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Originally Posted by Undertoad
I don't know why the Day of the Dead actually spans two days, and all I've ever known about it comes from the quirky computer game Grim Fandango, which the Day apparently inspired. It turns out that in Mexico and a few other places, the macabre Day is a happy celebration - and not at all a scary and sad remembrance - of the dead.
Is it coincidence that this freaky Day occurs near the same time as... Halloween, and the Catholic All Saints/All Souls Day, and the Celtic Samhain? After the end of harvest when the first frost has just happened?
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On the first day of Dias de los Muertos, the spirits of the children come back and are honored; on the second day, it's the adult spirits' turn. Altars are set up, some of them big and public, others small and more personal, where family members place candles, photos of deceased loved ones, food and drink offerings, flowers and gifts. Oh, and the sugar skulls, too. I hear that in Mexico, people have all day and night picnics on the graves of their dead relatives.
I went to a small celebration this past weekend and found out that Dias de los Muertos is rooted in an Aztec celebration for the goddess of death, and was originally held in the summer! When the Spaniards arrived, the holiday was supressed, but then combined with the Catholic All Saints/Souls day on November 1st and 2nd so it could be celebrated in disguise. So it isn't necessarily specific to that time of year.