceased which, traditionally, must be placed in the most important room of the house. Usually it is just a decorated table in which lays bread, water, candles, skulls, incense, pictures of the decased and food especially for the dead relatives. Every family cooks delicious and typical dishes of every region of the country in which the families live in order to give a warm and affective welcome to the deceased.
The "Pan de Muerto" is a typical bread especially baked and eaten for this particular season. The bread is eaten with milk, coffee or cocoa and its shape is circular which symbolizes the skull and a complete skeleton.
The altars are decorated with colorful tissue-papers and flowers. The most common one is an orange flower called "cempasuchitl" which is considered the flower of the deceased. If the altar is designed for a child, then toys as dolls and candies are added to it and if the altar is designed for a grown-up, beverages and alcoholic drinks such tequila are added to it.
Several of these altars are masterpieces that reflect the human work, dedication and creativity of people.
Also, during this season, "calaveritas" (candies with a skull shape and sugar made and the name of the deceased written on it) are sold in all of Mexico. Although the most common is the sugar one, there are chocolate ones.