The Day of the Dead is one of the most important celebrations in Mexico and has a high level of recognition internationally due to the culture and traditions embodied in it.
When is All Saints’ Day celebrated?
This festival, which is considered by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, is divided into two parts, November 1 corresponds to All Saints’ Day, in which the souls of minors are welcomed, and November 2 is All Souls’ Day, dedicated to adults.
The celebration of All Saints’ Day dates back to the 11th century when the Abbot of Cluny promoted this day to remember the Maccabees. This date was accepted by the Roman church.
Churches and convents exhibited relics and treasures so that believers could pray to them and avoid entering hell. Additionally, in some homes “the saint’s table” was placed, which was decorated with flowers and sweets. This is with the objective of sanctifying the houses and purifying the environment of the place.
The Day of the Dead in Mexico is celebrated annually on November 1 and 2, however, and the ritual in some families begins on October 28, since according to each belief the memory of animals, babies, children, sick people, and people who died in an accident, each one has a specific day and time.
The origin of the Day of the Dead in Mexico dates back to our ancestors and much further back to pre-Hispanic times. We must also take into account that each culture has its own history, temples, gods, beliefs, and celebrations, which with the passing of time, generations adopt and even modify, in what we know as Syncretism.
One of the cultures with the greatest history in Mexico and Latin America is the “Aztecs” or “Mexicas”, who believed that Mictlán, the underworld was the place where the souls of most of the deceased go to have eternal rest.
Aztecs thought Mictlán was divided into nine levels that had the purpose of bringing souls to rest, only if they passed each of the tests.
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