Traditions that Unite Us: Día de los Muertos
Learn more about the two-day Mexican holiday, celebrated at the beginning of November, that reunites the living with the dead.
While losing a loved one is a solemn occasion of mourning, in Mexican culture, those who have passed on are remembered in a sentimental, even joyful, way during Día de los Muertos, the Day of the Dead.
“It’s a favorite tradition of my culture,”
said Maria Garnica, who owns the El Viajero Restaurante Tradicional Mexicano in Hooksett with her husband, Miguel.
“It reunites the living and the dead.”
The holiday is a blend of Indigenous and Spanish Catholic traditions that has become a national symbol in Mexico and a popular, evolving celebration in the United States.
It began as an ancient Aztec custom of celebrating ancestors with All Souls’ Day, a holiday that Spanish invaders brought to Mexico starting in the early 1500s.
Author's summary: Día de los Muertos reunites the living and the dead.