✶ Mexico


Day of the Dead S he looks like a living skeleton. Her face is


painted ghostly white. Black circles surround her eyes. Her nose looks like a gaping hole. Shells pinned to her clothes clack like bones. T e sound is loud enough to wake the dead. T at’s the point. It’s the Day of the Dead,


a time to remember those who have died. It sounds sad, yet across Latin America, it’s a happy time. To celebrate, families oſt en head to the cemeteries where their loved ones are buried. T ere, they pull up weeds. T ey give the gravestones a fresh coat of paint. T en they get ready for a party. T ey scatter bright orange marigold petals,


creating a path to their family’s gravesite. T ere, they lay out picnic feasts. Church bells toll. T e bells, food, and flowers invite the spirits of the dead to the celebration.


Soon, laughter rises among the gravestones.


Family members tell funny stories about those who have died. T ey bring these long-gone loved ones to life for a younger generation. T e party continues late into the night.


People nibble on candy skulls made out of spun sugar. Many dress up as skeletons and parade through town. Overhead, fireworks explode. T e celebration lasts for two days. T en it’s time for the dead to return to the spirit world—until next year. Many of these traditions, or established


ways of acting, date back to the Aztecs. T ese ancient people believed that death wasn’t an end. Instead, it was a natural part of the cycle of life. Today, the Day of the Dead remains a celebration. Its rituals keep memories alive for new generations.


SEPTEMBER 2014 21


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