Why Is Day Of The Dead Important

Day of the Dead is a very important Hispanic holiday, in fact, it is one of the biggest of all the Hispanic holidays and most important. Day of the Dead is a combination holiday, drawing from the Spanish Conquistadors and the Aztec culture. This all-out bash goes on for three days and is filled with extravagant and long celebrations, dressing up in costumes, music, tasty food, and then a serious and somber convening with the dead, as tradition has it. This is a way of grieving, getting another chance to be with their dead, and also helping the passed on their journey through the afterlife. As much as this is a fun and loud celebration, the original meaning holds true—the Day of the Dead is meant as a way to once again, visit with passed loved ones. I would like to delve deeper into this, the true meaning, and come to a more sincere understanding.
The Day of the Dead is most closely associated with Mexico, and as I watched a BBC documentary via the VolState video library, I was able to watch as traditional Mexican celebrators prepared alters, celebrated those passed over, and held night long vigils in the cemeteries.
For altars, they spare no expense as they put numerous flowers, fruits and vegetables, memorabilia, and pictures of their beloved family members. They decorate the gravestones in the cemeteries the same way, they sing and play instruments, and rejoice with one another for hours throughout the night. The name of this holiday sounds much more ominous than it is, and I think the host for the documentary discovered that through first-hand experience. Stefan Gates (the host) got to celebrate some of his loved ones and placed their pictures on an altar. He went on to say, that even though he does not think himself a very spiritual man, that this was a life-changing experience. He felt a presence throughout the festival and loved how they view death—as something to be celebrated and
loved. At the end of the festival they have a huge feast with traditional foods and enjoy having their family surround them. The Mexican/Spanish culture is still very alive here in America due to the Spain’s original claim here in this land and the large amount of Mexican immigrants. The Day of the Dead is not celebrated on a very large basis here in the US, but there are similar ideas that back some American holidays. One such holiday would be Memorial Day, which may not be on the same level as Dia de los Muertos, but certainly has the same idea—to honor the dead. Memorial Day was even more similar to Day of the Dead in the beginning decades of celebration, but has since been watered down. Through my research on this feast, I have definitely come to a better understanding of it and would be much less apprehensive to approach it if the opportunity presented itself. The core of Dia de los Muertos is a very honorable one and something that I think most anyone could grasp and come to accept, for we all have passed loved ones that we miss. Death, in the Hispanic culture, is seen as the “true state of being” and not something to be feared but loved and exalted. I think that this concept is something that could be useful to any culture or person and be used to bring hope to those both in life and in death.